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Accessing Mac OS X Desktop from a Windows Machine

VNC Connect

I mostly run Windows to work with engineering software, but I often have to access my Mac Mini for testing code or cross-platform programming.  I don't like to change between computers, so I sometimes use a remote desktop solution.

In the Mac OS X control panel, turn on Screen Sharing, File Sharing, and Remote Login.

Settings panel in Mac OS X

Then, download and install VNC Viewer.  (Yes, I know: this is not free and open source software, but it works so well on Windows that I like to use it.)  You do not have to run and download VNC server on the Mac machine since there is a remote desktop server already built in to the OS.

Ensure that the Mac machine has a static IP address on the network.  Then in VNC Connect, add a new machine.

Picture of new connection

You can connect easily to the Mac machine by clicking on the icon provided in the main window of the software.

Main window of software