This guide provides detailed instructions on how to access your Mac mini using remote desktop clients.
The macOS on your Mac mini uses the VNC protocol with additional Apple-specific enhancements to provide a remote desktop access. Remote desktop allows you to visualize the graphical screen output of a remote computer and interact with it using your local keyboard and mouse. The VNC protocol is platform-independent, supporting Linux, Windows, and macOS, ensuring a seamless connection experience regardless of your operating system.
To complete the actions presented below, you must have:
If your local machine runs macOS, you can use the Scaleway console to connect to your Mac mini using the built-in Apple ARD client.
Click Apple silicon in the Bare Metal section of the side menu. A list of your Mac minis displays.
Click the Mac mini you want to connect to. The Overview page of your Mac mini displays.
Click Open remote desktop in the Access remote desktop from macOS ① section to launch Apple’s built-in screen sharing client for a seamless remote desktop experience.
Once your screen displays in your remote desktop client, log in to the graphical environment of macOS using the remote user and your password (available on the Overview page of your Mac mini).
macOS may ask for your password once logged into the remote desktop session. Change the keyboard layout of macOS to your computer’s local keyboard layout before entering the password. Click “U.S. keyboard” in the top right corner to display a list of all available keyboard layouts.
You are now logged in and can use your Mac mini as if you were physically present.
If your local machine runs Windows, you will need to install a remote desktop client to access the remote desktop of the Mac mini.
Click Apple silicon in the Bare Metal section of the side menu. A list of your Mac minis displays.
Click the Mac mini you want to connect to. The Overview page of your Mac mini displays.
Configure your remote desktop client for Windows for the connection. We suggest using one of these two remote desktop clients:
These clients are free versions of commercially supported solutions and may have usage restrictions.
RealVNC:
Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager:
If your local machine runs Linux, you will need to install a remote desktop client to access the remote desktop of the Mac mini.
Remmina:
Remmina is included in most Linux distributions by default.
Once Remmina is installed and set up, you can connect to the remote desktop directly by clicking the remote desktop button in the console.
Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager:
If you encounter issues connecting to the remote desktop of your Mac mini, refer to our documentation on Troubleshooting remote desktop connections to Mac mini servers.
Below is a matrix to compare the different features of the free versions of these remote desktop clients:
| Client | Compatible OS | Copy & Paste | Streaming Audio* | Security/Tunneling Mode | High Quality Compatibility | Display Responsiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARD (integrated) | macOS | ✅ (except for password) | ❌ | ✅ auto | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| RealVNC | Windows, Linux, macOS | 〰️ (some issues) | ❌ (not with free version) | ❌ (manual tunnel) | ❌ | ⭐ (not recommended) |
| Remmina | Linux | ✅ (manual, only from local to server) | ❌ | ❌ (manual tunnel) | ❌ | ⭐ |
| Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager | Windows, Linux, macOS | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (requires additional setup - SSH tunnel) | ❌ | ⭐⭐ |
* These remote desktop clients don’t allow audio streaming. If you need audio streaming, we recommend using Reemo. You need to configure the connection with Reemo using a VNC connection. We recommend first setup an other VNC connection and using this remote desktop client to then configure Reemo.
Mac mini and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used by Apple under license. Scaleway is not affiliated with Apple Inc.