# First steps on a macOS server: Screen Sharing and SSH > Connect to your HyperDC macOS VPS or VDS with Screen Sharing or a VNC client and over SSH, change the password, install updates and prepare the Mac for Xcode. Difficulty: Beginner\ Tested on: macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Tahoe 26, Windows 11, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS A HyperDC macOS VPS or VDS is a complete Mac in our data center. You use its desktop through Screen Sharing and its command line through SSH. This guide connects you from any computer and prepares the Mac for development work. ## Before you start - **Your connection details** from the welcome email: the address of your Mac, the user name and the password. - **A client:** Screen Sharing on a Mac (built in), a VNC viewer on Windows or Linux, and an SSH client (built into Windows 10 and 11, macOS and Linux). - In the examples, replace `203.0.113.10` with your Mac's address and `alex` with your user name. ## Step 1: Open the desktop with Screen Sharing **From a Mac** 1. In Finder, choose **Go › Connect to Server** (Command + K). 2. Enter `vnc://203.0.113.10` and select **Connect**. 3. Sign in with your user name and password. You can also open the **Screen Sharing** app with Spotlight and enter the address there. **From Windows or Linux** macOS Screen Sharing speaks the VNC protocol. Install a VNC viewer that supports macOS Screen Sharing authentication, connect to `203.0.113.10` and sign in with your macOS user name and password. If your viewer only supports a VNC password, a setting on the Mac can allow it (see the note below). **Verify:** the macOS desktop appears and you can open apps. Choose **Apple menu › About This Mac** to check the macOS version. > **Note** > > Screen Sharing settings live on the Mac in **System Settings › General › Sharing**. Select the info button next to **Screen Sharing** to see who may connect and, if needed, to turn on "VNC viewers may control screen with password". Use a long, separate password if you enable it. ## Step 2: Connect over SSH Remote Login (SSH and SFTP) is the faster way to run commands and copy files: ```bash ssh alex@203.0.113.10 ``` **Verify:** you get a shell prompt. Check the system and the free disk space: ```bash sw_vers df -h / ``` If the connection is refused, open the desktop, go to **System Settings › General › Sharing** and turn on **Remote Login**. Then add your key as described in [SSH keys](/guides/ssh-keys); `ssh-copy-id` works with macOS too. ## Step 3: Change your password Change the password from the welcome email in the desktop session: **System Settings › Users & Groups**, select the info button next to your user name, then **Change**, enter the old and new password and select **Change Password**. This also updates your login keychain, which code signing and saved credentials rely on. **Verify:** sign out of Screen Sharing and sign in again with the new password. ## Step 4: Install updates Check for macOS updates in **System Settings › General › Software Update**, or over SSH: ```bash softwareupdate --list sudo softwareupdate --install --all --restart ``` The second command installs all available updates and restarts the Mac when needed, which ends your sessions. Plan larger macOS upgrades around the Xcode version you need: check Apple's Xcode system requirements first. **Verify:** `softwareupdate --list` reports that no new software is available. ## Step 5: Keep the Mac awake A build server must not go to sleep. Check the power settings and turn system sleep off: ```bash pmset -g sudo pmset -a sleep 0 ``` **Verify:** `pmset -g` shows `sleep 0`. Graphical tests and some keychain prompts also need a logged-in desktop session; our [macOS CI guide](/guides/macos-server-for-ios-ci) explains how to keep one. ## Step 6: Install the developer tools For command-line tools such as `git`, `clang` and `make`: ```bash xcode-select --install ``` For the full Xcode, sign in with your Apple Account in the App Store app, or download the version you need from Apple's developer website. Open it once to finish its first-launch setup, then point the command-line tools at it: ```bash sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode.app xcodebuild -version ``` **Verify:** `xcodebuild -version` prints the Xcode version and build number. > **Tip** > > Xcode and its simulator runtimes take many gigabytes. Check free space with `df -h /` before installing a second version, and delete unavailable simulators with `xcrun simctl delete unavailable`. ## Troubleshooting **Screen Sharing asks for a password and rejects it.** Use your macOS user name and password, not the VNC password. If your viewer only offers a VNC password field, enable the VNC password option on the Mac first, or use another viewer. **The screen stays black or freezes.** Disconnect and reconnect. If the Mac seems to hang, connect over SSH and check the load with `top -l 1 | head -n 10`. **SSH: `Connection refused`.** Remote Login is off. Turn it on in **System Settings › General › Sharing**. **The disk is full after installing Xcode.** Remove Xcode versions you no longer need, clear old DerivedData folders in `~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData` and delete unavailable simulators. ## Next steps - What your plan includes and how the macOS lines differ: [macOS VPS and VDS](/guides/macos-vps). - Turn the Mac into a build machine: [macOS server for iOS CI](/guides/macos-server-for-ios-ci). - Use keys instead of passwords: [SSH keys](/guides/ssh-keys). ## Frequently asked questions ### Which apps do I need to reach my Mac? From another Mac, the built-in Screen Sharing app. From Windows or Linux, a VNC viewer that supports macOS Screen Sharing. For the command line and file transfers, any SSH or SFTP client. ### Can two people use the desktop at the same time? One person controls the desktop through Screen Sharing at a time. Others can work over SSH, and CI jobs keep running in the background. For parallel desktop work, give each developer their own Mac. ### Why should I change the password in System Settings and not with passwd? System Settings also updates the login keychain password. Changing it only on the command line can leave the keychain locked with the old password, which breaks code signing and saved credentials. ### Can I run Docker Desktop or the Android emulator? Not on a macOS VPS, because those tools start their own virtual machines and macOS VPS plans do not offer nested virtualization. Choose a macOS VDS, where it is available, or run containers on a Linux VPS. ### How do I install Xcode? Sign in with your Apple Account in the App Store app or download Xcode from Apple's developer website. Several Xcode versions can be installed side by side and selected with xcode-select. --- Source: \ Updated: 2026-10-09