Mac Using Microsoft Remote Desktop Cannot Find Computer

Apr 02, 2016  How to Remote Access Windows 10 with Mac OS X The remote access with windows 10 is much easy and comfortable to do but if a question appears about remote access Windows 10 with Mac OS X then it’s somehow difficult to do that’s why this time we’ve covered this topic and want to. In this tutorial you 'll find instructions to resolve the problem 'Remote Desktop connection cannot verify the identity of the computer that you want to connect to. Try reconnecting to the Windows-based computer, or contact our administrator.' , when you try to connect through RDP from a Mac OS based computer to a Windows RDSH Server 2016. Remote login into Windows from Mac using Remote Desktop Client and VPN. Ask Question Asked 5 years, 10. The VPN gets connected but the RDC does not. It tells me that the remote computer might not be connected or switched on, both of which are not true. The VPN is of Cisco. The new MS Remote Desktop for the Mac works very well (just. Remote Desktop Can’t Find the Computer In some cases, the issue is simply because you have mistakenly entered the hostname incorrectly. You can also, sometimes, get over the issue by simply using the IP address instead of the hostname. Nov 27, 2015  First you need to make sure you have incoming remote desktop connections enabled on the Windows PC. Click Start then right-click on Computer and select Properties. Then click on the Advanced system settings hyperlink. If you like to use your Mac computer as your main machine, but still need Windows for occasional tasks, then it might be useful to setup remote desktop so that you can connect from your Mac to your PC remotely. Luckily, Microsoft provides all the parts for remote desktop to work properly between a Mac and a PC.

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Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016

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:

Microsoft Remote Desktop For Mac 10

Mac Using Microsoft Remote Desktop Cannot Find Computer
  1. Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
  2. Set up your PC to accept remote connections. (If you skip this step, you can't connect to your PC.)
  3. 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 click 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, click Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta at the top, and then click Check for updates.

Add a Remote Desktop connection

To create a remote desktop connection:

  1. In the Connection Center, click +, and then click Desktop.

  2. Enter the following information:

    • PC name - the name of the computer.
      • This can be a Windows computer name (found in the System settings), a domain name, or an IP address.
      • You can also add port information to the end of this name, like MyDesktop:3389.
    • User Account - Add the user account you use to access the remote PC.
      • For Active Directory (AD) joined computers or local accounts, use one of these formats: user_name, domainuser_name, or user_name@domain.com.
      • For Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined computers, use one of these formats: AzureADuser_name or AzureADuser_name@domain.com.
      • You can also choose whether to require a password.
      • When managing multiple user accounts with the same user name, set a friendly name to differentiate the accounts.
      • Manage your saved user accounts in the preferences of the app.
  3. You can also set these optional settings for the connection:

    • Set a friendly name
    • Add a Gateway
    • Set the sound output
    • Swap mouse buttons
    • Enable Admin Mode
    • Redirect local folders into a remote session
    • Forward local printers
    • Forward Smart Cards
  4. Click Save.

To start the connection, just double-click it. The same is true for remote resources.

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.

  1. In the Connection Center, right-click the remote desktop.
  2. Click Export.
  3. Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop .RDP file.
  4. Click OK.

Use the following steps to import a remote desktop .RDP file.

  1. In the menu bar, click File > Import.
  2. Browse to the .RDP file.
  3. Click 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:

  1. In the Connection Center click +, and then click Add Remote Resources.
  2. 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.
  3. Click Save.

The remote resources will be displayed in the Connection Center.

Connect to an RD Gateway to access internal assets

Mac Using Microsoft Remote Desktop Cannot Find Computer Download

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:

  1. In the Connection Center, click Preferences > Gateways.
  2. Click 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:

  1. In the Connection Center, click Settings > Accounts.
  2. Click Add User Account.
  3. 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.
  4. Tap Save, and then tap Settings.

Customize your display resolution

You can specify the display resolution for the remote desktop session.

  1. In the Connection Center, click Preferences.
  2. Click Resolution.
  3. Click +.
  4. Enter a resolution height and width, and then click OK.

To delete the resolution, select it, and then click -.

Displays have separate spacesIf you are running Mac OS X 10.9 and 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 (e.g.: Copy = Ctrl + C).
  • The function keys can be activated in the session by pressing additionally the FN key (e.g.: 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 are not 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.

If you have Windows PCs and Macs on your home network, there might be times when you need to access the Windows machine from your Mac. Here take a look at a free utility from Microsoft that allows you to RDP from a Mac to a Windows PC on your network.

Update: the method outlined in this tutorial still works (late 2015). However, we have created an updated version of this tutorial – How to Control a Windows 10 PC From Your Mac, and though the screenshots (pictures) used in the tutorial are specific to Windows 10 – the steps are exactly the same for earlier versions of Windows. The updated method also allows you to control your Windows PC from iPhones, iPads and Android devices, and makes connecting to/from each device across the internet, much easier. Again, the method outlined below still works, and is is a great way to control your PC from your Mac across your local network.

For this tutorial we’re using OS X Snow Leopard and accessing a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit PC. Also, Home versions of Windows don’t allow you to remote into them without 3rd-party software, but do allow you to remote out to other machines that have RDP capability.

1. First you need to make sure you have incoming remote desktop connections enabled on the Windows PC. Click Start then right-click on Computer and select Properties.

2. Then click on the Advanced system settings hyperlink.

3. In System Properties click the Remote tab, under Remote Desktop click Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop, then click OK.

4. Now on your Mac computer download and install Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac.

5. Installation is easy…just accept the defaults following the wizard.

6. Close out of the installer and click Finder from the dock.

7. Then you’ll find the Remote Desktop Connection utility in Applications. If you find that you’re using it a lot, you might want to add it to The Dock for easier access.

8. Launch Remote Desktop Connection for Mac and enter in the computer name or IP Address of the machine you want to connect to. In my tests, entering in the IP Address worked the best.

9. Next you’re prompted to enter in your user name and password of the Windows PC, then click OK. You might also want to check Add user information to your keychain so you don’t have to enter it in every time you want to connect.

10. There you go! Now you have access to your Windows PC from your Mac just like you were sitting in front of it.

11. Here is an example of accessing an XP Pro computer from a Mac on a Home Network.

12. If you have a Windows Home Server on your network, you can remote into it from your Mac too.

Mac Using Microsoft Remote Desktop Cannot Find Computer Password

13. Usually when you remote into another computer, you don’t need to have all of the extra “eye candy” associated with the remote OS. Go into RDC Display settings and uncheck unneeded display features…this should help speed up the remote connection as well.

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Microsoft Remote Desktop For Mac Os

14. Remote Desktop Connection for Mac has most if not all features that Windows users are familiar with when doing an RDP session into another Windows machine.