Apple Remote Desktop Windows

[Chanelle Kirksey]

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.

We're testing new features on our preview channel on AppCenter. Want to check it out? Go to Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac and select Download. You don't need to create an account or sign into AppCenter 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, select Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta at the top, and then select Check for updates.

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.

If you're running macOS X 10.9 and have 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 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.

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, it 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

Solution: remove Norton 360 Crap and never use it again, as it doesn't respect current firewall rules, and RDP/3389 seems to be unknown by Norton as a user-selected option in the windows (11 Pro) settings. I tried disabling and re-enabling remote desktop in windows settings, but the result remains (norton blocks even local access).

While uninstalling the Crap, it did a (probably) false positive detection of a "trojan". I had no chance of investigating what file in c:\windows it deleted without letting me making an active choice.

Norton Firewall blocks the following Windows services by default on a public network. You can choose to always allow any of these services on a public network by checking the Allow box next to the service name.

Not sure if this applies here. Years ago, I was beta testing Norton security products and I tried to use RDP to install from my daily use computer to my test rig. I ran into issues and could not complete the installation. Working with the Norton engineers on this and it was determined that you could not use RDP to install onto a remote computer. I don't know if things have changed since then.

Wrote a reply, but it disappeared (probably norton virus scanner that scans the reply, as with the mentioned removed "malware", which I now cannot find anything about what was deleted, just hope it wasn't something important so I have to reinstall that computer)

I tried both with and without restarting the computer which I installed Norton on (install went fine, it just lost the connection when 360 started after the installation). I tried to reconnect multiple times, also after manually adding an exception rule under "traffic rules". I won't reinstall 360 on any computer anymore. I have 20+ one year "free" licenses (for 3 or 5 devices each) to share if anyone else want to be Nortons guinea pig.

You seem to have already decided against Norton, but another question. Did you run LiveUpdate manually a few times, restarting as necessary, until no updates are available? Then restart again. Restarting, not shutdown and startup again if you have Windows Fast Startup feature enabled. If you use Windows 8/8.1 or 10 or 11, there can be an issue with the Windows Fast Startup feature.. See more information here. That might have reset your network connections.

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For Mac users, the stalwart tool has been the Microsoft Remote Desktop connection. Available through the Mac App Store, the free application allows Mac users to remotely connect to a Windows desktop to access local files, applications and network resources.

Be sure to also disable Sleep Mode on the target PC; otherwise, you may not be able to reach the PC if it falls asleep or turns off. To disable Sleep Mode, click Start, select Settings and click Power and Sleep and use the provided drop-down boxes to disable those features.

Three additional checkboxes are provided. Check each box to enable the respective function (reconnect if the connection drops, connect to an admin session on the remote system and swap mouse buttons).

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