# Connect to a macOS device
To log in to your macOS computer remotely over Meshnet, enable remote access on your macOS system and use a remote desktop client on the device from which you connect.
## Before you begin
Make sure that:
* Both the macOS device you wish to access remotely (remote Mac) and the device you're using to connect are [linked over Meshnet](https://meshnet.nordvpn.com/features/linking-devices-in-meshnet).
* Your remote Mac is on.
Also, it's a good idea to look up the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the Mac you're connecting to in your NordVPN app. To copy this information for later use, go to **Meshnet** , click the device’s Nord name or IP address, and choose to copy it.
## Set up your remote Mac for access
Before attempting a remote connection, it's crucial to set up your remote Mac to allow these connections.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="macOS Sonoma 14" %}
Enable screen sharing or remote management:
1. Select the Apple menu > **System settings**.
2. Navigate to **General**, and select **Sharing**.
3. Do any of the following:
* For basic tasks, under **Content & media**, turn on the **Screen sharing** toggle.
* For more advanced control, such as installing software, under **Advanced**, turn on **Remote management**.
4. Next to the toggle, click the Info button.
5. In the **Password** field, enter a secure password that will be used to authenticate the connection.
6. Click **Done**.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Tip**
Have ready the name and password for the account you're using on your Mac.\
You can find this information by going to the Apple menu > **System settings** > **Users & groups**.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="macOS Ventura 13" %}
Enable screen sharing or remote management:
1. Select the Apple menu > **System settings**.
2. Navigate to **General**, and select **Sharing**.
3. Do any of the following:
* For basic tasks, turn on the **Screen sharing** toggle.
* For more advanced control, such as installing software, under **Advanced**, turn on **Remote management**.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Tip**
Have ready the name and password for the account you're using on your Mac.\
You can find this information by going to the Apple menu > **System settings** > **Users & groups**.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="macOS Monterey 12 or older" %}
1. Select the **Apple** menu > **System preferences** and click **Sharing**.
2. Do any of the following:
* For basic tasks, select the **Screen sharing** checkbox.
* For more advanced control, such as installing software, select **Remote management**.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Tip**
Have ready the name and password for the account you're using on your Mac.\
You can find this information by going to the Apple menu > **System preferences** > **Users & groups**.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
## Connect to your remote Mac
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="macOS" %}
If you are looking to establish a remote connection between two Mac devices, the macOS Connect to Server feature offers a straightforward solution.
On the Mac you are connecting from:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the Mac you want to access.
2. Control-click **Finder** and choose **Connect to server**.
3. In the **Server address** field, type `vnc://` followed by the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the Mac you want to access and click **Connect**.\
\
**Example**
4. When prompted, enter the name and password of your account on the Mac you're trying to access.
5. Click **Sign in**.
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac over Meshnet.
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Windows or Linux" %}
To connect to the remote Mac from Windows or Linux, first install the [NoMachine](https://www.nomachine.com/) app on both your remote and local computers.
On your local machine, perform the following steps:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the Mac you want to access.
2. Launch **NoMachine** and select the **Add** button to create a new connection.
3. Fill in the following information and, in the upper-right corner, click **Add**:
* In the **Name** field, enter a custom name for the connection.
* In the **Host** field, paste the copied Nord name of the Mac you want to access.\
\
**Example**
4. Double-click the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.
5. If a warning appears indicating that the host's authenticity cannot be confirmed, select **OK** to proceed.
6. Enter your remote desktop credentials and select **OK**.
* **Username:** your remote Mac's account name
* **Password:** the password you use to log in to your remote Mac\
\
**Example**
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using NoMachine over Meshnet.
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Android or iPhone/iPad" %}
To connect to the remote Mac from Android or iPhone/iPad, first install the [NoMachine](https://www.nomachine.com/) app on both your remote and local devices.
### Add a remote connection
On your mobile device, perform the following steps:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.
2. Open **NoMachine** and select the **Add** button, represented by a computer icon with a plus sign, in the upper-left corner to create a new connection.
3. Ensure that **NX** is selected as the protocol and tap **Continue**.
4. In the **Host** field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access, and then select **Continue**.
5. Keep the default options for **Authentication** and **Proxy**.
6. Optionally, in the **Name** field, provide a custom name for the connection and tap **Done**.
### Access your remote Mac
1. On the **NoMachine** main screen, double-tap the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.
2. If a warning appears indicating that the host's authenticity cannot be confirmed, select **OK** to proceed.
3. Enter your remote desktop credentials and select **OK**.
* **Username**: your remote Mac's account name
* **Password**: the password you use to log in to your remote Mac\
\
**Example**
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using NoMachine over Meshnet.
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Linux" %}
On Linux, you can use Remmina , which is a free remote desktop client available in the default repositories of many Linux distributions.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Note**
The instructions below use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as an example.
{% endhint %}
### Install Remmina
If you don't have Remmina installed on your system, install it using one of the methods described below.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Terminal" %}
1. Open **Terminal**.
2. Update the package manager list of available packages by running the following command:\
sudo apt update
3. Install Remmina by entering this command:\
sudo apt install remmina -y
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="App Center" %}
1. Launch **App Center**.
2. In the search bar, enter `remmina` and select the matching result.
3. Click the **Install** button.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
### Add a remote Mac connection
1. In the terminal, run the `nordvpn meshnet peer list` command and copy the Nord name of the device you want to access:
2. Launch the **Remmina** app that you installed earlier.
3. Click the **New connection profile** button in the upper-left corner of the app window.
4. From the **Protocol** dropdown list, select **Remmina VNC plugin**.
5. Under **Basic**, enter the information to create a reusable connection.
* **Server:** the Nord name of the Mac you want to access.
* **Username:** your remote Mac's account name.
* **User password:** the password for the specified username.\
\
**Example**
6. Click **Save**.
### Access your remote Mac
1. Double-click the new connection profile you've created.
2. Accept the certificate presented by the server to verify that you trust the computer you are trying to access.
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using Remmina over Meshnet.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
## Alternative remote desktop tools
If you prefer, you can use other remote access software like AnyDesk.
### Using AnyDesk
Once remote access is configured on the target Mac, install the [AnyDesk](https://anydesk.com/en/downloads/mac-os) app on *both* the Mac and the device you're connecting from.
For this setup, you won't need remote Mac account credentials. Instead, you can use either manual approval on the remote Mac or set up a dedicated unattended access password.
Optional: Enable unattended access with AnyDesk
By default, AnyDesk needs manual approval for incoming connections. To bypass this, you can enable the app’s [Unattended access feature](https://support.anydesk.com/knowledge/unattended-access):
1. On the *remote computer*, launch **AnyDesk** .
2. In the menu bar, click **AnyDesk** > **Preferences**.
3. From the menu on the left, under **Security**, select **Access**.
4. Under **Unattended access**, click **Set password**.
5. Enter a secure password that will be used for authentication and click **Change password**.
After applying the changes, you can connect to the remote device without having to manually accept the connection request.
Connect from Windows, macOS, or Linux
On your local machine:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the Mac you want to access.
2. Launch **AnyDesk** you installed earlier.
3. In the remote address field at the top, enter either the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the remote Mac and click **Connect**.
If you set up an [unattended password](#optional-enable-unattended-access-on-the-remote-pc) on the remote Mac:
1. In the **Authorization** dialog that appears, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote Mac and click **OK**.
2. Optionally, you can select the **Log in automatically from now on** checkbox to avoid entering the password again for subsequent connections.
If you haven't set up an unattended password, wait for the user at the remote Mac to accept the connection request manually.
Connect from Android or iPhone/iPad
On your mobile device:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.
2. Open **AnyDesk** you installed earlier.
3. In the remote address field, paste either the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the remote Mac and tap the arrow button to connect.
If you set up an unattended password on the remote Mac:
1. In the **Authorization** dialog, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote Mac and tap **OK**.
2. Optionally, you can select the **Log in automatically from now on** checkbox to avoid entering the password again for subsequent connections.
If you haven't set up an unattended password, wait for the user at the remote device to accept the connection request manually.
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using AnyDesk over Meshnet.
## Checklist for a successful connection
If you encounter issues while attempting to connect, check that:
* [ ] Both devices are linked over Meshnet.
* [ ] Both devices see each other as active in the Meshnet peer list.
* [ ] The remote Mac is turned on and not in sleep or hibernate mode.
* [ ] The remote Mac's network settings allow for incoming Remote Desktop connections.
* [ ] The correct Nord name or Meshnet IP address is being used for the connection.
* [ ] You are logging in with the correct remote Mac account credentials, if applicable.
* [ ] Any firewall or antivirus software is not blocking the connection.
## See also
* [Connect to a Windows device](https://meshnet.nordvpn.com/how-to/remote-access/log-in-to-pc-remotely/connect-to-windows)
* [Connect to a Linux device](https://meshnet.nordvpn.com/how-to/remote-access/log-in-to-pc-remotely/connect-to-linux)
, click the device’s Nord name or IP address, and choose to copy it.
## Set up your remote Mac for access
Before attempting a remote connection, it's crucial to set up your remote Mac to allow these connections.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="macOS Sonoma 14" %}
Enable screen sharing or remote management:
1. Select the Apple menu 
> **System settings**.
2. Navigate to **General**, and select **Sharing**.
button.
5. In the **Password** field, enter a secure password that will be used to authenticate the connection.
and choose **Connect to server**.
app on both your remote and local computers.
On your local machine, perform the following steps:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the Mac you want to access.
app on both your remote and local devices.
### Add a remote connection
On your mobile device, perform the following steps:
1. In the **NordVPN** app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.
, which is a free remote desktop client available in the default repositories of many Linux distributions.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Note**
The instructions below use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as an example.
{% endhint %}
### Install Remmina
If you don't have Remmina installed on your system, install it using one of the methods described below.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Terminal" %}
1. Open **Terminal**.
2. Update the package manager list of available packages by running the following command:\
.
2. In the search bar, enter `remmina` and select the matching result.
3. Click the **Install** button.
app on *both* the Mac and the device you're connecting from.
For this setup, you won't need remote Mac account credentials. Instead, you can use either manual approval on the remote Mac or set up a dedicated unattended access password.
