How to Enable the Remote Access Feature on Mac

30 November, 2017, by Gregory Wang

Macs are ubiquitous, and you may have an example in which you use your own computer at one place and you need to get an access to your Mac in another area. For example, you stay in a cafeteria with a laptop, and you need something from a Mac desktop in your room.

Possible Solutions to Enable the Remote Access

Among all the available solutions, we propose 3 scenarios of remote access feature that makes connected two Macs possible:

• When the contractor accessing his iMac in a remote way to use the QuickBooks installed on the iMac. However, this contractor uses Windows OS.
• Another contractor that has a Mac and has to get access to another iMac any time on a daily basis.
• The first iMac gives the possibility to be accessed in a remote mode by you and by the second contractor.

What do you have to do?

There is a lot of unpacking, thanks to the fact that Apple controls accounts and remote access features, even if external third-party remote-access instruments interact with macOS. We are also focused on security issues and want to be sure that nobody has uncontrolled access to our files and data from iMac.

If this situation existed only on Macs and only with you, it could be solved in a simple way:

1. By setting up a separate account for yourself and each other party.

2. By enabling Screen Sharing in the Sharing system preference pane.

3. By enabling Back To My Mac in the iCloud preference pane.

Now, if you are connected to the Internet in your own local networks, or wherever, you will see your own computer in the device list in the front panel of the Finder, and you can connect to it.

The software of the third parties similar to TeamViewer provides a wide-ranging access to the system in some platforms (including MacOS and Windows in the property of hosts and iOS, Android, and other devices in the user’s property), but does not interact with the accounts of macOS. Independently from this, there is a full access irrespective of the account.

If it suits you to leave a PC logged into an account with only apps and files needed, TeamViewer can be an appropriate solution. You can combine this with the settings of this account by a series of the Parental Control features in order to set the limits (see Paternity Controls Preferences.) You must concentrate on the fact that TeamViewer relies on the system of the business use. A user will be able to use it for the purposes of commercial basis without any restrictions of functions, but you violate the terms of use as well.

With a different Mac user, you will be able to rely on “Messages” in order to allow the remote screen connections or any other share. And I would recommend using the separate macOS account for it.

The algorithm of enabling the third-party access to your Mac

1. Log in to the macOS account you want to share.
2. Launch Messages.
3. Start a message session with the other person.
4. Click Details.
5. Click the screen-sharing icon (two overlapping rectangles) and choose Invite to Share My Screen.
6. The other person accepts the invitation and gets access to that macOS account.

In an alternative way, the other individual has the opportunity to get your account in Messages and in the fifth step, select “Ask to Share Screen”.

In the local networks, all of other Mac users always have the opportunity to enter into the account and use the macOS account by screen sharing like a server in case someone else has logged in and used or uses Mac. Thus, there is no way to get a remote connection and take advantage of the function.

With a lot of efforts, you will be able to set up a fixed IP address for your own PC or strong and identifiable dynamic domain name and use the VNC app – an ordinary form of remote access – to get access to macOS. However, it gets complicated since the security of VNC apps is not that strong and demands any other layer for better security.