Mac App Remote File Access

Jul 15, 2016  Moving Files to a Mac from Microsoft Remote Desktop. July 15, 2016 Category: TIL Tags: Tools and Infrastructure When moving files between Windows machines via Remote Desktop, you typically go to Local Resources More and check the box in front of Drives to map your drive on the remote machine. Then you can use xcopy and tsclient to move the files.

Macs are amazing devices, that is why users tend to rely on them for the most part of their lives. From livelihood to important memories, as well as keeping in touch with people we love, the ever trusted Mac is an integral part of it. But what happens if your Mac isn’t physically around to help you? Fortunately, you can remotely access your Mac and gain of it using another Mac with internet access or even from a Windows PC. So, if you ever find yourself in a situation wherein you need data from your Mac sitting across the city or even halfway around the world, here’s how to access your Mac remotely:

Important: Make Sure Your Mac is Plugged In and Has Access to the Internet

The minimum requirements to access your Mac remotely are:

  1. The computer needs to have access to power, either through the main power outlet or its battery.
  2. The computer needs to have access to the internet through a Local Area Network (LAN), for Macs running in old OS.
  3. Wake on Demand needs to be enabled on the device. Wake on Demand is required, should the device be in sleep mode. To enable Wake on Demand on your Mac, simply open System Preferences, click on Energy Saver on the View Menu. If your Mac is in sleep mode it would be difficult to create a remote Mac connection without setting up Wake on Demand first.

Access Your Mac Remotely Through Apple’s Remote Desktop Software

The easiest way to ensure that you’ll be able to access your Mac from any location is to purchase Apple’s Remote Desktop software. However, before you can access your Mac remotely, you’ll need to configure your device for remote access using these simple steps:

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Click on Sharing.
  3. Click on Remote Management.
  4. Select which users are allowed to access the Mac remotely. You can also set what actions the remote users can perform on your Mac, such as control or observe only.

It’s important to note that Remote Desktop works best between two Macs on the same LAN. If you want to control your Mac through another computer connected to a different network using Remote Desktop, though it is certainly possible, the process is quite complicated. However, a more simple way to do this is to use Apple’s Back to My Mac service on iCloud.

Remotely Access Your Mac Online Using Back to My Mac

To use Apple’s Back to My Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Create an Apple ID, if you don’t already have one.
  2. Sign in to iCloud.
  3. Place a check on Back to My Mac.

Once you’ve set up Back to My Mac on your Mac, you’ll be able to remotely access that device through any other Mac using Screen Sharing, File Sharing, or a third-party app called Screens Connect.

How to Remotely Access Your Mac Using Screen Sharing

With Screen Sharing, the screen on your Mac will be transmitted via the internet to the device you’re using. As such, it would be as if you’re sitting in front of your own Mac. 3d stage lighting design software for mac pro.

  1. Enable screen sharing by opening System Preferences, then Sharing.
  2. Make sure that your user account is added to the list of users allowed access.
  3. To access your Mac remotely, you’ll need another Mac configured for the same iCloud account.

Screen sharing is a great option for when you want to access your Mac remotely. However, it can also come in handy when you want to help a friend out in another location who is also using a Mac. By setting up the Mac with an iCloud account, you can remotely access your friend’s Mac and perform any actions or troubleshooting steps required.

How to Remotely Access Your Mac Using File Sharing

Screen sharing may be a great way to remotely access your Mac from another location, but since sharing the screen does require a large bandwidth, it can be a cumbersome process especially in areas with a slow internet connection. If all you need are certain files on your Mac, using File Sharing would be a faster alternative.

However, you first need to ensure that File Sharing is enabled on your Mac by opening System Preferences and navigating to Sharing. You’ll then need to select the folders that you would likely need to access remotely.

How to Remotely Access Your Mac Using Screens Connect

If you’re a tech guru or at least have advanced knowledge in computer networking, then a trick you can try to remotely access your Mac is to use Remote Login. However, this procedure requires a static IP address, knowledge about your router, and knowledge in port forwarding.

If you don’t want to be bothered with all the technicalities of a Remote Login, a much simpler option would be to use a third-party application called Screens Connect. With this app, you won’t need to worry about all the technical mumbo-jumbo. All you need is an account and internet access.

It’s important to note that Screens is a Virtual Networking Computing (VNC) client. VNC works by setting up a VNC server, which would be the Mac you’ll need to control remotely, and then using another computer or mobile device to control it through Screens Connect. To get started, follow these simple steps:

  1. On your Mac, navigate to the Screens Connect site on your browser and download the Screens Connect app. You’ll first need to create an account, which should be simple enough.
  2. Once you’ve downloaded the app, just make sure that it is running in the background. You can do this by signing in to the app and checking the service status.
  3. When you need to connect to your Mac remotely, simply log in to the Screens Connect site using another computer with an internet connection. From there, you’ll be able to see the computers you can remotely log in to.

Screens Connect is a great program to log in easily to your Mac remotely, but you will not be able to use it if your Mac is behind a corporate firewall. So, if your Mac is in the office and your company has deployed a firewall, then this will block any remote login attempts from the Screens app.

How to Make Sure That You Can Access Your Mac Remotely All the Time

Whether you’re a frequent traveler or just want to ensure that you have access to the files on your Mac if you’re in another location, it’s imperative that you learn how to access your Mac remotely using different options. However, it’s also important that your Mac is in perfect condition at all times, so if the time comes to access it remotely, you’ll be able to do it without any technical glitches.

One way to ensure that your Mac is in perfect working order is to run 3rd party cleaning tools like Tweakbit MacRepair from time to time. Tweakbit MacRepair not only cleans your Mac of any unwanted or useless files but also optimizes it so it will be at its best performance at all times, especially when you need to access it remotely.

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If you have to use Mac and Windows PCs regularly, you don’t need to physically switch computers to be able to use both of them. You can use Windows Remote Desktop for macOS, to allow you to use both machines at the same time.

Windows Remote Desktop for Mac uses Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol, built into Windows 10, to display your Windows desktop on your macOS screen. You can run Windows apps, change settings, and share files and folders between your Mac and Windows devices.

Installing Windows Remote Desktop for Mac

There are two versions of Windows Remote Desktop for Mac, and which one you should use depends on your current version of macOS. In most cases, you should install Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac 10.

If it doesn’t work, try the older Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac 8 app instead, although version 8 is scheduled to be removed from the Mac App Store sometime in the near future.

  • To install it, open the App Store. You can find this in your Launchpad, located in the Dock at the bottom of your screen, or by searching for it the Spotlight Search tool in the top-right of your screen.
  • In the App Store, click on the search bar in the left-hand menu, and type in Microsoft Remote Desktop. Once you’ve located it in the search results, click the Get button to install it.
  • The Get button will change to a green Install button. Click that too, then approve the installation by providing your Apple ID password. Click the second Get button to continue.
  • Once installed, click the Open button, or locate the app in the Launchpad.

You may need to approve some additional permissions once you’ve opened the Microsoft Remote Desktop app. Approve and accept these, and then you can begin using it.

Adding a Remote Desktop Connection

Ama paper format. Once you’ve opened the Remote Desktop for Mac, you’ll be able to add a new remote desktop connection.

  • Click the Add Desktop button in the center of the window. Alternatively, click the plus button in the top menu, then click Add PC or Add Workspace.
  • Fill out the Add PC form with the relevant information for your remote Windows PC. To use the standard RDP settings, start by adding your Windows PC’s IP address in the PC Name text box. Provide a memorable name in the Friendly Name box. Click Add once the settings are confirmed.
  • Your connection will appear, saved and ready to connect in the main Remote Desktop for Mac window. Double-click on the entry to begin your connection. You’ll be asked to provide the username and password for your Windows PC at this point. Provide them, then click Continue to connect.
  • If it’s your first connection, you may need to accept a security warning. Make sure you only agree to this if you’re connecting to a server you trust. If you do, click Continue to disregard the message and make the connection.

After a few seconds, the remote desktop connection to your Windows PC will complete and launch, full screen, ready for you to use.

Configuring a Remote Desktop Connection

Further configuration options are available, including the ability to change the quality of the connection and to redirect local devices connected to your Mac to your remote Windows PC.

  • To edit a saved connection, hover over your server and click the pencil button. Alternatively, right-click on the saved connection and click Edit.
  • If you a Mac with a Retina display, you’ll want to optimize the resolution of your remote connection. In the Display tab, click to enable the Optimize for Retina displays checkbox. You can also customize the color quality of your connection from the Color quality drop-down menu. You can set the overall resolution of your connection from your Resolution drop-down menu. Click Save to complete.
File
  • In the Devices & Audio tab, you can select what local devices you want to be able to access on your remote Windows PC. Click to check any of the checkboxes listed. You can also select whether to play sounds locally or remotely from the Play sound drop-down menu. As before, click Save to complete.

Sharing Files & Folders Between Mac & Windows

It’s also possible to share files and folders between your local Mac computer and your remote Windows PC.

  • To do that, right-click your saved server and click Edit, then click the Folders tab. Click the Redirect Folders checkbox, then click the plus button at the bottom of the window.
  • Select the folders you want to share in the Finder window, then click Open to add them to your list. If you want to make them read-only, click the checkbox next to each folder entry under the Read-only column. Click Save once you’ve finished adding the folders you want to share.

Your shared Mac folders will then appear as network drives, listed as Redirected drives and folders, in the This PC section of Windows File Explorer once you make the connection.

Mac App Remote File Access Control

Sharing a Remote Desktop Across Mac Computers

If you have multiple Mac computers and you want to share the same configuration file for your Windows remote desktop, you can save the file and place it in your iCloud storage for you to access.

This requires each Mac computer to use the same Apple ID for iCloud storage.

  • To export your remote desktop configuration, right-click your saved connection in the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, then click Export.
  • Exporting RDP configuration files removes any saved passwords, which the Microsoft Remote Desktop app will warn you. Accept this warning by clicking Browse.

Mac Remote Access App

  • In the Finder window, click iCloud Drive in the left-hand menu. Save your connection file by clicking Export.
  • On another Mac computer, open Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac, click the Settings icon in the top menu bar, then click Import from RDP file.

Mac To Mac Remote Access

  • In the Finder window that appears, click iCloud Drive in the left-hand menu. Find and select your saved RDP file, then click Import.

Mac App Remote File Access Software

Once you’ve imported your saved RDP file, you’ll then be able to connect to your remote Windows server as before.