Remote Desktop Connection Mac To Windows 10

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Hen connecting to a remote computer via Remote Desktop Connection (RDC), the Windows operating system will lock the local session on remote computer’s console who is logging in with the same user account, interrupting user who is physically using the server or client computer. If you like to use your Mac computer as your main machine, but still need Windows for occasional tasks, then it might be useful to setup remote desktop so that you can connect from your Mac to your PC remotely. Luckily, Microsoft provides all the parts for remote desktop to work properly between a Mac and a PC. You will need to download and install the “HOST” version of TeamViewer on the Mac computer that you want to remotely control. As for the Windows computer that will be controlling the Mac computer, simply download the TeamViewer full version, install and run it. In the Connection Center, right-click(command + click) the remote desktop connection you wish to export. Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop.RDP file.

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:

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

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:

Select Add feed on the main page to connect to the service and retrieve your resources.
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.
Select Subscribe.
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:

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

To import an RDP file:

In the menu bar, select File > Import.
Browse to the RDP file.
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:

In the Connection Center select +, and then select Add Remote Resources.
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.
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:

In the Connection Center, select Preferences > Gateways.
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:

In the Connection Center, select Settings > Accounts.
Select Add User Account.
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.
Select Save, then select Settings.

Customize your display resolution

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

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

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

Displays have separate spaces

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

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.

Microsoft Remote Desktop, a free application from Microsoft, allows you to use a Mac laptop or desktop to connect to and work from a Windows desktop computer that you have RDP access to in your on-campus office or lab. If you aren't sure whether you have RDP access to a certain machine, feel free to check with ECN via our Trouble Report System:

Put simply, Microsoft Remote Desktop from a laptop or a home computer makes it as if you're sitting at the desk in your office using your computer's keyboard and mouse -- even if you're two buildings, two miles, or two continents away.

By remotely accessing an ECN-supported desktop computer and refraining from storing your Purdue files locally on your laptop or home computer, your data remains safely stored in your home directory on ECN's network servers -- which receive daily backups.

If you have a Windows-based laptop or home computer, Microsoft provides Microsoft Remote Desktop for Windows 7, please see Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 7.The instruction on the page you're reading now focus on the MacOS version.

You'll want to follow these instructions on your Mac laptop and/or at-home Mac-- not on the on-campus desktop computer! Before you begin, download and install Microsoft Remote Desktop free via the App Store to your Mac.(Please note you'll need to be running 10.12.6 MacOS Sierra minimally, to run/download this application from the App Store).

When connecting from off-campus, please make sure to Purdue's VPN (www.webvpn.purdue.edu) first, as seen in step 1.

Who can use Microsoft Remote Desktop?

A remote-controlled computer can be used by only one person at a time. As such, this service is intended for use only by those who do not share the same office computer with other people. A graduate student may use Microsoft Remote Desktop with the permission of their supervisor.

Every ECN-supported Windows PC which will be used remotely must be pre-configured by ECN before this service will work. Please contact us in advance; we will provide you with the value that you'll need in step #3 as well.

Connecting to the Desktop Computer in Your Office

1. Connect to Purdue's Virtual Private Network. When using a computer off-campus, this step is required. Establish a connection to Purdue's Virtual Private Network (https://webvpn.purdue.edu). For a description of this service, please see ITaP's VPN 'Getting Started' page.

2. Launch the Microsoft Remote Desktop application from your Applications folder. The appropriate icon can be seen below:

3. Once the application opens up, you'll need to add your specific machine to the 'My Desktops' list. To do so, click on New. A new dialog will appear. Fill it out as seen below-- making sure to substitute '128.46.xxx.yyy' with the actual IP address of your machine, 'username' for your Purdue Career Account user name, and 'Password' for your account password. Please note though that you will need to type either 'boilerad' or 'ecn'before your user name in order to successfully authenticate to your machine.

NOTE: If using the ECN RemoteAvailability website, please instead use the computer hostname INSTEAD of the IP. you can do this by appending .boilerad.purdue.edu to the selected PC name from a green box.

IMPORTANT

If your computername begins with x- you will use 'boilerad' prior to your username.

If your computername DOES NOT begin with x- you will use 'ecn' prior to your username.

Again, if you do not know your computer's IP, feel free to check with ECN via our Trouble Report System. Once you enter all of the necessary information, click the red circle in the top right corner of the dialog to close it out and save your configuration. You should now see 'Office PC' in your list under 'My Desktops.' Feel free to change the 'Connection name' of your configuration to anything you like. More specific names can be helpful when you need to set up connections to multiple machines on campus.

4. When you double click on your newly created RDP connection ('Office PC'), the following 'Verify Certificate' prompt may appear.

If it does, simply choose 'Continue.' Your Windows screen should then appear to you.

5. When you're ready to disconnect from your Windows machine, you may end the session in one of these ways:

- Click on the Start menu and select 'Disconnect.' This will end the remote session but leave files and programs open and running on your office PC.

- Click on the round red button at the top-left corner of the window. This will end the remote session but leave files and programs open and running on your office PC. If you do not see the Microsoft Remote Desktop application menu bar with the red button, simply hover your mouse at the top of your screen until it appears.

- Click on the Start menu and select 'Log off.' This will close all open files and programs on your office PC and also end the remote session.

Last modified: 2020/11/24 07:34:55.304958 US/Eastern by steven.e.schmidt.1
Created: 2008/07/31 10:21:59.307000 GMT-4 by john.a.omalley.1.

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