Ctrlk
DownloadBlog
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Connect to a macOS device

Learn how to access a macOS computer over Meshnet from Windows, macOS, or Linux.

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.

  • 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.

Enable screen sharing or remote management:

  1. Select the Apple menu > System settings.

  2. Navigate to General, and select Sharing.

    Selecting "General" and then "Sharing".

  3. Do any of the following:

    • For basic tasks, under Content & media, turn on the Screen sharing toggle.

      Turning on the 'Screen sharing' toggle.

    • For more advanced control, such as installing software, under Advanced, turn on Remote management.

      "Remote management" toggle enabled.

  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.

    Filled in "Password" field is highlighted.

  6. Click Done.

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.

Enable screen sharing or remote management:

  1. Select the Apple menu > System settings.

  2. Navigate to General, and select Sharing.

    Selecting "General" and then "Sharing".

  3. Do any of the following:

    • For basic tasks, turn on the Screen sharing toggle.

      Turning on the 'Screen sharing' toggle.

    • For more advanced control, such as installing software, under Advanced, turn on Remote management.

      Turning on "Remote management" toggle.

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.

  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.

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

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.

    Remote device's Nord name and Meshnet IP address are highlighted in the NordVPN app

  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

    Remote device's Nord name is entered in the "Connect to Server" dialog

  4. When prompted, enter the name and password of your account on the Mac you're trying to access.

    Remote device's credentials are entered

  5. Click Sign in.

With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac over Meshnet.

To connect to the remote Mac from Windows or Linux, first install the NoMachine 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.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a macOS device highlighted.

  2. Launch NoMachine and select the Add button to create a new connection.

    Clicking the "Add" button in NoMachine.

  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

      Nord name is entered in the "Host" field and the Add button is highlighted

  4. Double-click the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.

    Connection to the remote Mac selected on the main screen of NoMachine.

  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.

To connect to the remote Mac from Android or iPhone/iPad, first install the NoMachine 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.

    Copy Nord name and Meshnet IP address options highlighted.

  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.

    The Add button is highlighted

  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.

    The Meshnet IP address of the remote PC is entered in the Host field, which is highlighted

  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.

    The newly created connection shown on the main screen of the app

  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

      Step indicators are places next to remote PC credentials fields and the "OK" button

With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Mac using NoMachine over Meshnet.

On Linux, you can use Remmina , which is a free remote desktop client available in the default repositories of many Linux distributions.

Note

The instructions below use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as an example.

Install Remmina

If you don't have Remmina installed on your system, install it using one of the methods described below.

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Update the package manager list of available packages by running the following command:

  3. Install Remmina by entering this command:

  1. Launch App Center.

  2. In the search bar, enter remmina and select the matching result.

  3. Click the Install button.

    Clicking "Install" in the App Center to install Remmina.

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:

    Peer device's Nord name and Meshnet IP address are highlighted in the terminal window

  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.

    New connection profile button highlighted

  4. From the Protocol dropdown list, select Remmina VNC plugin.

    Selecting Remmina VNC plugin from the Protocol dropdown list.

  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

      Filling in the Server, Username, and User password boxes

  6. Click Save.

Access your remote Mac

  1. Double-click the new connection profile you've created.

    The newly connection profile is selected in the Remmina window

  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.

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 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:

  1. On the remote computer, launch AnyDesk .

  2. In the menu bar, click AnyDesk > Preferences.

    Opening AnyDesk preferences from the menu bar

  3. From the menu on the left, under Security, select Access.

  4. Under Unattended access, click Set password.

    "Set password" button is highlighted in the Anydesk preferences.

  5. Enter a secure password that will be used for authentication and click Change password.

    Password fields filled in and an arrow pointing to the "Change password" button.

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.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a macOS device highlighted.

  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.

    Remote Mac's Nord name entered in the address field and the connect button is highlighted.

If you set up an unattended password 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.

    "Log in automatically from now on" option selected and highlighted.

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.

    Entering the Unattended access password and tapping OK in the Authorization prompt.

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:

See also

PreviousConnect to a Windows device
NextConnect to a Linux device

Last updated

Was this helpful?