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Connect to a macOS device

Learn how to access a macOS computer over Meshnet from Windows, macOS, or Linux.
ServerServerTo log in to your macOS computer remotely over Meshnet, you need to set up remote access on your macOS system and use a remote desktop client on the device from which you are connecting.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that your remote PC and the device you want to use to access it are linked over Meshnet.
  • Look up the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the computer you're connecting to in your NordVPN app.
    The macOS device's Nord name is hovered over to display the copy option in the NordVPN app

Enable remote access on your Mac

To set up your Mac to accept remote connections, you need to enable the integrated Screen Sharing service, which uses Virtual Network Computing (VNC) technology.
Note
For this procedure, macOS Big Sur 11.0 is used as an example.
Set up your remote Mac to accept connections:
  1. 1.
    Select the Apple menu
     > System preferences and click Sharing.
  2. 2.
    Select the Screen sharing checkbox.
If you need to perform more advanced remote access tasks, such as installing software, select Remote management instead.
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.

Connect to your remote Mac

To connect remotely to a Mac, consider the following options:
  • NoMachine
  • AnyDesk
  • A VNC client
  • The native Connect to Server functionality for Mac-to-Mac connections
This guide provides detailed instructions on how to use each of these options.

Using NoMachine

To establish a remote connection using NoMachine, proceed with the guidelines below.
Windows, macOS, and Linux
iOS and Android
Start by downloading the NoMachine app and installing it on both your remote and local computers.

Set up a remote connection

  1. 1.
    Launch NoMachine on your local device and select the Add button to create a new connection.
  2. 2.
    Optionally, in the Name field, provide a custom name for the connection.
  3. 3.
    In the Host field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access, and then select Add.
    In the Host field, the Meshnet IP is entered and the Add button is highlighted
  4. 4.
    On the NoMachine main screen, double-click the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.
  5. 5.
    If a warning appears indicating that the host's authenticity cannot be confirmed, select OK to proceed.
  6. 6.
    Enter your remote desktop credentials and select OK.
    • Username: your remote PC account name
    • Password: the password you use to log in to your remote PC
Start by downloading the NoMachine app and installing it on both your remote and local devices.

Set up a remote connection

  1. 1.
    Launch NoMachine on your local device and select the Add button in the upper-left corner to create a new connection.
    The Add button is highlighted
  2. 2.
    Ensure that NX is selected as the protocol and tap Continue.
  3. 3.
    In the Host field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access, and then select Continue.
    The Meshnet IP address of the remote PC is entered in the Host field, which is highlighted
  4. 4.
    Keep the default options for Authentication and Proxy.
  5. 5.
    Optionally, in the Name field, provide a custom name for the connection and tap Done.
  6. 6.
    On the NoMachine main screen, double-tap the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.
  7. 7.
    Enter your remote desktop credentials and select OK.
    • Username: your remote PC account name
    • Password: the password you use to log in to your PC
With these steps completed, you should now be able to access and control your PC remotely using NoMachine.

Using AnyDesk

Alternatively, you can establish a remote connection between your devices using AnyDesk.
To get started, download and install AnyDesk on both your remote and local devices.

Enable unattended access

With the default configuration, AnyDesk requires the receiving device to manually accept an incoming connection. However, the app’s Unattended access feature allows you to access the remote machine without additional user input. To enable this option, on the remote Mac:
  1. 1.
    Launch AnyDesk.
  2. 2.
    In the menu bar, click AnyDesk > Settings.
    Opening AnyDesk settings from the menu bar.
    ​
  3. 3.
    Navigate to the Security tab and click Permission profiles.
  4. 4.
    On the left, choose Unattended access and select the Enable unattended access checkbox.
    Enabling the Unattended access option in AnyDesk settings.
    ​
  5. 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.

Access your remote Mac

To initiate a remote connection from different platforms using AnyDesk, proceed with the guidelines below.
Windows, macOS, and Linux
iOS and Android
To connect to the remote Mac, on your local computer:
  1. 1.
    Launch AnyDesk.
  2. 2.
    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.
    Entering the Nord name of the remote Mac and clicking connect on the AnyDesk app
    ​
  3. 3.
    In the Authorization dialog, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote Mac and click OK.
    Entering the Unattended access password and clicking OK in the Authorization prompt.
    ​
    Optionally, you can select the Log in automatically from now on checkbox so you wouldn’t need to enter the password in the future.
To connect to your remote Mac, on your mobile device:
  1. 1.
    Open AnyDesk.
  2. 2.
    In the Remote address field, type in either the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the remote Mac and tap Connect.
    Entering the Nord name of the remote Mac and clicking connect on the AnyDesk app
    ​
  3. 3.
    In the Authorization dialog, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote Mac and tap OK.
    Entering the Unattended access password and tapping OK in the Authorization prompt.
    Optionally, you can select the Log in automatically from now on checkbox so you wouldn’t need to enter the password in the future.
With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using AnyDesk over Meshnet.

Using a VNC client

Windows
Linux
iOS
Android
On Windows, you can choose from a range of VNC clients, with some popular ones being VNC® Viewer and UltraVNC Viewer, to name a few.
Note
For the purposes of this tutorial, VNC® Viewer is used as an example.

Set up a connection

  1. 1.
    Install VNC® Viewer.
  2. 2.
    Open VNC Viewer and go to File > New connection.
  3. 3.
    Under General, in the VNC server field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access.
    Entering the Nord name of the remote Mac into the VNC Server field
  4. 4.
    Optionally, you can give a nickname to your connection in the Name field.
  5. 5.
    Click OK.

Access your remote Mac

  1. 1.
    Double-click the connection that you added.
    Remote Mac added in the VNC Viewer application
    ​
  2. 2.
    You may receive a security warning caused by connecting to the Apple Screen Sharing service. Proceed with the connection by tapping Connect.
  3. 3.
    If you don't want to see this dialog in the future, select the Don't warn me about this again checkbox.
  4. 4.
    Enter your remote desktop credentials and click OK.
    • Username: your remote Mac account name
    • Password: the password you use to log in to your Mac
On Linux, you can use Remmina to work with macOS resources, apps, and desktops remotely. Remmina is a free remote desktop client, available in the default repositories of many Linux distributions.
Note
The instructions below apply primarily to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or above, but if you use a different distribution of Linux, the procedure should remain similar.
If you don't have Remmina installed on your system, install it using one of the methods described below.

Method 1: Install Remmina from the terminal

  1. 1.
    Open the terminal.
  2. 2.
    Update the package manager's list of available packages by running the following command:
    sudo apt update
    ​
  3. 3.
    Install Remmina by entering this command:
    sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-vnc
    ​

Method 2: Install Remmina from Ubuntu Software

  1. 1.
    Open the Ubuntu Software app.
  2. 2.
    In the search bar, enter remmina and select the matching result.
    Typing Remmina in the search bar
    ​
  3. 3.
    Click Install.

Set up a remote connection

  1. 1.
    Open the Remmina app by going to Show applications and searching for remmina.
  2. 2.
    Click the "New connection profile" button in the upper-left corner of the application window.
  3. 3.
    Select Remmina VNC plugin from the Protocol dropdown list.
    Selecting Remmina VNC plugin from the Protocol dropdown list.
    ​
  4. 4.
    Under Basic, enter the information to create a reusable connection.
    • Server: the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access.
    • Username: your remote PC account name.
    • User password: the password for the specified username.
      Filling in the Server, Username, and User password boxes
      ​
  5. 5.
    Click Save.
The new connection will appear in the Remmina window. You can double-click it whenever you want to initiate a remote desktop session.
To get started, download the VNC® Viewer iOS app, available for free from the App Store.

Set up a remote connection

  1. 1.
    Open VNC Viewer.
  2. 2.
    Tap the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner) and select Address book.
  3. 3.
    Tap the plus (+) button.
  4. 4.
    In the Address field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access.
    The Nord name of the remote computer is entered in the Address
  5. 5.
    Optionally, provide a name for your connection in the Name field.
  6. 6.
    Tap Save.

Access your remote Mac

  1. 1.
    From the main screen, select the saved connection that you added.
  2. 2.
    You may receive a security warning caused by connecting to the Apple Screen Sharing service. Proceed with the connection by tapping Connect.
  3. 3.
    If you don't want to see this dialog in the future, disable the Warn me every time toggle.
  4. 4.
    Enter your remote desktop credentials and tap Continue.
    • Username: your remote Mac account name
    • Password: the password you use to log in to your Mac
You should now be able to access and control your Mac remotely.
You may choose from a range of VNC viewer applications, such as VNC® Viewer and MultiVNC, depending on your preference or device version.
Note
For the purposes of this tutorial, MultiVNC is used as an example.
Start by downloading the MultiVNC app, available for free from Google Play.

Set up a remote connection

  1. 1.
    Open MultiVNC.
  2. 2.
    In the Address field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access.
    The Nord name of the remote computer is entered in the Address
  3. 3.
    Enter your remote desktop credentials.
    • Username: your remote Mac account name
    • Password: the password you use to log in to your Mac
  4. 4.
    Tap Connect.
You should now be able to access and control your Mac remotely.

Using Connect to Server

If you are looking to establish a remote connection between two Mac devices, the macOS Connect to Server feature offers a straightforward solution.
  1. 1.
    On the Mac you are connecting from, open Finder
    .
  2. 2.
    In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Go and select Connect to server.
    The Connect to server menu item is selected
    ​
  3. 3.
    Type vnc:// followed by the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access, as shown: vnc://100.94.97.211 or vnc://secret.raccoon-atlas.nord
    Entering the Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access
    ​
  4. 4.
    When prompted, enter the name and password of your account on the Mac you're trying to access.
  5. 5.
    Click Connect.
You should now be able to access and control your macOS device remotely.

See also

Previous
Connect to a Windows device
Next
Connect to a Linux device
Last modified 3d ago
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