Connect to your Apple silicon Mac with Apple Remote Desktop

Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is Apple's app for managing and controlling Macs over the network. If you work on a Mac yourself, it is a comfortable way to use your HyperDC Apple Silicon macOS VPS or Mac dedicated server: a full-screen desktop, copy and paste, file copying and several Macs in one window. This guide adds your Mac to ARD and covers the settings that matter.

Before you start

• A Mac to connect from, with the Apple Remote Desktop app from the App Store.
• Your HyperDC Mac's address, user name and password from the welcome email.
• An Apple Silicon macOS VPS or Mac dedicated server. Intel macOS VPS and VDS use the HyperDC Web Console and VMRC instead; see first steps on a macOS server.

In the examples the Mac's address is 203.0.113.10 and the user is alex.

Step 1: Add your Mac to Remote Desktop

1. Open Remote Desktop on your own Mac.
2. In the sidebar, select a computer list such as All Computers, then choose File › Add by Address.
3. Enter the address 203.0.113.10, your user name and your password.
4. Open Advanced Options only if your welcome email lists other ports for Remote Management and Screen Sharing; then enter them in the Remote Management Port and Screen Sharing Port fields.
5. Click Add. Remote Desktop checks the name and password before it adds the computer.

Verify: the Mac appears in the computer list.

Step 2: Control the screen

Select the Mac in the list and choose Interact › Control (or click Control in the toolbar). A window with the Mac's desktop opens; sign in to macOS if the login window shows.

• Control lets you use the keyboard and mouse; Observe only shows the screen.
• Use the toolbar of the control window to scale the screen, share the clipboard and switch between control and observe.
• Interact › Lock Screen (the Curtain button) hides the screen while you work, with a message of your choice.

Step 3: Copy files and run commands

• Copy Items (in the Manage menu) copies files and folders from your Mac to the remote Mac.
• Send UNIX Command (also in Manage) runs a shell command on the remote Mac and shows its output, without opening the desktop.

For large or regular transfers, an SFTP client over SSH is often quicker; turn on Remote Login first as described in first steps on a macOS server.

Step 4: Check Remote Management on the Mac

Apple Remote Desktop connects to the Remote Management service of the Mac. If Remote Desktop cannot reach your Mac, open it with the HyperDC Web Console (from your service in the client area) and check the setting:

1. Open System Settings › General › Sharing.
2. Turn on Remote Management and open its details with the info button.
3. Under Allow access for, choose Only these users and add your user, then allow the actions you need (at least observing and controlling).
4. Click Done.

Screen Sharing and Remote Management cannot be on at the same time; Remote Management includes screen control.

Verify: add the Mac again in Remote Desktop (Step 1); the name and password check succeeds.

Keep the connection secure

• Use a long, unique password for your macOS user and change the one from the welcome email; see first steps on a macOS server.
• Allow Remote Management only for your own user, not for all users.
• If you have a fixed IP address, restrict access to TCP and UDP port 3283 and port 5900 to it with a firewall in front of the Mac, or ask us in a ticket what is possible for your service.
• Sign out of the macOS desktop when you are done, unless jobs need a logged-in session.

Troubleshooting

"Verify failed" or the name and password are rejected. Check the user name (the short account name, not the full name) and the password, including keyboard layout. Then check Remote Management as in Step 4.

The Mac shows as offline. Ports 3283 and 5900 are blocked between you and the Mac, the Mac is restarting, or Remote Management is off. Try the HyperDC Web Console; if the Mac does not respond there either, see macOS server troubleshooting.

The screen is black or does not update. Close the control window and open it again, or switch from Observe to Control. A Mac that went to sleep needs its energy settings checked; see set up a Mac dedicated server.

Next steps

• Prepare the Mac for work: first steps on a macOS server.
• Mac dedicated servers: set up a Mac dedicated server.