Ever needed to log in to your home or work PC while you were away? Perhaps to see a document, the results of a stress test, the status of your downloads, or the output of your program? You can use remote desktop features to access your PC’s files and applications when you’re outside or even just in the other room. Here, we have all the details you need to be able to use a remote desktop on Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs.
A remote desktop can be used to access a remote PC host (which can be either a desktop or laptop) from a client - which can be another PC, Android, or iOS device. We detail two popular methods for Windows PCs here - using either Microsoft Remote Desktop orGoogle’sChrome Remote Desktop.
Microsoft Windows 11: What’s new?
The latest version of the world’s most popular desktop operating system brings plenty of new features to the table, lets’s explore.
In all cases, a major caveat of remote desktop access is that the PC you want to access remotely must be powered on and booted up, and not even in a sleep state. You cannot turn it on or bring it out of sleep remotely. This implies a certain forethought on the part of the user, of leaving the machine on so that it can be accessed at a later stage - from a distance.
Another thing to note is that Microsoft’s Remote Desktop works great if you’re on the same network as the PC you’re trying to connect into remotely. If you’re on an outside network, you will either need to set up port forwarding on your router or use a Windows-level VPN connection. For more information, refer to Microsoft’ssupport page. Note that Chrome Remote Desktop works easily on a different network, but is slightly limited compared to Microsoft Remote Desktop.
How to use Microsoft Remote Desktop for Windows 11 or Windows 10 PCs
Unfortunately, with this method, you will need to be running Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro on the machine you want to access remotely. The Home versions of the two operating systems do not support Microsoft’s Remote Desktop functionality. However, you can still use Chrome Remote Desktop on those computers - head to the next section in case you have a Windows 11 Home or Windows 10 Home machine.
You can check which version of Windows you’re running by visiting the About section of your computer - press the Windows key + Pause Break, or by going to Start > Settings and then opening System, and then navigating to the About tab. On Windows, you can also use theMicrosoft Remote Desktop Assistantto quickly set things up for you. The tool even creates QR codes, shares credentials like PC Name and username, and creates a connection link as a file - all of which help the client machine quickly connect to the remote PC.
How to set up your host PC to allow remote connections:
How to access your remote PC on another device
Now, let’s look at the steps you’ll need to access the remote PC on another device. We’ve outlined steps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS devices. As we mentioned, if you intend to access the remote PC from an outside network, you’ll need to add steps of port forwarding or using a VPN.
Here are the links to download Microsoft Remote Desktop client apps for all supported platforms:
How to use Chrome Remote Desktop for Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac or Linux PCs
Chrome Remote Desktop may not be as powerful as Microsoft Remote Desktop when it comes to features like audio, microphone, and camera redirection, but it does let users transfer files and synchronise Clipboards. It works on both Home and Pro versions of Windows, as well as on Mac and Linux. It also takes no added effort to be able to access your remote PC from an outside network. One caveat is that the Chrome browser needs to either be running or, at least, running in the background for the connection to complete.
Just like the other method, you need to first ensure that your remote PC host is configured to accept remote connections:
Now, you can access the remote PC via theChrome Remote Desktop app for AndroidandChrome Remote Desktop app for iOS, or via your browser on Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, and Linux machines.
Here are the steps to connect to your remote PC via Android/ iOS apps:
Here are the steps to connect to your remote PC via browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS:
