MacOS – Remote access via screen sharing app

macosremote desktopscreen-sharing

I want to connect to my home mac using screen sharing from another point in the world. But even though I can connect to my home mac from the local network with my macbook (which is nonsense to me). I could not manage to connect it from another network.

I read articles about screen sharing, watched some youtube videos and also installed Screens app. At the end, I am totally confused with the network jargon and app usages.

Could someone help me to sort it out? All I want is to use screen sharing(if applicable) to connect remotely.

Best Regards

Best Answer

There are two parts to remote sharing your Mac computer: software on the computer and configuration of your network.

Software on your Mac

You can use the built-in VNC server on your Mac; there is no need for third party software.

  1. Launch System Preferences and open Sharing.
  2. Select Screen Sharing then click Computer Settings.
  3. Finally, enable VNC viewers and provide a secure password.

Next, test you can access and control your Mac using a VNC client within your home network. This can be done from a Mac, Windows, or mobile device using a VNC client.

Configure your network

To access your Mac from outside of your home network, you need to open a port for VNC:

  • port: 5900
  • protocol: TCP
  • direct the incoming traffic to your Mac

If this port is not open and passing traffic to your Mac, then you will not be able to connect from outside your network.

How you configure your modem/router differs between the make and model of each device. Some routers will have built-in assistants to help set this up.