Remote Control For Mac

• Remote Control For Mac Book
• Remote Control For Mac App

[Update 08/22/2018:macOS Mojave Kills Back to My Mac Network Feature]

Have you ever been away from your home or office Mac and suddenly realized that you a) left it on when you meant to shut it down, b) tried to run a report or access a system only available from that machine, or c) want to grab a file that you haven’t yet moved to the cloud? Today we’ll take a look at three ways to remotely access a Mac, something that can save you from making an unnecessary trip as we near Earth Day 2017.

Back to My Mac
Back to My Mac is a feature of iCloud that lets you access a network of Mac computers — or just one — from another Mac. If you just need files or folders from the remote Mac, you can drag them to your local Mac. Need to control that remote Mac as if you were sitting right in front of it? Back to My Mac gives you a way to use your local keyboard and mouse or trackpad to launch apps and edit documents on the remote machine.

May 29, 2019  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. If you’ve been given permission, you can view and control the screen of another Mac on your network. On the Mac you want to share, choose Apple menu System Preferences, click Sharing, select Screen Sharing, then note the name and address of the Mac (it’s listed on the right). The name looks like “iMac (7)” or “Joe’s MacBook Pro.”.

The best thing about Back to My Mac? There’s no price tag on this solution — it’s part of iCloud and macOS. You’ll just need two or more Macs using the same iCloud account (OS X Lion 10.7.5 or later), an AirPort base station or another Wi-Fi router that supports UPnP or NAT-PMP, AirPort Utility 6.3 or later, a fairly fast Internet connection, and a firewall that allows remote connections. For those who work in offices, be sure to ask permission to use Back to My Mac and check with your network administrator to find out if the firewall will support Back to My Mac connections.

1. Either select, All Users, which means any other device on your network, or Mac you own, can access and connect, or click the Add button(+), which gives you the ability to select who can have remote access and/or control. If you are using a VPN or VNC viewer and want to access your Mac remotely, you will need to setup a password first.
2. Mac to Mac Remote Desktop Connection. Remote Desktop Connection for Macintosh. Here’s how you can remotely connect and control one Macintosh computer from another. Due to changes in our firewall, a VPN is now required when doing this from off-campus. The on-campus computer must be left on and not in hibernation.

Here’s how to set up Back to My Mac on the Mac(s) you wish to access:

1) Launch System Preferences, then click iCloud

2) Sign into iCloud if you haven’t already done so

3) Select Back to My Mac from the list of iCloud services (see image below)

4) You may be asked to follow some setup instructions. If so, be sure to follow those instructions precisely.

5) Apple has a published set of security options that are good to follow when setting up Back to My Mac.

6) Note that you can also set up an AirPort base station with an attached hard disk drive or a Time Capsule for remote access using Back to My Mac. To do this from a Mac on the same network as the AirPort base station, launch AirPort Utility (in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder), select the AirPort or Time Capsule, and then click Edit. Log into the base station with your base station password (not your iCloud or Mac password), then select the Base Station tab. In the Back to My Mac section, click the + (plus sign) button, then enter the Apple ID and password you’ll use with Back to My Mac. When a green status indicator appears, Back to My Mac is turned on. Click Update to save your changes on the base station.

Now, from your Mac, gaining access to the remote Mac or AirPort base station is a snap.

1) From the Finder menu, choose Preferences, then click the Sidebar tab

2) In the Shared section, make sure that Back to My Mac is checked

3) Open a Finder window and look for the Shared section in the sidebar (see image above). Sometimes the shared computers or base stations are hidden; if so, place your cursor over the word “Shared” and click the Show button that appears.

4) Select the remote Mac or base station you want to access, then click Connect As. To control the remote device, select the Mac and click the Share Screen button:

As you can see from the image above, a set of control buttons is available in the pane directly above the shared screen. Clicking the Control button allows full control of the device, or you can simply view the remote screen by clicking the “binoculars” button. The next set of buttons shows the remote Mac desktop in its full size (left button) or scaled to fit the window on your local Mac. Finally, the Clipboard button provides a way to get or send data from or to a clipboard that is shared between the remote and local Macs.

When your Back to My Mac session is complete, simply close the window for the remote Mac by clicking the “red dot” (close button) in the upper left corner of the window.

Apple Remote Desktop
Back to My Mac is perfect for situations where you may have one or two Macs that you need to remotely access or control. For system administrators or support personnel, you may have dozens or hundreds of Macs that you could theoretically need access to. Apple has had an application called Apple Remote Desktop for many years that is useful for support.

Available in the Mac App Store for $79.99, Apple Remote Desktop has sadly been somewhat ignored in recent years and currently has a very low rating in the store’s reviews. Once set up, Apple Remote Desktop not only provides a way for support personnel to control remote Macs with a simple double-click of the computer name on a list of all available Macs, but also has features for creating inventories of those machines, performing remote updates and upgrades, and so on.

Remote Control For Mac Book

The screenshot above shows that Apple Remote Desktop uses a very similar interface to Back to My Mac when remotely accessing or controlling a Mac, although the way that the sharing sessions are started is quite different.

Parallels Access
The third method I’ll discuss today is Parallels Access, applications and service provided by the same company that makes the Parallels Desktop virtual machine environment. The best thing about Parallels Access is that once the client application is installed on the remote Mac, it can be accessed from just about any computer — and that means any device with a web browser or any iPhone, iPad or Android device.

The Parallels Access client can be set up to automatically launch when your Mac is rebooted, so any time the Mac is turned on, it’s available for remote access or control. Then using the free app on an iPhone or iPad (see image above) or a web browser logged into a Parallels account on the Parallels.com website (see screenshot below), simply use your Mac user name password to log onto the device.

A Parallels Access account can be purchased for as little as $19.99 per year, which allows one user to connect to up to 5 computers from any number of mobile devices, and there are plans for businesses as well.

Note that there are a variety of other solutions available for accessing or controlling remote Macs. A search for VNC (Virtual Node Controller) on the Mac App Store shows a variety of applications that can be used. I’ve chosen these three methods as they provide a cross-section of the remote access and control solutions that are available.

Back to My Mac is free and very useful for those who may have a desktop Mac at one location and would like to use a MacBook to access it. Apple Remote Desktop is targeted towards those who are system administrators or support personnel, although the application seems to have been abandoned by Apple. Parallels Access is very useful from almost any type of mobile device or even just a web browser.

If there’s a remote access and control solution that you prefer, please let other readers of the Rocket Yard know about it in the comments section below.

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Remotely accessing a Mac is designed to be easy. Apple has spent a lot of time ensuring anyone can log in to their Macs — both desktop and laptop — from any other Mac device, anywhere. And, besides, there are a variety of third-party apps ready to help with that too.

Still, remotely managing their Mac sounds overly complicated to a lot of people. From how you connect to sharing files or screens to using your Apple device as a remote mouse, we want to demystify the process in the easy-to-follow guide below.

- Remove GRUB Bootloader MacBook Pro / Air / iMacI would be careful mounting it under /Volumes.In particular, I would be afraid that by doing so, the Finder might see it and start writing stuff to the EFI partition (e.g. Change the ‘ your-username’ accordingly with yours. /usr/bin/env WINEPREFIX=/Users/your-username/.visio2007 /usr/local/bin/wine /Users/your-username/.visio2007/drivec/Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12/VISIO.EXE &/dev/null &Make it executable and then move it into $PATH chmod +x visiosudo mv visio /usr/local/bin/To run Visio, just type visio in Terminal. Touch visiovi visioCopy and paste the following command into the visio script.

How to access your Mac from another location

There're two ways: you can allow remote login to your Mac from another computer, or allow others to access your computer using Remote Desktop (it's available from the App Store).

Best Remote Access Apps for Mac

There are times when you want to access your Mac remotely, and there are many different solutions to remote access your Mac. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go!

Allow remote login to your Mac from another computer

For devices using the same macOS, you can allow remote Mac login using a Secure Shell (SSH). This enables Mac remote desktop access using a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).

To set up Remote Login:

• Go to System Preferences > Sharing
• Select Remote Login.
• Choose which users you want to have remote access or the ability to control your Mac.

You can either select All Users, which means any other device on your network, or any Mac you own, can access and connect, or click the plus sign to pick the exact users.

When you want to remotely log in to your Mac from another device, you need to know your username (the name that appears when you login) and your computer's IP address. Write them down and keep them safe, as allowing access to your Mac does make it potentially less secure, especially over cellular or public Wi-Fi networks.

Accessing, controlling, or viewing information on your Mac can be done with a built-in Terminal or any other SSH app using your username and IP address.

Allow others to access your computer using Apple Remote Desktop

With macOS Sierra remote Mac access and control is even easier. To set up it:

• Go to Menu > System Preferences > Sharing
• Select Remote Management - it should appear as a checkbox.
• Now you can select who has remote desktop access. Either select, All Users, which means any other device on your network, or Mac you own, can access and connect, or click the Add button(+), which gives you the ability to select who can have remote access and/or control.

If you are using a VPN or VNC viewer and want to access your Mac remotely, you will need to setup a password first. It is also possible to use iOS devices, such as an iPhone and iPad, through Apple Remote Desktop, available from the App Store.

How to stay on the same page with Screens

Collaboration has become of utmost importance to today's workplaces. And with more and more people working remotely, being on the same screen (ahem, page) is a must.

Screens allows you to work remotely with any computer regardless of your location. Whether you are on a business trip or traveling, stay confident knowing you can access any file on your home computer at any time.

This robust screen sharing tool for Mac supports:

• Multiple displays
• Drag-and-drop file sharing
• Hiding your remote screen while accessing it
• Accessing other computers (e.g. colleague's) as a guest
• Alternative shortcuts (useful when connecting Mac to PC)
• Custom actions in case of disconnection

To start using Screens, get the app from Setapp and configure the following:

1. Remote login and remote management (as per the guide above)
2. Install Screens Connect helper app and create a Screens ID on every machine you'd like to connect to in the future
3. Use your Screens ID in the Screens app and it will automatically determine which of your computers are available for connection

Remote desktop client for Mac

Control any computer remotely – a perfect way to access your Mac from anywhere without limitations.

Share files between devices

Today we have plenty of ways to send and share files. But ask someone to send something, and you are likely to get it through email. Due to the ubiquitousness of email, it's still the default method for file sharing, despite its obvious flaws and constraints.

Fortunately, there are much better ways:

Native macOS File Sharing

Few people know that their Mac has native file sharing functionality built in. To use this feature, activate it in the Sharing pane of System Preferences by checking File Sharing. If you only want to share specific folders, add them to the Shared Folders list. If you only want specific users to access the folder, add them to its Users list. Otherwise, everyone will be able to access it.

AirDrop

Although not the most reliable solution, AirDrop works fine for occasional sharing a file between Apple devices. In the Finder, choose Go and then AirDrop on both the sending and receiving Mac. As soon as you see the receiver's user icon, drag the desired file onto it to send.

Dropshare

If you don't want to send files Mac-to-Mac directly but rather through a cloud storage, there is no easier way than Dropshare. The app works with numerous cloud providers, from Dropbox to Google Drive, and saves your files for sharing by simply dragging them onto its menu bar icon.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

The most technical but also the most robust way to share files from your mac is to use FTP, which you could do either through Terminal or an FTP Client, the latter being much more user friendly.

There are a few popular FTP clients one could choose from. The robust file managing app ForkLift covers most of the FTP functionality but takes it to the next level and could be a viable replacement for the Finder altogether with its quick search, instant previews, and file comparison.

DCommander is another full-featured file transfer app for Mac that combines speed and reliability, able to handle thousands of files, schedule backups, and even automate transfers.

At last, when it comes to sharing the same files on different devices, an app like ChronoSync Express becomes invaluable.

ChronoSync Express is powerful tool for sharing and transferring files from Mac to Mac, or any another Apple device. With a feature called Synchronizer Document, you can select which files need to be automatically synchronized and shared between devices, just like that:

1. Create a new synchronizer document for each folder synchronization you'd like to perform
2. Name the synchronization
3. Change the Operation to Synchronize Bidirectional
4. Select folders to sync on the left and right
5. Test with a Trial Sync

Do you need to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?

Whether you are working on your Mac directly, logging into your Mac remotely, or sharing access with someone else, security should be on top of your mind.

As a rule of thumb, you should always use a VPN when connected to a public Wi-Fi network, as someone could log in and see the information you send just as easily as you do.

And with remote access — even in the View Only mode — someone can see every file and document on your Mac, except those that are password protected. Unfortunately, if you leave passwords in a visible document, you expose yourself to immense risks.

A secure VPN client for Mac like Shimo is well worth using to stop unwanted eyes from lurking around, especially if you are sharing sensitive files, financial records or customer data.

However, for extra peace of mind and security, consider firing up your VPN automatically on all networks you are not 100% sure about to keep your emails, bank accounts and personal documents safe.

To share your Mac with someone else, download a remote Virtual Network Computing (VNC) app like Jump Desktop. With full remote access and Mac remote control, the other person — or yourself connecting to another Mac — can have the same level of control as the person using that device. Except for Admin level access, since it's password protected.

Starting with Jump Desktop is easy: either yourself (gaining access) or the person you are giving a remote view or control access to your Mac, needs to add details of the device and the password.

Secure your access with VPN

Remote Control For Mac App

Get a VPN client for Mac to avoid privacy infringement while connecting remotely. It's secure and free to try.

Once permission is granted at the other end, remote Mac screen sharing or control (whereby you can use the iOS device as a remote mouse) becomes possible.

How to use your iOS device as a remote mouse

If your remote work starts on a patio hammock somewhere in east Asia, you should note that Apple iOS devices, such as an iPhone or iPad, can be used to control a Mac remotely, much like a mouse can control a desktop or laptop. Apps that make this possible work on VNC.

Remote Mouse is the easiest, most effective way to turn your iOS device into a wireless remote control for your Mac.

Although remote access through a local network would be most effective, since the closer you are to the device the quicker the connection, it's also possible from anywhere in the world, providing the network is secure and fast enough.

Setting up and granting access to the iOS device is the same process as when someone wants to access using a Mac. Except you need to give them a password. And make sure it is different from your primary Mac or iOS (App Store) one.

So working together or checking on your devices can be done from anywhere in the world and there are lots of ways to do that, from sharing screens and files to having complete access to a system set up far away. Setapp equips you with all the apps needed to remotely access any device you need and elevate your work to the global level.

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