How To Enable Remote Desktop For Mac

As a Managed Service Provider sometimes you try to accomplish as many tasks remotely as possible to avoid the cost of travelling to site. If you have a client who has a Mac shop you’ll probably already be familiar with Apple Remote Desktop. Here’s how to enable ARD remotely on a Mac providing the client has already unboxed the Mac, plugged it in and created an account on it. They will also need to enable SSH by going to System Preferences > Remote Login. Connect to the Mac using SSH Connect to the client via the VPN and log in via SSH Type in the following command in to terminal: ssh username@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Where username is the Account name that has been set up and xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the fully qualified name of the Mac or IP address. Enter the password when prompted. Enable ARD for All Users Type in the following command or copy / paste: sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent -privs -all Typing in this command will enable Apple Remote Desktop privileges for all users on the Mac.

Once you’ve done this you will be able to connect to the Mac remotely using ARD and customize the privileges to suit the environment.

You will need this to connect from the remote computer. If you’d like, click the lock at bottom left to prevent further changes. On the machine you’ll be remotely connecting from: Make sure you’re in Finder (it says “Finder” next to the apple icon at top left. You can click on the desktop to go to finder or Command+Tab to get to Finder.

Screen Sharing Your Mac contains a built-in Screen Sharing feature, which is essentially a with some extra features. This means that you can use standard VNC clients to control your Mac, and VNC clients are available for all platforms. To enable screen sharing, click the Apple icon on the menu bar at the top of your screen and select System Preferences. Click the Sharing icon in the System Preferences window and enable the Screen Sharing checkbox. This control panel will inform you how you can connect. If you have another Mac on the local network, you can open a Finder window, look in the Shared section of the sidebar, select the computer you want to control, and click Share Screen. If you don’t have a Mac or want to use another VNC client, you can connect to the IP address displayed here. Bear in mind that the IP address displayed above is likely an internal IP address where your Mac can be found on your local network, which means you can’t access it over the Internet without forwarding ports.

Click the Computer Settings button to set a password. If you don’t set up a password, you’ll have to agree to a confirmation dialog on the Mac every time you want to control it remotely. If you have another Mac, you can set up Screen Sharing to work over the Internet without needing any other software. Open the System Preferences window, click the iCloud icon, check Use Back to My Mac, and go through the setup process. When you use another Mac and you’re logged into the same iCloud account, your other Mac will appear under the Shared section of the sidebar in Finder, and you can connect to its screen over the Internet. If you want to connect to your Mac from anything that isn’t a Mac, you’ll need to forward ports to ensure the VNC is accessible.

We don’t recommend this unless you know what you’re doing, as it’s more complicated and there are security concerns. If you want to connect over the Internet from another device, we recommend you use one of the below, easy-to-use alternatives to Screen Sharing.

TeamViewer LogMeIn recently discontinued their free remote desktop access program, but TeamViewer is still around and offering this feature for free. TeamViewer is available for Mac, just as it’s available for Windows, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android, and even Windows Phone. Download your preferred TeamViewer client from. TeamViewer offers a full version, but you can also download a TeamViewer Host application that runs as a system service and is optimized for 24/7 access. You can use TeamViewer in several different ways — set it up to be always listening with a password, or just fire it up on your Mac and use the temporary login details when you want to use it. TeamViewer is especially convenient because you won’t have to forward ports or worry about other detailed server configuration issues. Chrome Remote Desktop RELATED: If you already use Chrome, you may want to give the Google-created a try.

It works just like it does on Windows. Install the Chrome Remote Desktop extension in Chrome on your Mac, open it from the new tab page,. You’ll then be able to click the Share button to receive a temporary access code. Simply install the Chrome Remote Desktop extension in Chrome on another Mac, Windows, Linux, or Chrome OS computer and you’ll be able to connect to your Mac from the extension. You can also download the mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. You can also choose to set up the extension so you can connect remotely with a more permanent password. This is ideal for accessing your Mac over the Internet.