Forward your local microphone to the host for voice chat and applications running on your remote PC. The managed desktop helper uses a one-way microphone path, with a convenient mute toggle.
Use microphone input from the device you are playing on.
Host v1.0.256 and later on Linux keep the virtual microphone available between streaming sessions.
Audio resumes on reconnect, while the disconnected microphone stays silent.
Toggle microphone muteCtrlAltShiftP
Persistent device identity lasts for the audio-server lifetime. An audio-service restart or reboot can recreate the device.
02 / FILESDEVICE ↔ GAMING PC
Your files. In both directions.
With desktop Client v1.0.266 and Host v1.0.268, send files and folders to your Gaming PC or download them back. Choose Send File… or Browse Host files… from the paired PC’s menu.
Send whole folders, including empty ones, or drag them onto the PC tile.
Pause, resume and recover interrupted jobs after an app restart.
Review Keep both, Skip existing or Replace existing before uploading.
Follow progress and saved history in a panel that keeps working while you browse.
Use Clear history… to remove all inactive entries while running and queued work continues; completed files stay in place.
Set a transfer speed limit and an optional lower cap while streaming.
To download from the Host, enable Client Downloads, choose its allowed folder in Network settings and restart the Host. Uploads and downloads are separate settings, disabled by default.
Encrypted-home downloads fixed in Client265 and retained in266: native/DEB downloads work in tested eCryptfs-encrypted folders, with encrypted staging, checksums and restart recovery. Keep both and Skip work; unsupported existing-file replacement asks for a different explicit choice. The tested document-portal-over-eCryptfs combination remains unsupported. Read the transfer fixes →
Choose no configured per-file size cap: with Client266 + Host268, set File Transfer Max Size to 0 under Host Configuration → Network, save and restart. The default remains 100 MiB; disk space, filesystem, session and snapshot limits still apply. File size and transfer speed are separate settings. A real 12 GiB + 123-byte upload and download passed full checksum verification.
Earlier Flatpak folder-download fixes retained: Choose… works with the tested ordinary document portal. Use Locate destination… to reselect the original folder if access expires, then Resume. Ownership checks, checksums and replacement backups protect recovery. Read the Client264 fix →
Use the current desktop Client and Host for the complete tools; Android is separate. Completed files are checksum checked. Folder operations are per file, not one all-or-nothing change. Real GTK/document-portal recovery and native Windows/macOS storage checks passed; full packaged Windows/macOS GUI acceptance remains separate.
Copy text on your local device, focus the streamed application, and use the paste shortcut. With Client v1.0.266 and Host v1.0.268, Maximizer transfers the text to the Host’s native clipboard and pastes after an authenticated readiness reply.
Transfer up to 1 MiB of plain UTF-8 text, including Unicode, newlines and tabs.
Choose Automatic, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Shift+V or Shift+Insert in Input Settings.
Focus/input changes and disconnect cancel pending automatic paste. Older Hosts retain legacy text input; native failures do not silently type the text.
Paste local clipboard textCtrlAltShiftV
Native Host publication supports X11, supported Wayland data-control compositors and interactive Windows sessions; macOS Host publication is not implemented. Windows runtime acceptance remains separate. This is plain-text transfer, not bidirectional clipboard synchronization. Use Send File… for files. On macOS keyboards, Alt is Option.
04 / CONTROLPLAY YOUR WAY
A controller. Or a full desktop.
Choose the input that fits what you are doing: gamepad controls for a game, or mouse and keyboard for your desktop and applications.
Gamepad support, including supported vibration features.
Mouse capture and remote-desktop mouse modes.
Supported touch input and system-key forwarding options.
Use the Client’s input and display settings to tailor the session to your device.
Available controls depend on the client platform, controller and host configuration.
CLIENT v1.0.266 + HOST v1.0.268
Your screen. A matching display setup.
Choose Automatic matching or Manual setup after pairing in the desktop Client. Current releases retain the native-pixel detection, monitor selection, supported-mode-list and Windows 59.94/60 Hz improvements. Change the choice later through the PC’s Display Setup… menu.
Start on your chosen screen
Move the Client window to the screen you want to use. Automatic matching uses the monitor’s native pixel mode instead of multiplying rounded desktop dimensions, at 60 Hz on the Host and 60 FPS in the stream.
The selected monitor is checked through startup. Setup refreshes on movement and Retry; Manual presets keep their monitor labels and your saved preferences.
Choose a supported fallback
If the exact resolution is unavailable, the Client lists supported nominal 60 Hz modes, prioritizing the closest aspect ratio and then pixel area. Host265 prevents refresh variants from crowding valid resolutions out of the list and verifies Windows 59.94/60 Hz timing.
Approve a fallback explicitly and optionally remember it for this screen and Host capabilities. Incomplete mode inventories require Manual setup.
Recheck before playing
Each new stream rechecks the selected display. Already matching modes are left alone, and another active or pending stream blocks a mode change.
No matching timer changes resolution mid-stream. Cancelling after the Host has accepted a request cannot undo an already applied mode change.
Automatic Host control supports Windows mode-only changes through the existing VDD/GPU readiness gate, and native X11 with one active independent, unrotated output. Wayland, macOS Host, ambiguous layouts and VM applications proxied through the physical Host use Manual setup. A separately paired guest Host can provide its own Display Setup.
This is a desktop Qt Client feature; Android is separate. Main-display selection, topology, HDR and VDD driver configuration remain manual. Private tests cover scaled/mixed-output X11 and fractional-Wayland Client detection and 2560 × 1600/60 FPS streams. Hosted Windows checks verify native monitor identity. Physical Windows/VDD application, macOS and individual device/driver combinations remain separate acceptance work. Native Wayland windowed placement is compositor-controlled.
H.264 · H.265 / HEVC · AV1
Choose your balance of quality and compatibility.
Maximizer supports three major video codecs. The host must be able to encode the selected format, and the client must be able to decode it.
H.264
Compatibility first.
A widely supported starting point for streaming across a broad range of devices. A useful choice when you are getting a setup connected for the first time.
H.265 HEVC
More quality per bit.
Efficient compression for supported hardware, with HDR available on compatible host and client combinations.
AV1
Modern efficiency.
An efficient option for newer compatible hardware. Hardware AV1 encoding and decoding can help deliver high-quality streaming at a lower bitrate.
Resolution, frame rate, HDR and codec availability depend on the host GPU, client decoder, drivers, display and network. Hardware-accelerated decoding helps keep the client responsive.
The current Flatpak automatically prefers Vulkan Video decoding on compatible GPUs and codecs, with VA-API/VDPAU fallback. The DEB includes verified EGL/VA-API presentation and recovery from reported direct-rendering failures. Choose Automatic or hardware decoding in the Client settings on a supported GPU.
A MAJOR CLIENT-SIDE IMPROVEMENT
Much less time in the rendering path.
Client258 introduced automatic Vulkan Video hardware decoding and presentation for compatible Linux Flatpak systems. Client v1.0.266 retains it, with normal device/codec validation and fallback.
3.52 ms → 0.24 ms reported rendering time
Approximately 93% lower in the matched 4K60 HEVC comparison on AMD RX 7900 XTX/Linux X11. The new path avoids the VA-API/EGL handoff while retaining required GPU synchronization. Launch the current Flatpak normally; no workaround variables are needed.
This is Client rendering-stage timing. Complete input-to-screen latency also includes capture, network, decoding and display, and results vary by hardware, driver, codec and display timing.
Tune for the lowest latency your setup can deliver.
Maximizer Host includes a Vulkan Video encoder with low-latency and ultra-low-latency tuning. On supported GPUs and drivers, it provides hardware encoding paths for H.264, H.265/HEVC and AV1.
Choose Vulkan when optimizing a compatible Linux host for responsive streaming, and compare the results with the other available hardware encoders.
LATENCY-FOCUSED ENCODING
Two presets to try.
Low LatencyA latency-focused starting point
vk_tune = 2
Ultra Low LatencyPrioritize lower encoding delay
vk_tune = 3
Low-latency presets can trade picture quality for encoding speed. Vulkan requires Vulkan Video encode support in the host GPU, driver and Host build.
How to choose the best encoder
Use a Host build and graphics driver with Vulkan Video encoding support.
Select Vulkan in the Host video-encoder settings and try the low-latency presets.
Compare the same resolution, codec and bitrate using the Client’s statistics overlay.
End-to-end latency also includes capture, network delivery, decoding and display. The fastest encoder varies by hardware and workload.
THE REST OF YOUR PC EXPERIENCE
Built for more than one way to play.
Useful controls for picture quality, troubleshooting, cloud PCs and advanced host setups.
High-resolution video & HDR
4K and high-refresh streaming options, HDR, and YUV 4:4:4 on supported encoder/client combinations. Tune resolution, frame rate and bitrate to your display and connection.
Add and pair PCs reliably
Client v1.0.266 retains Client262’s fix for the crash when adding a Host with another saved PC already listed. It also passes the completed Host identity into Display Setup after PIN or username/password pairing, avoiding an incorrect “PC no longer available” message.
These are desktop Client fixes. Install the new Client on the device you play on.
Client266’s initial Maximum Settings Start and Pair login panel explains the default 2-hour automatic Gaming PC shutdown. If needed, extend the limit up to 12 hours by changing the setting at login.maximumsettings.com.
Shown once per fresh Client profile. Cancel/retry, later connections and restarts do not repeat it; already-paired profiles stay silent. The website is where you change the limit—the Client does not change it automatically.
Client266 fixes the shutdown/six-minute tooltip appearing on green-ready Bare Metal apps. Mouse hover and keyboard selection now follow the app’s actual unavailable state, and available-state refresh promptly dismisses the warning.
Passthrough-unavailable warnings and existing VM/GPU ownership, launch and cooldown guards remain in place. This is a desktop Client correction.
Host v1.0.268 includes Host264’s fix for Moonlight Android 12.2 and Maximizer Android crashing when opening a paired PC’s application list. Empty lists and hosts with VM support disabled are covered.
Install the updated Host on the Gaming PC. No new Android APK or application-list reset is required for this protocol correction. Desktop VM metadata and authentication are preserved.
Stereo and supported surround-sound configurations, with adaptive playback buffering that fixes recurring dropouts on affected large-batch audio backends. Client257’s correction covers reproduced DEB/Flatpak playback issues, including PipeWire batching, and is included in the current Client.
Normal small-buffer behavior is retained and learned buffering is bounded. Microphone forwarding remains a separate audio path.
Useful streaming statistics
See performance information such as frame rate, latency and dropped frames while tuning your connection.
CtrlAltShiftSStatistics overlay
Certificate-based pairing
Pair with a PIN or supported host credentials and remember trusted hosts for later connections. The desktop Client’s Cancel action stops pending pairing and retries, with late-response protection.
Desktop update notifications
Client v1.0.253 and later check for newer compatible releases at startup across Windows, macOS, DEB, AppImage and Flatpak packages. The update button shows the available version and opens the matching download when clicked.
DEB/Flatpak users on v1.0.250–v1.0.252 must install the current Client manually once; the old disabled checker cannot announce this first upgrade. Updates are not installed automatically. AppImage version comparison is corrected, and Linux Mint selects the DEB channel. Android has a separate implementation.
Play while your PC starts
Client v1.0.250 and later start saved Gaming PCs in the background. Open Web Games during the countdown, then choose Connect to Game PC from the persistent ready notification when you want to switch.
Readiness does not interrupt your game or start a stream. In desktop Client v1.0.251, Stop opens the Hard Shutdown confirmation; Keep Starting leaves startup running. Web Games require a working Qt WebEngine package.
A warning before GPU-intensive games
Desktop Client v1.0.252 opens a GPU-intensive showcase dialog before launching catalog games tagged WebGL, WebGL2 or WebGPU. It explains that these games use the GPU of the computer running the Client and may need a high-end GPU.
Choose Continue on this device or Cancel. For demanding games, install Maximizer Client on the Gaming PC, launch the Web Game there, then stream that PC to your local device. Each fresh GPU-title launch prompts again; Canvas games launch directly. The warning uses game metadata, not a GPU benchmark.
Start first. Confirm shutdown.
Client v1.0.260 makes Start Gaming PC the offline-menu default. While Start is disabled, the menu opens with no selected action instead of jumping to Hard Shutdown. Deliberate Hard Shutdown PC… selection or startup Stop still opens the confirmation; normal Shut Down PC remains available.
The warning explains immediate power loss to the PC and its VMs, lost unsaved work and possible file-system or OS damage. The selected PC is checked before dispatch; request acceptance does not mean power-off is confirmed. Check the control panel before restarting.
Cloud PC controls
Maximum Settings integrations include remote power-on, host discovery, usage information and account shortcuts for subscribers.
Cloud-PC service is separate from the free software download.
GPU-enabled VM workflows
On configured Linux hosts, prepare a virtual machine from the Client, check GPU/service readiness, then choose Desktop or an app. Stop and Force Stop controls are available for VM management.
Host v1.0.258 and later show listener availability, initialization progress and local capture status separately in Troubleshooting. The authenticated management interface starts before graphics initialization.
When a display appears late, retrying the stream can rediscover it using the existing desktop-session settings. VM-owned GPUs are reported separately from capture failures.
Windows display coordination
Host v1.0.259 and later coordinate display-setting changes with capture and wait for a stable wired virtual-display GPU mapping. An unavailable selected display is rejected rather than replaced with another screen.
The new Display Setup flow can request an approved mode-only change through that safety gate. Main-display selection, topology and HDR remain manual in Windows; background VDD layout and restoration protections remain in place.
WebGPU-enabled Flatpak Web Games
The current x86_64 Flatpak includes the same pinned Qt6.10/Dawn-enabled WebEngine toolkit used by the DEB. Corrected capability detection checks for an available WebGPU adapter and falls back after a 15-second deadline.
Software WebGPU compute/render acceptance passed. Actual graphics capabilities still depend on the device and driver; WebGPU-only games need compatible support, while games with a WebGL fallback can use it. Test-only software-driver overrides are not shipped.
These features describe the desktop Client and supported Host configurations. Availability varies by platform and package. The published Android APK is a separate root-variant build. Each download shows its own version and package notes.
Bring your whole setup.
Find the Client for your device and the Host for your gaming PC.
