Remote Desktop goes preinstalled with every modern Windows version. All you need to do is to use search in the Start Menu and launch Remote Desktop Connection App. Things are a bit different if you have a Mac or iPad. Obviously, there is no Microsoft Desktop Connection application preinstalled on Mac or iPad, and Apple does not provide built-in remote connection tools. Luckily Microsoft got your back. If you want to use Remote Desktop Connection on Mac or iPad, all you need to do is simply download the Application and set up Remote Desktop Connection. This article is about to show you how to do everything right.

• How To Do Remote Desktop On Mac
• How To Set Up Microsoft Remote Desktop On Mac
• How To Remote Desktop On Mac To Windows
• Remote Desktop For Mac Setup
• Setting Up Rdp On Mac
• How To Download Remote Desktop On Mac

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. Use Remote Management in Sharing preferences to allow others to access your computer using Apple Remote Desktop. On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, click Sharing, then select the Remote Management checkbox. If prompted, select the tasks remote users are permitted to perform. Apr 05, 2019 Click the “Add Desktop” button to begin adding the remote desktop connection. Enter the hostname in the “PC name” field. The hostname will be provided by your professor or the system administrator. Then click “Add”. Click on the connection you added to start the remote desktop connection.

LogMeIn for Mac is a the best remote desktop app for Mac users of all abilities and needs. LogMeIn for Mac offers specific tools for individuals, small businesses, IT professionals and help desk technicians and is the best on the market when it comes to enterprise remote desktop support. Remote Desktop goes preinstalled with every modern Windows version. All you need to do is to use search in the Start Menu and launch Remote Desktop Connection App. Things are a bit different if you have a Mac or iPad.

One thing to note: we suppose the Desktop you are trying to connect to is already properly set for a Remote Connection. How to enable remote desktop connections to your Windows PC is a topic of a completely different article. Do note that by default Windows has remote connection disabled and you need to manually enable and configure it.

How to Use Windows Remote Desktop on Mac?

1. First, you need to download the application form the Mac App Store. Simply open App store and search for “Remote Desktop Connection”. This application is completely free and has no ads. Thanks, Microsoft!
2. Open Remote Desktop. It will greet you with a big blue button Add Desktop. It will disappear after you add the first desktop. Next time press the button with a plus mark at the bottom of the window. From the drop-down menu select Desktop. A new dialog window will pop on asking you for Desktop details. Now you need to enter Desktop details you want to connect to.

1. Type Desktop IP address into the PC Name field. If you do not know which IP to use do the following thing: press Win + R on your Windows PC and type cmd. Press Enter and type in ipconfig command. Locate IPv4 Address. This is the IP address you need to type in the PC Name field.
2. From the User account drop-down menu, you can select Ask me every time or Add a user account. If you leave the first option, then Remote Desktop will ask for credentials every time you try to connect. In the second case, you can save username and password in order not to enter this information every time.
3. Friendly name field helps you to keep your Remote Desktop connections list tidy. If you leave it blank, then the app will use the IP address as a default name.
4. Click Add and open the connection you have saved.
5. Enter Username and Password. An important thing to know: if a Windows user uses a PIN code to log in instead of Microsoft Account password, then you need to enter Microsoft Account password. Authentication using PIN code won’t work. Also, username should be Microsoft Account email address, not something like Johnny McJohnnyface.
6. You are in.

How to Use Microsoft Remote Desktop on iPad?

The main idea is the same except for the user interface and some options. We will lead you through the process of setting up an iPad Windows Remote Desktop Connection.

Did you know? Windows Remote Desktop app on iPad allows you to transform your iPad into an almost fully-functional Windows 10 tablet with full touch input and native screen resolution support. Just make sure you have a decent Internet connection.

1. Open App Store on your iPad and search for Microsoft Remote Desktop. Again, this app is completely free.
2. Open RD Client on your home screen (RD Client stands for Remote Desktop Client).
3. Press the little plus button at the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Select Desktop. On the next window tap PC Name and enter the IP Address.
5. You can leave the User Account option blank. Remote Desktop client will ask you for credentials when you run a connection. If you want to save username and password tap User Account and type in all the necessary information.
6. Tap Additional Options. This menu allows you to roam device sounds from a Desktop to your iPad, set friendly name, swap mouse buttons or enable admin mode.
7. Tap the desktop you have set up.
8. Wait for the connection to initialize and enter your credentials.
9. Done.

Here are a few things to know about using Remote Desktop Connection on iPad. As we mentioned before this app is a nice way to transform your iPad into a Windows 10 tablet. Remote Desktop app allows you to control remote computer using two methods. Tap the button with three lines at the top of the screen and look to the right of the screen.

By default, the Remote Desktop app uses the Mouse Pointer input method. This method works like a touchpad. Just move your finger on the screen to move a cursor. Tap the screen with one finger to make a left-click and use two fingers to simulate right-click.

If you want to switch to the touch mode, click Mouse Pointer button (it will turn to Touch). Now you have a Windows 10 tablet inside the iPad body.

Screen resolution is another thing to note. As you probably know, iPad has a nice Retina display with a decent resolution, but by the default Remote Desktop app on iPad scales down screen resolution to pathetic 1024×768. This option is fine if you have a slow Internet connection or weak performance. The downside is obvious—pixelated picture. Luckily you can switch no native iPad resolution.

1. Return to the main menu and press the button with a gear wheel icon at the top-left corner.
2. Tap Display Resolution.
3. Select Match This Device or use Custom.
4. The best option is to use native resolution, but if the PC has problems with performance or can’t provide high-resolution picture—use default or custom option.

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:

How To Do Remote Desktop On Mac

1. Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
2. Set up your PC to accept remote connections. (If you skip this step, you can't connect to your PC.)
3. 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.

How To Set Up Microsoft Remote Desktop On Mac

What about the Mac beta client?

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.

Add a workspace

Subscribe to the feed your admin gave you to get the list of managed resources available to you on your macOS device.

To subscribe to a feed:

1. Select Add feed on the main page to connect to the service and retrieve your resources.
2. Enter the feed URL. This can be a URL or email address:
   • This URL is usually a Windows Virtual Desktop URL. Which one you use depends on which version of Windows Virtual Desktop you're using.
     • For Windows Virtual Desktop (classic), use https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/feeddiscovery/webfeeddiscovery.aspx.
     • For Windows Virtual Desktop, use https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery.
   • To use email, enter your email address. This tells the client to search for a URL associated with your email address if your admin configured the server that way.
3. Select Subscribe.
4. Sign in with your user account when prompted.

After you've signed in, you should see a list of available resources.

Once you've subscribed to a feed, the feed's content will update automatically on a regular basis. Resources may be added, changed, or removed based on changes made by your administrator.

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.

To export an RDP file:

1. In the Connection Center, right-click the remote desktop.
2. Select Export.
3. Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop RDP file.
4. Select OK.

To import an RDP file:

1. In the menu bar, select File > Import.
2. Browse to the RDP file.
3. Select 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:

1. In the Connection Center select +, and then select Add Remote Resources.
2. 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.
3. Select 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:

1. In the Connection Center, select Preferences > Gateways.
2. Select 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:

1. In the Connection Center, select Settings > Accounts.
2. Select Add User Account.
3. 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 user_name@domain.com.
   • 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.
4. Select Save, then select Settings.

How To Remote Desktop On Mac To Windows

Customize your display resolution

Remote Desktop For Mac Setup

You can specify the display resolution for the remote desktop session.

1. In the Connection Center, select Preferences.
2. Select Resolution.
3. Select +.
4. Enter a resolution height and width, and then select OK.

To delete the resolution, select it, and then select -.

Displays have separate spaces

Setting Up Rdp On Mac

If you're running Mac OS 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 for remote resources

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 (for example Copy = Ctrl+C).
• The function keys can be activated in the session by pressing additionally the FN key (for example, 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 try this authentication model with the Mac client.

Important

How To Download Remote Desktop On Mac

Custom authentication and authorization models before Windows 8.1 aren't supported, although the article above discusses them.

To learn more about this feature, check out https://aka.ms/paa-sample.

Tip

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.