3 Free Ways to Remotely Connect to Your Mac’s Desktop Chris Hoffman @chrisbhoffman Updated July 3, 2017, 4:19pm EDT Apple sells Apple Remote Desktop on the Mac App Store for $80, but you don’t have to spend any money to remotely connect to your Mac. May 29, 2019 RELATED: Use Remote Desktop To Access Other Computers On a Small Office or Home Network With each method described below, we’re connecting from a client that we installed on our system to a target computer. On our Mac we’re using the Remote Desktop (RDP) application, and on Windows the RealVNC Viewer.
Mar 21, 2016 Problems connecting to Windows 10 with Mac Remote Desktop Connection. I'm trying to connect to a Win 10 PC from my OSX 10.11.3 Mac running Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2.1.1 Remote Desktop Connection cannot verify the identity of the computer that you want to connect to. Try reconnecting to the Windows-based computer. Apr 17, 2019 Connecting to a Windows 10 Pro computer via Remote Desktop causes that same remote computer to completely freeze up. RDP works fine for a couple of minutes before freezing up completely. Even local login on the computer is not working, mouse is unresponsive, so is the keyboard.
Sharing your screen remotely is a convenient way to access another computer as if you’re sitting in front of it. OS X and Windows have this ability built right into them, meaning you can easily share your Mac’s screen with Windows PCs, and vice versa.
If you run a mixed network, it’s most likely a combination of Macs and Windows PCs. You might have a Linux machine tossed in there to serve files, but most people have Windows or Macs, and sometimes both.
RELATED:Use Remote Desktop To Access Other Computers On a Small Office or Home Network
With each method described below, we’re connecting from a client that we installed on our system to a target computer. On our Mac we’re using the Remote Desktop (RDP) application, and on Windows the RealVNC Viewer.
These tools allow us to connect to the targets computer via each system’s native method. In other words, Windows uses RDP natively while OS X uses VNC. This means we have to do almost no configuring to the targets, so getting everything working is usually hassle-free.
Connecting to Windows PC Clients from a Mac
We’ve previously discussed how to use Remote Desktop to access other Windows computers in the same house. It’s not so much different doing it from OS X, but let’s go through it for the sake of thoroughness.
To connect to a Windows PC, you must first turn on remote connections. Open the System Properties and click the “Remote” tab, then make sure “Allow remote connections to this computer” is enabled.
You also want to make sure you install the Microsoft Remote Desktop client on your Mac. It is available in the App Store.
Remote Desktop will be installed in your Mac’s Application’s folder. In our example, we’ve already set up a user profile, which is ready for action. Let’s take a moment, however, to click “Edit” and show you what’s involved.
Windows Mac Remote Desktop
Next to “Connection name” we give it a friendly name while the “PC name” is either the name we gave our target PC or its IP address.
We don’t worry about configuring a gateway because we’re connecting to our PC within our local network. Also, if you do not want to enter your user name and password every time you connect, you can add them to the “Credentials.” Not entering any credentials means that when you connect to your Windows machine, you will need to log into an account.
If you want to know what your PC’s name and/or IP address is, you need to check. Use the keyboard shortcut “Windows + R” and then type “cmd” to open a command prompt. In the command prompt, type “ipconfig” and hit “Return.” You want to use the IPv4 address it gives you.
If you can’t remember what you named your computer, you can find that information on the “System” control panel.
The rest of the Remote Desktop connection’s settings concern resolution, colors, and full screen options.
When you connect to a new client, you’ll likely see a Verify Certificate dialog. Click “Continue” to connect.
If you don’t want to see this warning dialog in the future, click “Show Certificate” and then check the “Always trust …” option as shown below.
To confirm changes to your certificate trust settings, you will need to enter your system password.
Remember, if you didn’t previously enter anything in the connection credentials, you will see the login screen when you first connect. Once you’ve successfully connected to your Windows PC from your Mac, your Windows desktop will appear.
As we mentioned, being able to connect to a Windows machine is a pleasant convenience. For example, your Windows PC may be a super beefy machine you use to do compiling or rendering. You can use remote desktop to check on a job’s progress or start tasks without actually being physically at the machine.
Connecting to a Mac from a Windows PC
Connecting to a Mac from a Windows PC is a little different. You’re not going to be able to use Remote Desktop, but that’s okay because there’s a free client called RealVNC viewer that does the trick nicely.
Just like with Windows, you first have to set up your Mac for screen sharing. Open the “Sharing” preference panel and check the box next to “Screen Sharing.”
Click “Computer Settings…” and make sure “VNC viewers may control screen with password” is checked. Then enter a simple password.
The VNC Viewer requires installation, but you don’t have to sign up for an account to use it.
Recall from the earlier screenshot that our Mac’s screen can be accessed at 192.168.0.118 or Matt-Air.local. If you’re unsure how to access your Mac, go back to your Sharing preferences and double-check the information on the Screen Sharing settings.
We enter “192.168.0.118” in our VNC client and leave the encryption as it is.
The RealVNC Viewer application has a plethora of options you can peruse at your leisure. You’ll probably be fine leaving them as is, though, if you want your connection to automatically open full screen, you need to tick the box next to “Full screen mode.”
We return to our connection and click the “Connect” button. An authentication box will appear where you will need to enter the simple password you created in the Sharing preferences on your Mac.
When you connect to the target Mac, you will also need to log into a (presumably yours) user account, just like we had to do with Windows (if we didn’t supply our credentials). Once logged in, your Mac desktop will now appear in the VNC Viewer window in the same state as you left it.
If you mouse to the top-middle of the window, you can spawn extra controls, which when you hover will give you a tooltip explaining what each one does.
You’ll find handy shortcuts to close and save the connection, as well as to change options, and a full-screen button so your shared desktop fills the screen.
On the Mac side of things, a Screen Sharing icon will appear in the menu bar. This lets you quickly and easily access the Screen Sharing preferences or disconnect clients.
It’s important to remember that sharing a computer screen is really only suited for short bits of work. If you were trying to remotely repair something or show another user how to do something, it’s ideal, but to get any meaningful work done, not so much. You will always experience a little bit of lag and stutter, and there’s not a whole lot you can do about that.
Like we said, however, it’s not intended for heavy-duty work. Keep in mind also, we’re only sharing our screens locally, which means that if you leave the house, say to go get coffee, and you realize you need to connect to a machine at home, you’ll need to know how to connect to it through your router. There are ways to do this with a Mac as well as Windows machines.
We encourage you to check out those articles for more information on how to remotely connect to your machines at home. If you have any comments or questions about what you’ve read today, please leave your feedback in our discussion forum.
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Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016
You can use the Remote Desktop client for Mac to work with Windows apps, resources, and desktops from your Mac computer. Use the following information to get started - and check out the FAQ if you have questions.
Note
- Curious about the new releases for the macOS client? Check out What's new for Remote Desktop on Mac?
- The Mac client runs on computers running macOS 10.10 and newer.
- The information in this article applies primarily to the full version of the Mac client - the version available in the Mac AppStore. Test-drive new features by downloading our preview app here: beta client release notes.
Get the Remote Desktop client
Follow these steps to get started with Remote Desktop on your Mac:
- Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
- Set up your PC to accept remote connections. (If you skip this step, you can't connect to your PC.)
- Add a Remote Desktop connection or a remote resource. You use a connection to connect directly to a Windows PC and a remote resource to use a RemoteApp program, session-based desktop, or a virtual desktop published on-premises using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections. This feature is typically available in corporate environments.
What about the Mac beta client?
We're testing new features on our preview channel on HockeyApp. Want to check it out? Go to Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac and click Download. You don't need to create an account or sign into HockeyApp to download the beta client.
If you already have the client, you can check for updates to ensure you have the latest version. In the beta client, click Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta at the top, and then click Check for updates.
Add a Remote Desktop connection
To create a remote desktop connection:
- In the Connection Center, click +, and then click Desktop.
- Enter the following information:
- PC name - the name of the computer.
- This can be a Windows computer name (found in the System settings), a domain name, or an IP address.
- You can also add port information to the end of this name, like MyDesktop:3389.
- User Account - Add the user account you use to access the remote PC.
- For Active Directory (AD) joined computers or local accounts, use one of these formats: user_name, domainuser_name, or [email protected].
- For Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined computers, use one of these formats: AzureADuser_name or [email protected].
- You can also choose whether to require a password.
- When managing multiple user accounts with the same user name, set a friendly name to differentiate the accounts.
- Manage your saved user accounts in the preferences of the app.
- PC name - the name of the computer.
- You can also set these optional settings for the connection:
- Set a friendly name
- Add a Gateway
- Set the sound output
- Swap mouse buttons
- Enable Admin Mode
- Redirect local folders into a remote session
- Forward local printers
- Forward Smart Cards
- Click Save.
To start the connection, just double-click it. The same is true for remote resources.
Export and import connections
You can export a remote desktop connection definition and use it on a different device. Remote desktops are saved in separate .RDP files.
- In the Connection Center, right-click the remote desktop.
- Click Export.
- Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop .RDP file.
- Click OK.
Use the following steps to import a remote desktop .RDP file.
- In the menu bar, click File > Import.
- Browse to the .RDP file.
- Click Open.
Add a remote resource
Remote resources are RemoteApp programs, session-based desktops, and virtual desktops published using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The URL displays the link to the RD Web Access server that gives you access to RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The configured RemoteApp and Desktop Connections are listed.
To add a remote resource:
- In the Connection Center click +, and then click Add Remote Resources.
- Enter information for the remote resource:
- Feed URL - The URL of the RD Web Access server. You can also enter your corporate email account in this field – this tells the client to search for the RD Web Access Server associated with your email address.
- User name - The user name to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Password - The password to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Click Save.
The remote resources will be displayed in the Connection Center.
Connect to an RD Gateway to access internal assets
A Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) lets you connect to a remote computer on a corporate network from anywhere on the Internet. You can create and manage your gateways in the preferences of the app or while setting up a new desktop connection.
To set up a new gateway in preferences:
- In the Connection Center, click Preferences > Gateways.
- Click the + button at the bottom of the table Enter the following information:
- Server name – The name of the computer you want to use as a gateway. This can be a Windows computer name, an Internet domain name, or an IP address. You can also add port information to the server name (for example: RDGateway:443 or 10.0.0.1:443).
- User name - The user name and password to be used for the Remote Desktop gateway you are connecting to. You can also select Use connection credentials to use the same user name and password as those used for the remote desktop connection.
Manage your user accounts
When you connect to a desktop or remote resources, you can save the user accounts to select from again. You can manage your user accounts by using the Remote Desktop client.
To create a new user account:
- In the Connection Center, click Settings > Accounts.
- Click Add User Account.
- Enter the following information:
- User Name - The name of the user to save for use with a remote connection. You can enter the user name in any of the following formats: user_name, domainuser_name, or [email protected].
- Password - The password for the user you specified. Every user account that you want to save to use for remote connections needs to have a password associated with it.
- Friendly Name - If you are using the same user account with different passwords, set a friendly name to distinguish those user accounts.
- Tap Save, and then tap Settings.
Customize your display resolution
You can specify the display resolution for the remote desktop session.
- In the Connection Center, click Preferences.
- Click Resolution.
- Click +.
- Enter a resolution height and width, and then click OK.
To delete the resolution, select it, and then click -.
Displays have separate spacesIf you are running Mac OS X 10.9 and disabled Displays have separate spaces in Mavericks (System Preferences > Mission Control), you need to configure this setting in the remote desktop client using the same option.
Drive redirection for remote resources
Free mobile games wap. Drive redirection is supported for remote resources, so that you can save files created with a remote application locally to your Mac. The redirected folder is always your home directory displayed as a network drive in the remote session.
Note
In order to use this feature, the administrator needs to set the appropriate settings on the server.
Use a keyboard in a remote session
Mac keyboard layouts differ from the Windows keyboard layouts.
- The Command key on the Mac keyboard equals the Windows key.
- To perform actions that use the Command button on the Mac, you will need to use the control button in Windows (e.g.: Copy = Ctrl + C).
- The function keys can be activated in the session by pressing additionally the FN key (e.g.: FN + F1).
- The Alt key to the right of the space bar on the Mac keyboard equals the Alt Gr/right Alt key in Windows.
By default, the remote session will use the same keyboard locale as the OS you're running the client on. (If your Mac is running an en-us OS, that will be used for the remote sessions as well.) If the OS keyboard locale is not used, check the keyboard setting on the remote PC and change it manually. See the Remote Desktop Client FAQ for more information about keyboards and locales.
Support for Remote Desktop gateway pluggable authentication and authorization
Windows Server 2012 R2 introduced support for a new authentication method, Remote Desktop Gateway pluggable authentication and authorization, which provides more flexibility for custom authentication routines. You can now this authentication model with the Mac client.
Important
Custom authentication and authorization models before Windows 8.1 are not supported, although the article above discusses them.
To learn more about this feature, check out http://aka.ms/paa-sample.
Tip
Mac Rdp Windows 10 Home
Questions and comments are always welcome. However, please do NOT post a request for troubleshooting help by using the comment feature at the end of this article. Instead, go to the Remote Desktop client forum and start a new thread. Have a feature suggestion? Tell us in the client user voice forum.