Set up on Windows

Requirements

• Windows 11, 64-bit (x64). Windows on ARM is not supported.
• Graphics: PixelBridge encodes the picture on the graphics chip. NVIDIA and Intel graphics do this in hardware. On a PC with AMD graphics only, PixelBridge falls back to a software encoder, which limits the picture to about 720p and uses more processor time.
• An administrator account for the install (setup adds drivers and a background service).

Install

1. Download the setup from bytehavenstudios.com/get/pixelbridge and run it. Windows asks for administrator permission.
2. Welcome. Setup explains what it installs: the PixelBridge display and pen drivers, a small background service and the tray app.
3. Startup. "Start PixelBridge when I sign in" is ticked. Leave it on so the PC is ready whenever you plug in.
4. Pen input page (only sometimes). If another tablet driver is already installed, for example a Wacom driver, setup asks whether PixelBridge may take over pen input for Krita and other Qt apps while a device is connected. Your other tablet keeps working the rest of the time. See Pen and pressure.
5. Install. The drivers install without extra prompts. Setup also adds the firewall rules it needs, and the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime if your PC doesn't have it.
6. Finished. The last page, "PixelBridge is ready", shows a QR code. Scan it with your phone or tablet's camera to open the PixelBridge app on Google Play. Leave "Start PixelBridge now" ticked.

If PixelBridge is already installed, setup offers to repair (reinstall) it, replace it with the new version, or uninstall it.

Where PixelBridge lives

PixelBridge has no main window and no taskbar button. It runs as an icon in the notification area (the system tray, by the clock). Its menu holds everything:

Menu item	What it does
Pair wireless…	Shows the QR code a device scans to connect over Wi-Fi
Reconnect	Re-opens the connection
Disconnect device	Ends one device’s session, or all of them
Paired devices	Forget a paired device (shown when pairing is on)
Arrange displays…	Opens Windows Settings › Display, to place the new screen or choose Extend or Duplicate
Force 120 Hz	Asks for 120 Hz on the PixelBridge display
Quick toggles	A handful of settings that apply on the next connection
Start when I sign in	Starts PixelBridge with Windows
Pen in Krita and other Qt apps	Lets drawing apps read pen pressure from PixelBridge
Settings…	The full Settings window
Quit	Stops PixelBridge

First connection over USB

1. Open the PixelBridge app on your device.
2. Plug the device into the PC with a USB data cable.
3. If nothing happens, pull down the phone's USB notification and choose File transfer. In charge-only mode the PC has nothing to connect to.
4. Android asks "Open PixelBridge?". Tick Always open so it starts by itself next time.
5. The picture appears after a few seconds. If it doesn't, tap Connect over USB in the app.

You don’t need USB debugging or developer mode.

Your phone’s file transfer while PixelBridge runs

To use the cable as a display link, PixelBridge takes over a plugged-in phone’s file-transfer connection. The phone won’t appear in File Explorer while PixelBridge is running. Quit PixelBridge from the tray and file transfer comes back.

First connection over Wi-Fi

Turn Wi-Fi on first

In the current version, connections over Wi-Fi are off by default on Windows. Open the tray menu › Settings… › Connection, turn on Allow connections over Wi-Fi, then restart PixelBridge when the window asks you to.

1. Make sure the PC and the device are on the same Wi-Fi network, and that Windows treats it as a Private network (see Wi-Fi).
2. On the PC, open the tray menu › Pair wireless…. A window shows a QR code and says "Listening — waiting for a device to connect".
3. In the app, tap Scan code to connect and point the camera at the code. The app asks for camera access the first time.
4. The picture appears. From now on the device reconnects by itself when you open the app.

Next: extend or duplicate your desktop, or set up the pen.