Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016
Download WebDAVNav Server for macOS 10.10 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. WebDAVNav Server is a basic WebDAV server which can be used to quickly share files and folders from your Mac with other computers, mobile devices and apps, including WebDAV Navigator available in the iOS App Store. Running a Mac server isn't for everyone, but it can be useful. Jason Snell breaks down the reasons why you should consider it, and why you should skip it.
You can use the Remote Desktop client for Mac to work with Windows apps, resources, and desktops from your Mac computer. Use the following information to get started - and check out the FAQ if you have questions.
Note
- Curious about the new releases for the macOS client? Check out What's new for Remote Desktop on Mac?
- The Mac client runs on computers running macOS 10.10 and newer.
- The information in this article applies primarily to the full version of the Mac client - the version available in the Mac AppStore. Test-drive new features by downloading our preview app here: beta client release notes.
Get the Remote Desktop client
Follow these steps to get started with Remote Desktop on your Mac:
- Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
- Set up your PC to accept remote connections. (If you skip this step, you can't connect to your PC.)
- Add a Remote Desktop connection or a remote resource. You use a connection to connect directly to a Windows PC and a remote resource to use a RemoteApp program, session-based desktop, or a virtual desktop published on-premises using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections. This feature is typically available in corporate environments.
What about the Mac beta client?
We're testing new features on our preview channel on AppCenter. Want to check it out? Go to Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac and select Download. You don't need to create an account or sign into AppCenter to download the beta client.
If you already have the client, you can check for updates to ensure you have the latest version. In the beta client, select Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta at the top, and then select Check for updates.
Add a workspace
Subscribe to the feed your admin gave you to get the list of managed resources available to you on your macOS device.
To subscribe to a feed:
- Select Add feed on the main page to connect to the service and retrieve your resources.
- Enter the feed URL. This can be a URL or email address:
- This URL is usually a Windows Virtual Desktop URL. Which one you use depends on which version of Windows Virtual Desktop you're using.
- For Windows Virtual Desktop (classic), use
https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/feeddiscovery/webfeeddiscovery.aspx
. - For Windows Virtual Desktop, use
https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery
.
- For Windows Virtual Desktop (classic), use
- To use email, enter your email address. This tells the client to search for a URL associated with your email address if your admin configured the server that way.
- This URL is usually a Windows Virtual Desktop URL. Which one you use depends on which version of Windows Virtual Desktop you're using.
- Select Subscribe.
- Sign in with your user account when prompted.
After you've signed in, you should see a list of available resources.
Once you've subscribed to a feed, the feed's content will update automatically on a regular basis. Resources may be added, changed, or removed based on changes made by your administrator.
Export and import connections
You can export a remote desktop connection definition and use it on a different device. Remote desktops are saved in separate RDP files.
To export an RDP file:
- In the Connection Center, right-click the remote desktop.
- Select Export.
- Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop RDP file.
- Select OK.
To import an RDP file:
- In the menu bar, select File > Import.
- Browse to the RDP file.
- Select Open.
Add a remote resource
Remote resources are RemoteApp programs, session-based desktops, and virtual desktops published using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The URL displays the link to the RD Web Access server that gives you access to RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The configured RemoteApp and Desktop Connections are listed.
To add a remote resource:
- In the Connection Center select +, and then select Add Remote Resources.
- Enter information for the remote resource:
- Feed URL - The URL of the RD Web Access server. You can also enter your corporate email account in this field – this tells the client to search for the RD Web Access Server associated with your email address.
- User name - The user name to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Password - The password to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Select Save.
The remote resources will be displayed in the Connection Center.
Connect to an RD Gateway to access internal assets
A Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) lets you connect to a remote computer on a corporate network from anywhere on the Internet. You can create and manage your gateways in the preferences of the app or while setting up a new desktop connection.
To set up a new gateway in preferences:
- In the Connection Center, select Preferences > Gateways.
- Select the + button at the bottom of the table Enter the following information:
- Server name – The name of the computer you want to use as a gateway. This can be a Windows computer name, an Internet domain name, or an IP address. You can also add port information to the server name (for example: RDGateway:443 or 10.0.0.1:443).
- User name - The user name and password to be used for the Remote Desktop gateway you are connecting to. You can also select Use connection credentials to use the same user name and password as those used for the remote desktop connection.
Manage your user accounts
When you connect to a desktop or remote resources, you can save the user accounts to select from again. You can manage your user accounts by using the Remote Desktop client.
To create a new user account:
- In the Connection Center, select Settings > Accounts.
- Select Add User Account.
- Enter the following information:
- User Name - The name of the user to save for use with a remote connection. You can enter the user name in any of the following formats: user_name, domainuser_name, or user_name@domain.com.
- Password - The password for the user you specified. Every user account that you want to save to use for remote connections needs to have a password associated with it.
- Friendly Name - If you are using the same user account with different passwords, set a friendly name to distinguish those user accounts.
- Select Save, then select Settings.
Customize your display resolution
You can specify the display resolution for the remote desktop session.
- In the Connection Center, select Preferences.
- Select Resolution.
- Select +.
- Enter a resolution height and width, and then select OK.
To delete the resolution, select it, and then select -.
Displays have separate spaces
If you're running Mac OS X 10.9 and have disabled Displays have separate spaces in Mavericks (System Preferences > Mission Control), you need to configure this setting in the Remote Desktop client using the same option.
Drive redirection for remote resources
Drive redirection is supported for remote resources, so that you can save files created with a remote application locally to your Mac. The redirected folder is always your home directory displayed as a network drive in the remote session.
Note
In order to use this feature, the administrator needs to set the appropriate settings on the server.
Use a keyboard in a remote session
Mac keyboard layouts differ from the Windows keyboard layouts.
- The Command key on the Mac keyboard equals the Windows key.
- To perform actions that use the Command button on the Mac, you will need to use the control button in Windows (for example Copy = Ctrl+C).
- The function keys can be activated in the session by pressing additionally the FN key (for example, FN+F1).
- The Alt key to the right of the space bar on the Mac keyboard equals the Alt Gr/right Alt key in Windows.
By default, the remote session will use the same keyboard locale as the OS you're running the client on. (If your Mac is running an en-us OS, that will be used for the remote sessions as well.) If the OS keyboard locale is not used, check the keyboard setting on the remote PC and change it manually. See the Remote Desktop Client FAQ for more information about keyboards and locales.
Support for Remote Desktop gateway pluggable authentication and authorization
Windows Server 2012 R2 introduced support for a new authentication method, Remote Desktop Gateway pluggable authentication and authorization, which provides more flexibility for custom authentication routines. You can now try this authentication model with the Mac client.
Important
Custom authentication and authorization models before Windows 8.1 aren't supported, although the article above discusses them.
To learn more about this feature, check out https://aka.ms/paa-sample.
Tip
Questions and comments are always welcome. However, please do NOT post a request for troubleshooting help by using the comment feature at the end of this article. Instead, go to the Remote Desktop client forum and start a new thread. Have a feature suggestion? Tell us in the client user voice forum.
Although Windows 10 leads the market in terms of active users, there are still a lot of Mac owners out there. In fact, Macs still operate a $25 billion venture for Apple.
If you’re a Mac user and a business owner, it’s likely you’ll want to do things with a computer you’re more familiar with. This also includes running a web server to host your site and other online needs, using your Mac.
That said, you’re looking to turn your Mac into a web server, you need to learn a few things. This might be a better option for some instead of relying on cheap web hosting sites. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use your Mac as a server; we’ve got you covered.
Simply follow the steps below to get ahead of the game:
1. Install and Configure MAMP (Mac, Apache, MySQL, PHP)
This is an open-source program that gives you the ability to host a website using a Mac computer. Download this app to your Mac computer using a stable connection and install it once it’s finished. As soon as it’s done, navigate to the folder called /Applications/MAMP.
The server configuration files, as well as the website you make, will go to this folder. You can now start configuring MAMP by searching for the file called MAMP.app. Double-click on it to get the HTTP server going.
Server Web For Mac Os
As soon as it appears, you can proceed to click on Preferences. This will show you choices regarding MAMP and MAMP Pro. Unselect these options to ensure that your server keeps running without the need of the application itself.
Open the Ports tab afterward and make sure you choose the default Apache and MySQL ports. This will ensure that your Apache and MySQL servers are at port 80.
2. Sharing with FTP
Go to the System Preferences and select the Sharing tab as soon as you’re done with the initial setup. Click on the option “File Sharing” and select the Options button. Once there, you can click on “Share files and folders using FTP” and press the done button.
The next step is to unselect the option for “Web Sharing” if the system chose it as the default. To control the computer using SSH, select the option “Remote Login”.
3. Port Forwarding
Do you need to access your website from a device other than the original host? If so, you will need to have a router in place. This allows you to forward the right HTTP ports to your current computer.
It’s important to remember that the specific procedures will vary across different routers. The good news is that the basic steps are almost the same. To start this, you need to go to the System Preferences section and go to Network.
As soon as you’re there, take a note of your IP address shown under Status. You can then go to a website called Port Forward. Scroll down and start looking for your router’s model and once found, click on it.
You’ll get taken to the next page where you’ll get the information related to your router’s external IP. Write it down and find Apache in the gigantic list below and select it.
You can now enter your local IP address in the small box that appears on the next page. Follow the instructions to ensure that you finish forwarding the ports on your router.
4. Install a CMS (Content Management System)
Using a CMS helps making, reviewing, editing, and publishing content much easier. There are a lot of free CMS you can use for your website. But the most popular ones out there include:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
This guide will cover the steps on how to set up a WordPress CMS. You need to download the WordPress ZIP file from their official website. Unzip the file and transfer the WordPress folder to the /Applications/MAMP/htdocs directory.
Apache Web Server For Mac
Go to the WordPress folder and use a text editor to open the wp-config-sample.php. Replace both the ‘usernamehere’ and ‘yourpasswordhere’ fields with ‘root’. Also, you need to change the ‘putyourdbnamehere’ with your own database’s name.
You might still need to make a database while doing this step. If so, leave it blank for now and come back later to fill it up. As soon as you make a complete configuration of WordPress, the CMS will guide you on how to make your web pages.
5. Make a New Database
To make the database, you need to start by opening the MAMP.app program. Click on “Open Start Page” since it launches MAMP’s start page in your preferred web browser. As soon as it’s open, you should select the “phpMyAdmin” on the toolbar located on top of the page.
Under “Create new database”, you can now type the appropriate name for your database. As soon as you’re done, click on the Create button. Go back to the wp-config-sample.php file and replace ’putyourdbnamehere’ with that database name.
You can then save the file as wp-config.php to finish the entire process.
Using Mac OS Server for Web Hosting
The built-in Apache server has limitations that only exists in the standard Mac OS version. The limitations go away as soon as you opt for the Mac OS Server. This offers a lot of great server features like:
- Mail Servers
- Web Servers
- File Sharing
- Calendar and Contacts server
- Wiki Servers
There are more features you can avail for your internet server. It’s especially great if you’re wondering, “what does a server do?” when it’s at full capacity. The Mac OS Server is available for purchase at the app store for about $19.99.
Enable Tftp On Mac
Take note, buying the Mac OS Server will proceed to restore all your web sharing services. This adds a lot of value to your Mac for both short and long runs.
Run a Web Server Today
If you’re asking how does a web server fit on Mac, you can use this guide to answer the question. Following these steps will ensure that you get it up and running within a day. But for full-on websites, you need better web hosting services to fit high traffic volumes.
Do you need help with a web server for the Apple Mac? If so, you can contact us today and we’ll assist you to get started. Our lines are open and we hope to hear from you soon.