Cac Reader For Mac Yosemite

Bioteam using piv smart cards with mac os x 10 yosemite militarycac s common problems and solutions for cac installation militarycac s mac os x installation steps page untitled doent. Whats people lookup in this blog. Military Cac Card Reader Software For Mac; Share. HYPERSECU Smart Card Reader DOD Military USB 2.0 Common Access CAC. Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, Solaris, and Android Compatible. Works with PIV. Use my CAC with my Mac Computer (10.10 Yosemite)? Use my CAC with my Mac Computer (10.9.x - Mavericks)? Use my CAC with my Mac Computer (10.8.x - Mountain Lion)? Use my CAC with my Mac Computer (10.7.5 - Lion)? What if I'm not in the Army and want to use my CAC reader at home? Air Force CAC Support Page. Coast Guard CAC Support Page.

Cac reader for mac It took me a while to figure it out. I was trying to use a cac reader that had been previously used with a pc. I bought a new cac reader and hooked it up, the computer recognized it, but safari wouldn't. CNET's Forum on Mac OS is the best source for finding help or getting troubleshooting advice from a community of experts. Discussions cover Mac OS such as Tiger, Panther, Leopard or Snow Leopard.

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ACRONYM / REFERENCE PAGE

There are a lot of acronyms mentioned in this website, and you might not know what they stand for. I've attempted to consolidate all of them on this page for you.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

AAFESArmy and Air Force Exchange Service (manages the Army PX and Air Force BX)
ACERTArmy Computer Emergency Response Team
ACRONYMArmy Confusion Regarding Official Names You Makeup (this is a joke) :)
AESD-WArmy Enterprise Service Desk - Worldwide (former AKO Help desk)
AGMArmy Gold Master
AGRActive Guard Reserve (Full time Soldiers who support Reserve units)
AKAAlso Known As
AKOArmy Knowledge Online
APDArmy Publishing Directorate
ApproveItSoftware program used by the Army to digitally sign forms (replaced by eSign)
ARArmy Regulation
ARMManufacturer of RISC based processor (used in Windows RT devices)
BootcampA program that lets a Mac user install Windows on a separate partition on their hard drive.
BXBase Exchange (Air Force version of Wal-Mart)
CACCommon Access Card
CACKeyProgram to use CACs with Apple Computers
CAPTCHACompletely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
CCIDChip/Smart Card Interface Device
Centrify ExpressProgram by Centrify to use CACs with Apple Computers
CENTRIXSCombined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System
CHESSComputer Hardware Enterprise Software & Solutions
CIOChief Information Office / Officer
CMDShortcut for Command, typed in Run line to access a DOS looking screen
CompTIAComputing Technology Industry Association
CONUSContinental United States
COSCOMCorps Support Command
CSSI-PIVCharismathics Smart Security Interface - Personal Identity Verification
Program written by Charismathics Software to use CACs with various Operating Systems
.CSVComma Separated Value
CupcakeAndroid 1.5 Operating System (used on Android devices)
CVSContractor Verification System (replaced by TASS)
CW3Chief Warrant Officer Three (Army rank)
DAADesignated Approving Authority
DCODefense Connect Online (Replaced by DCS on 1 June 2015)
DCSDefense Collaboration System (replacement for DCO)
DECCDefense Enterprise Computing Center (server farms where DEE mail is housed
DEERSDefense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System
DISADefense Information Systems Agency
DLADefense Logistics Agency
.DLLDynamic Link Library (files to make other files run
DMDCDefense Manpower Data Center (database used by DoD)
DMGDisk Image file used in Mac OS X (Mac equivalent of .exe used in Windows)
DMZDeMilitarized Zone (a location between firewalls where most web servers are virtually located)
.DOCMicrosoft Word Document extension (used in Word 2003 and older)
.DOCXMicrosoft Word Document extension (used in Word 2007 and newer)
DoDDepartment of Defense
DoD IDDepartment of Defense IDentification number (replaced EDI-PI)
DonutAndroid 1.6 Operating System (used on Android devices)
DOSDisk Operating System (used many years ago prior to Windows)
DTICDefense Technical Information Center
DTSDefense Travel System
Dual Persona http://militarycac.com/EEmail.htm#What_exactly_is_Dual_Persona

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

EAS Exchange Active Sync
EclairAndroid 2.0 - 2.1 Operating System (used on Android devices)
EDI-PIElectronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (replaced by DoD ID number)
EEmailDoD Enterprise Email
EFSEncrypted File System
El CapitanApple Mac OS X Operating system version 10.11.x
eSignArmy Forms program (replaced ApproveIt) (replaced by PDF-Fs)
.EXEExecutable File used in Windows
FASCNFederal Agency Smart Credential Number (16 Digit DoD ID number - used for personnel who are dual persona).
FATFile Allocation Table
FIPS Federal Information Processing
FirmwareSoftware program or set of instructions programmed on a hardware device
Froyo (Frozen Yogurt)Android 2.2 - 2.2.3 Operating System (used on Android devices)
G & DGiesecke & Devrient (Manufacturer of Common Access Cards)
G6Army section that supports Information Technology (i.e. computers)
GALGlobal Address List
GemaltoManufacturer of Common Access Cards and older CAC Readers
GDSGlobal Directory Services
GFEGovernment Furnished Equipment (term used for computers owned by the Government)
GIGGlobal Information Grid (military term for the internet)
GingerbreadAndroid 2.3 - 2.3.7 Operating System (used on Android devices)
Google VoiceA voicemail system through Google that gives a lot of cool features
HoneycombAndroid 3.0 - 3.2 Operating System (used on Android tablets only)
HRCHuman Resource Command
HQDAHeadQuarters Department of the Army
HUPHome Use Program (replaced by MSELA)

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

IASOInformation Assurance Security Officer
Ice Cream SandwichAndroid 4.0 - 4.0.4 Operating System (used on Android devices)
IEInternet Explorer
IMAPInternet Messaging Access Protocol (used for retrieving email)
IMOInformation Management Office / Officer
IMRInformation Management Representative
iOSiPhone Operating System (Apples Operating System for mobile devices)
ITInformation Technology
ITAPDBIntegrated Total Army Personnel Data Base
ITRSIndividual Training and Readiness System
Jelly BeanAndroid 4.1 - 4.3 Operating System (used on Android devices)
JPASJoint Personnel Adjudication System
KeychainApples password management system in Mac OS
Kit KatAndroid 4.4 Operating System (used on Android devices)
LeopardApple Mac Operating System version 10.5.x
Lotus FormsProgram used by the Army & Air Force to fill out forms
LPSLightweight Portable Security (replaced by TENS)
LTCLieutenant Colonel (Army rank)
LionApple Mac Operating System version 10.7.x
LollipopAndroid 5.0 Operating System (used on Android devices)

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

MacShort for Apple Macintosh
macOSApple Macintosh starting with 10.12
MarshmallowAndroid 6.0 Operating System (used on Android devices)
MavericksApple Mac Operating system version 10.9.x
MCXMarine Corps Exchange (Marine Corps version of Wal-Mart)
MiddlewareA program that helps your CAC reader communicate with your
computer's Operating System
Mountain LionApple Mac Operating system version 10.8.x
MSMicrosoft Corporation
.MSCMicrosoft Management Console Snap-in
MSELAMicrosoft Enterprise License Agreement (Formerly MSHUP & HUP)
.MSIMicrosoft Installer File
MSHUPMicrosoft Home Use Program (replaced by Microsoft Enterprise License Agreement)
.MSPMicrosoft installer Patch
MUSCLE Movement for the Use of Smart Cards in a Linux Environment
NETCOMNetwork Enterprise Technology Command
NEXNavy Exchange (Navy version of Wal-Mart)
NIPRNetNon-Secure Internet Protocol Routed Network
NKONavy Knowledge Online
NMCINavy Marine Corps Intranet
NTFSNew Technology File System (replaced FAT)
OABOutlook Address Book
OberthurManufacturer of Common Access Cards and some older CAC readers
OpenSCProgram written as part of OpenSC - Project to use CACs with Apple & Windows Computers
OSOperating System
OS XOperating System version 10 (Apple Mac)
OWAOutlook Web Access (Exchange 2003 & 2007)
OWAOutlook Web App (Exchange 2010 & higher)
ParallelsA Virtual Machine program for Mac computers that will allow you to run Windows on a Mac
PCPersonal Computer (usually referencing Windows computers)
PCCPersonnel Category Code
PCSC Personal Computer Smart Card
PDEEProduct Director, Enterprise Email
PDFPortable Document Format (Commonly called Adobe Reader)
PDF-FPortable Document Format - Fillable (Replaced Lotus and eSign)
PINPersonal Identification Number
PIVPersonal Identity Verification (certificate needed for dual persona users to read their DoD Enterprise Email)
PKardProgram written by Thursby Software to use CACs with Mac Computers
PKard for iOSProgram written by Thursby Software to use CACs with iPhones & iPads
PKEPublic Key Enablement
PKIPublic Key Infrastructure
POPPost Office Protocol (used for retrieving email)
PPCPower PC chip (used in older Mac computers-10.5.x and below)
PXPost Exchange (Army version of Wal-Mart)

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

QRQuick Response Code
RAPIDSReal-time Automated Personnel IDentification System
.REGRegistry file (used in Microsoft Windows)
RegistryHierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on MS Windows OS
RISCReduced Instructions Set Computing
RRCRegional Readiness Command
SA/NMCSystem Administrator / Network Manager Security Course
SIPRSecure Internet Protocol - Routed
S/MIMESecure / Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (how your webmail is encrypted)
Sierra macOS 10.12
SmartCard Service Program written to use CACs on Mac computers
SMTPSimple Mail Transfer Protocol (used to send email)
Snow LeopardApple Mac Operating system version 10.6.x
SPAWARNavy's SPAce and Naval WARfare Systems Command
SSDSolid State Drive (no moving parts hard drive, much quicker than regular hard drives)
SSLSecure Sockets Layer
STIGSecurity Technical Implementation Guide
TAPDB-RTotal Army Personnel Database - Reserve
TASSTrusted Associate Sponsorship System (replaced CVS)
TENSTrusted End Node Security (Replaced LPS)
TigerApple Mac Operating system version 10.4.x
TNOSCTheater Network Operations and Security Center
TokenDFile type to aid in using CAC with Mac OS X
URLUniversal Resource Locator (web address)
USBUniversal Serial Bus
USMCUnited States Marine Corps

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

VistaWindows Operating System (between XP and 7)
Virtual BoxA Virtual Machine program for Mac computers that will allow you to run Windows on your Mac
Virtual MachineA program that lets you install another computer OS on your computer
VMware FusionA Virtual Machine program for Mac & Windows computers that will allow you to run a virtual version of Windows on a PC or a Mac
VPNVirtual Private Network
WAWF Wide Area Work Flow
WHSWhite House Staff
WikiA website developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content
Windows 3.xMicrosoft's Operating System (between Windows 2 & Windows 95)
Windows 7Microsoft's Operating System (between Vista and Windows 8)
Windows 8Microsoft's Operating System (between Windows 7 and Windows 10)
Windows 10Microsoft's Operating System (after Windows 8)
Windows 95Microsoft's Operating System (between Windows 3.11 and Windows 98)
Windows 98Microsoft's Operating System (between Windows 95 and Windows Millennium)
WOACWarrant Officer Advanced Course
WOBCWarrant Officer Basic Course
.XFDLExtensible Forms Description Language (used with Lotus Forms)
XPMicrosoft Windows Operating System (between Windows 98 and Vista)
YosemiteApple Mac Operating system version 10.10.x

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y

If a particular ACRONYM [used in the website] is not listed on this page, please feel free to contact me to have it added.
If you have questions or suggestions for this site, contact Michael J. Danberry

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Last Update or Review: Thursday, 12 April 2018 09:41 hrs

The following domain names all resolve to the same website: ChiefsCACSite.com, CommonAccessCard.us, CommonAccessCard.info, & ChiefGeek.us

If you need to control, fix or simply access another computer from a Mac, we’ve taken a look at the very best remote desktop software for Mac in 2019.

Taking control or accessing another PC or Mac computer remotely is known as Virtual Network Computing (VNC).

It can be useful in a variety of situations such as screen sharing, working from home, fixing a computer remotely, gaming or administering a network of computers.

It used to be possible to connect to another Mac easily via the free Back To My Mac feature on Macs but unfortunately Apple decided to kill it off when it released Mojave.

The good news however is that there are still plenty of excellent remote desktop tools for Macs that allow you to connect to other computers easily.

Most of the remote desktop software featured here are also suitable for connecting from Mac to Mac as well as Mac to PC or from Mac to mobile devices and most are also compatible with other versions of macOS including Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave.

Remote Desktop applications are also a good alternative to using a VPN on your Mac if you just want to establish a secure connection with another computer.

Note that if you just want to use a Windows application remotely, you’re far better off running Windows on your Mac via a tool like Parallels than using a remote desktop app.

If you’re in a hurry, you can see our top 3 picks compared side by side below but there are many more reviewed here.

Best Remote Access Apps For Mac Compared

TeamViewerLogMeInDevolutions
Easy To Use✔️✔️✔️
Mac Desktop App✔️✔️✔️
Mobile Apps✔️✔️✔️
Unlimited UsersMulti-User & Team Plans Only✔️Enterprise Plan Only
No. of Device ConnectionsMax 500Max 10None
Drag & Drop File Transfer✔️✔️✔️
Limited Free Version✔️✔️
PriceFree/30% Off$30/m$199.99/y

Free Trial

Free Trial

Free Trial

Here then are our picks of the best remote desktop tools for Mac in order of ranking.

1. TeamViewer (Best Overall – 30% Off)

Pricing: Free/Paid Plans

TeamViewer is easily one of the easiest to use remote desktop tool for Mac users making it simple enough for anyone to connect to another PC or Mac but it also has powerful professional features for enterprise users.

For a limited period, TeamViewer is also 30% off the normal price.

All you need to do is install the TeamViewer client on both machines, enter the ID of the computer you want to connect to and that’s it.

There’s very little configuration of ports or firewalls as everything is handled automatically by the setup wizard.

Teamviewer is particularly popular with gamers who want to game alongside friends and with technicians that need to perform maintenance on a remote computer.

The free version of TeamViewer is one of the most popular desktop sharing tools out there for both Mac and PC providing many features that other clients charge for.

Navy Cac Reader For Mac

Once installed, you simply ask the person you want to connect to for their Partner ID to establish a connection. Alternatively, you can give someone your partner ID and password to allow them to connect to you.

TeamViewer can easily be used as an RDP client for Mac and is ideal for those that want to give remote technical help to friends or family or those that want to have more fun when gaming with friends.

It can also be used as a tool to host online meetings instead of using Google Hangouts or Skype. Once connected you can share Presentations, Video Calls and make audio calls to other users.

Teamviewer works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS and has some useful features such as wake-on-LAN to activate a Mac or computer in sleep mode and even put it back to sleep when you’ve done.

You can transfer files, connect to mobile devices and copy and paste from one computer to another.

TeamViewer is completely free to use for personal use although if you intend to use it for commercial gain – such as a remote PC or Mac repair business or in a business environment, there are modest pricing plans.

Basic paid plans allow you to use one user profile on up to 3 devices, 1 session channel and a basic management console with the possibility to manage up to 200 unattended devices.

There are Premium and Enterprise plans for businesses with advanced needs too.

You can also get 75% off the Endpoint Protection plan which allows you to deploy anti-virus and anti-malware protection remotely on 5 computers.

You can try TeamViewer for free to see for yourself.

2. LogMeIn (Best For Pros)

Pricing: $30+/m

LogMeIn for Mac is a powerful remote desktop solution which caters for remote desktop needs of all kinds.

LogMeIn Pro however offers specific tools for individuals, small businesses, IT professionals and help desk technicians and is the best on the market when it comes to enterprise remote desktop support.

LogMeIn is one of the first ever remote desktop tools on the market and years of experience and refining have made it the best remote desktop app we’ve tried on macOS and Windows.

One of the things we like most is that LogMeIn is extremely easy to use, connects to devices in seconds and has lots of useful extra touches like the ability to print from any device you’re connected to, support for multiple monitors and more.

All LogMeIn plans include an unlimited number of users, 1TB of file storage to share and exchange files and a free license for password manager LastPass so you don’t have to keep entering passwords across your devices.

LogMeIn does not compromise a firewall but is still able to share screens behind one while still using SSL/TLS or even RSA SecureID and 2-factor authentication.

There is an also an excellent LogMeIn iOS app which make it very easy to log into your Mac or Windows PC from your iPad or iPhone.

LogMeIn pricing starts at $30 per month for individuals which allows access for up to 2 computers, unlimited users, remote printing, 1TB file storage and more.

There are also plans for Power Users and Small Businesses which allow access to up to 5 and 10 computers respectively.

You can try a free trial of LogMeIn which last for 14 days.

Note that LogMeIn should not be confused with a related product LogMeIn Hamachi which is designed for setting-up VPN networks.

3. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager

Price: (Free/Enterprise Pricing Plans)

After years focusing on Windows, Developer Devolutions now has a Remote Desktop Manager which is a powerful remote desktop software for Mac that’s free for individual use but also has powerful features for Enterprise environments.

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager isn’t just a port of the Windows version – it’s been built specifically for Mac and the result is very good.

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager is a little bit like Royal TSX (see review later) and is definitely suitable for system admins and small businesses and has all you need to manage a network of computers.

One of the handy things about it is that it’s integrated with other popular RDP clients such as Teamviewer, Microsoft Remote Desktop (see reviews for both later on) and even Telnet.

The interface is also well designed allowing you to organize sessions by groups or folders and if you already use the Windows version, you can connect to the same databases with the Mac version so you can access all previous sessions.

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager isn’t quite as RDP novice friendly as applications such as Splashtop and Teamviewer but for those with just a little Remote Desktop experience, it offers a lot of Remote Desktop power for free.

You can use Devolutions Remote Desktop for free but there are limitations compared to the Enterprise version.

see a comparison of the Free edition with the Enterprise version here.

You can also sign-up for a free 30 day trial.

4. Screens

Pricing: $29.99 Mac App Store

Screens for Mac remote desktop is an extremely user-friendly, slick and straight forward screen sharing tool for Macs and iOS devices. Screens allows you to connect to other Macs, PCs, Linux machines and even Blackberry Pis.

Screens makes things easy thanks to ScreensConnect – a free open source remote desktop client for Mac setup service which means you don’t have to configure routers, firewalls or anything else.

Cac

Note however if you’re behind a corporate network or firewall, ScreensConnect won’t work.

There’s also Screens Express which provides an easy way to share your screen and vice versa with friends and family via a temporary link.

What we like about Screens is that it automatically scans for iOS devices or Macs on the same WiFi or LAN network as you and all you have to do is click on it to connect and enter a passcode to start screen sharing.

Once you’re connected, useful tools include a screenshot tool, copy and paste from Mac to Mac tool and manage multiple displays at one time. This means you can even view the screens on Macs with several monitors attached.

Connecting to iOS is particularly well done as Screens makes your trackpad or mouse cursor fit perfectly well with touchscreens.

Note that there’s no web access to Screens – i.e. you can’t connect to a device via your browser like some VNC clients.

Because it’s based on the open source VNC protocol, unless you use ScreensConnect it’s also a bit tricky to setup as you need static IP from your internet service provider (most people have a dynamic IP address).

For quickly connecting to friends and family screens, Screen Express is also extremely easy to use.

Screens looks great on macOS, is easy to use and is very reasonably priced at $36.99 for a reliable and thoughtfully designed remote desktop client.

You can also get 20% off if you buy direct from the developer with coupon code RIPBTMM.

If you purchase the app this way, you’ll also get faster updates when they are rolled out.

5. Jump Desktop

Pricing: $29.99 Mac App Store

Jump Desktop is easily one of the slickest and easiest to use remote desktop solutions for Mac users.

Remote networking can be a complicated affair but it’s clear the developer has gone to a lot of effort to make remote desktop connections easy enough for anyone to use without sacrificing features and stability.

In fact, Jump Desktop is unique in using your Gmail account to automatically setup and configure a remote connection without any further effort on your part.

Jump Desktop for Mac is multi platform supporting iPad, iPhone, iPod and even Android and can be used for connecting from Mac to Mac too.

Jump Desktop is extremely easy to use and doesn’t require networking knowledge making it ideal for beginners to Remote Desktop software. All you need is a Gmail account to get started:

Alternatively, Manual setup is also available for those that know what they’re doing when it comes to Remote Desktop connections:

One of the smartest things about Jump Desktop is that it can map Mac keyboard shortcuts to make them work on Windows.

You can also copy and paste between macOS and Windows and vice versa which is really helpful if you work on both Mac and Windows constantly.

You can also connect to another computer via WiFi which we found was the fastest way to connect. Connections via WiFi are almost instant and there is virtually no lag.

You can also connect to another computer using iPhone too but this we found a lot slower although if you turn the settings down and run in grayscale, it’s also remarkably fast to say you’re connecting via a mobile device.

It’s easy to see how many computers or devices you are connected to as you get live previews of all ongoing connections and we also found it seems considerably lighter on your Mac battery power than many RDP for Mac software.

Security is naturally a concern when sharing your screen and files with another computer but almost all remote desktop clients nowadays use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) as a minimum standard and some go beyond this.

Jump Desktop is very secure and supports SSH connections and NLA for MSFT hosts.

Even in full screen mode we found Jump Desktop fast and stable, allowing you to share files and manage remote machines with ease.

The live previews make it excellent at managing several connections at once and we also like the fact that it’s regularly updated to handle the latest Windows releases (it was in fact one of the first Remote Desktop clients for Mac that officially supported connections to Windows 8).

Overall, Jump Desktop is incredibly slick, user-friendly, reliable and feels like everything Microsoft Remote Desktop should have been.

If you want to see what it can do for yourself, you can try a free trial of Jump Desktop (note that this only works on OS X 10.8+ although there’s also an older version of Jump Desktop 4.0 available for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and OS X 10.7 Lion).

The full version of Jump Desktop is $29.99 from the Mac App Store which is a modest one-off price to pay without any other monthly fees for a first class VNC client with fast and efficient support from the developer.

6. GoToMyPC

Pricing: $44/m

GoToMyPC is owned by LogMeIn (see review earlier), one of the biggest players in the remote desktop market.

GoToMyPC is suitable for home users, small businesses and corporation as it sets up everything automatically even if you’re behind a corporate firewall or on Mac or PC.

As a result, GoToMyPC is a particularly popular choice among companies and corporations that allow employees to work from home.

One nice feature of GoToMyPC is that you can invite another user into a session temporarily which is useful if you need tech support to help fix a problem with your Mac or PC.

GoToMyPC is a bit pricey compared to other options featured here but Citrix has over 10 years experience in remote desktop networking and both reliability and customer service is widely regarded as excellent.

GoToMyPC also has an iOS app which allows you to easily connect to your Mac or PC from your iPhone or iPad.

The cursor controls are well implemented in the iOS app and it’s one of the better remote access mobile apps out there for handling the difference between touch screen and desktop interfaces.

If you connect to a PC, you can even hear the sound from your PC on your iOS device although unfortunately this doesn’t work for connecting to Mac.

Other useful tools include the ability to cut and paste from Mac to Mac or Mac to PC, file transfers and multi-display support.

GoToMyPC uses 128 bit AES encryption which is pretty standard for most remote desktop software but it also puts two more layers of protection with dual passwords and end-to-end authentication.

This makes it very secure and is largely due to GoToMyPC’s popularity in the enterprise market.

GoToMyPC costs $44 per month for individuals but If you’re a small business and need to up to 50 computers, you need to sign-up to the Pro Plan which costs $83 per 2 computers per month. You can currently get 20% off all plans for a limited period.

For large enterprises and companies, you can connect to 1000+ users although pricing for this is on demand.

There’s also a 7 day free trial of GoToMyPC so you can judge for yourself.

7. Remotix VNC & RDP

Pricing: $39.99 Mac App Store

Remotix is an extremely fast, slick and user-friendly remote desktop connection client for Mac.

In fact, If you just need to share the screen of your iPad or iPhone with your Mac, then there are few better RDP clients around.

There’s very little lag in connections made with Remotix to Windows either as it quickly optimizes itself for the speed of your internet connection.

For those new to remote desktop connections, it guides you clearly through the setup process. You can store connection profiles via iCloud backup and even access printers from your remote Mac using Remotix.

You can clearly see how many connections you’ve got open via the Multiple Computer Observer screen:Remotix is also one of the most secure RDP clients for Mac available with built-in SSH tunneling for both RDP and VNC.

You can also set a master password to protect all of your connections rather than have to enter individual passwords for each one.

If you’ve been having problems with Back to My Mac, or just want to connect to Macs, Remotix is definitely worth checking-out.

Remotix costs $39.99 from the Mac App Store for personal use but there’s also a Professional License for $79.99 for small businesses and for large enterprises, a Site License for $799 and a Multisite License for $2399.

You can download a 14 day free trial of Remotix.

8. Royal TSX

Pricing: Free or $39/m

Royal TSX for Mac is focused firmly on system administrators or professionals with remote desktop needs that need a high level of security.

Royal TSX is very well designed and makes it straightforward to manage connections in the left-hand sidebar with convenient tabs to control sessions.

Royal TSX is very versatile supporting RDP, VNC, SSH based terminals or web-based interfaces.

Security is a big selling part of Royal TSX for Mac as it uses using the highly secure 256 AES encryption standard.

Other enhanced secure features include built-in credential management, safe team-sharing features and the ability to share a list of connections without sharing your personal credentials.

Royal TSX is also one of the few RDP servers for Mac which supports PIV or CAC Smart Card Redirection.

It’s also available for Windows, Android and there’s a free Royal TSX for iOS app so you can open Royal TSX documents on Windows and Mac.

One unusual thing about Royal TSX for a Mac remote desktop software is that, like a browser, it can be enhanced with plugins.

For example, there’s a TeamViewer plugin for Royal TSX which allows you remote control computers using TeamViewer.

The FreeRDP Remote Desktop Plugin meanwhile allows you to connect to Windows Computers or to Hyper-V instance consoles using the Remote Desktop Protocol.

Although Royal TSX for Mac is a highly sophisticated and technical RDP software for Mac, the basic version is actually free for use without any time limit although it is restricted to no more than 10 connections and credentials and you can only open one TSX document per application.

There are various pricing plans for those that need more than this with the Startup Bundle very good value at $82 including Royal TS for Windows, Royal TSX for Mac and Royal Server which is the Royal TSX powerful server software.

Alternatively, an individual user license for Mac costs $29 which gives you 5 licenses and for small businesses and large enterprises, there are site wide licenses ranging from $536 to $1731.

You can try a free trial of Royal TSX for Mac to judge before you buy too.

Royal TSX for Mac is definitely the Rolls Royce of remote desktop software and it’s incredibly powerful and versatile.

If you’re a system administrator or IT professional, you can’t really get much better than Royal TSX.

9. NoMachine

Pricing: Free/Cloud & Enterprise Versions

NoMachine is a slick Remote Desktop Client which tends to go under the radar when Mac users are looking for remote desktop software but is definitely worth a look.

NoMachine looks great on macOS, is very easy to set up and use and there’s a free version for limited connections.

The good thing about NoMachine is all you need to connect to another machine over the internet is its IP address and port number.

It’s incredibly easy to use and setup with no manual configuration required.

A setup wizard clearly takes you step-by-step through the connection process. Connections are stable and fast and there’s a NoMachine forum where you’ll get help with any problems you might have with the client.

There’s also an extensive knowledge base for those with more technical needs but generally, you shouldn’t have many problems if you just need NoMachine for basic remote connections.

NoMachine for Mac is free for personal use but there are paid Enterprise and Cloud editions available.

There’s also a free NoMachine iOS app which is well designed, easy to use and allows you to connect to macOS, Windows and Linux.

The Enterprise and Cloud versions of NoMachine are seriously powerful and easily on a level with Royal TSX and Apple Remote Desktop.

Enterprise and Cloud versions of NoMachine use a subscription model and start at $794.50 for up to 10 subscriptions and unlimited connections.

The NoMachine Cloud Server Premium Subscription costs $6994.50 and is suitable for large companies managing computer networks worldwide.

10. Parallels Remote Application Server

Pricing: $99/year

Parallels Remote Application Server (formerly known as “2X RDP Client”) is a remote desktop server that can be used with the free Parallels Client from the Mac App Store.

Parallels most popular product is Parallels Desktop (full review here) which in our experience, is by far the best tool to run Windows on your Mac.

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Parallels Remote Application Server is a sister product of Parallels Desktop designed for those that want to connect to Macs, PC and mobile devices remotely.

Parallels Remote Application Server and Parallels Client are designed for the needs of businesses and works very well with all versions of Windows.

Parallels Client was originally a hugely popular independent app called 2x for Mac which was a popular remote desktop client used by major corporate customers such as Airbus, McKesson and WD-40.

As a result, it attracted the attention of Parallels which bought it in 2015.

Parallels then changed the name to Parallels Client and sold it alongside Parallels Remote Application Server.

The old 2x client used to look like this:

And Parallels has updated the interface a little to make it look like this:

Parallels Client can also be used with other RDP servers but the default and securest is the Parallels Remote Application Server.

Parallels Client for Mac has a modern interface and is generally very fast and stable with secure SSL connections.

One of the nice features of Parallels Client is that you can even play sound from other devices and machines you are connected to on your Mac and print remotely.

You can switch between macOS and Windows simply by hitting CMD+Tab, cut and paste using Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V and there’s very little lag on connections.

However, you can’t change default connections and you can’t duplicate a connection which is annoying if you work with multiple connections.

There’s no way to import connections from Microsoft’s RDP client either but it does now support Retina Macs.

However, for those that are looking for a fast and reliable away to connect to Windows machines in corporate environments, it’s a very robust client.

Parallels Remote Application server costs $99 per year for a one year subscription which is very reasonable for an Enterprise remote desktop solution. The Parallels Client that goes with it is free from the Mac App Store.

You can also try Parallels Remote Application Server for free.

11. Chrome Remote Desktop

Price: Free

Chrome Remote Desktop is a Google plugin which works directly within the Google Chrome web browser. If you’re a Chrome user, it’s a very simple and free way to connect your Mac to another user.

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Simply install the Chrome Remote Desktop plugin and you can connect to any other user with Chrome installed on any type of computer or mobile device (including iOS).

Once installed, Chrome Remote Desktop works pretty much in the same way as TeamViewer. Just enter the ID of the computer you want to connect to, and it will connect instantly.

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Since it’s only a browser plugin, it can be prone to a certain amount of instability and bugs and there’s no way to share sound between computers with it but as a cheap and cheerful VNC solution that requires no client to install, it’s very effective.

Note that Google does not record any of your activity using Chrome Remote Desktop – it uses SSL and connections are directly from host to remote session with no Google interference in the middle.

12. Splashtop

Price: Free/In-App Purchases

Splashtop is another user-friendly way to connect to another computer or device.

There’s a free version for personal use and also Enterprise and Business plans. Splashtop is particularly good for gaming needs as it streams 3D graphics, sounds and video across local devices extremely well.

For example, if you need to play a 3D game from your iPhone or iPad (Splashtop for iPad is also available for $4.99 from the Mac App Store), Splashtop enables you to play it on your Mac with almost no noticeable lag.

The downside is that Splashtop is only really free for local use because for remote access features across the internet, you must purchase in-app upgrades.

If you want to access another computer over the internet for example, you must pay for Access Anywhere which costs either $1.99 a month or $16.99 per year.

It’s also a little tricky to set up compared to LogMeIn or Teamviewer but overall, it’s generally very reliable and effective at remote networking.

You can download Splashtop for Mac here.

13. Apple Remote Desktop

Price: $79.99 Mac App Store

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No review of remote desktop software on Mac would be complete without a mention of Apple Remote Desktop which is Apple’s version of Microsoft RDP for Mac.

With Apple’s decision to drop the free Back To My Mac tool from macOS, Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is now the only remote desktop software that the company offers nowadays.

It’s important to be aware that ARD is mainly aimed at system administrators and there are far easier remote desktop apps to use nowadays.

Apple Remote Desktop is also only for connecting to other Macs and iOS devices and if you’re not experienced with remote networking or VNC clients, we don’t recommend it.

As a professional tool for system administrators to manage Apple devices on a network however, it gives you a lot of power to install software and updates such as Flash and Java, push UNIX commands and update macOS remotely.

Because of the explosion in more user-friendly remote desktop apps, ARD has become an increasingly unpopular remote desktop solution except among IT users.

You may also find that despite it being an Apple product, ARD for Mac is also frustratingly slow at times compared to most of the other remote desktop software featured here.

14. Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac 8.0

Price: Free Mac App Store

No review of remote desktop software on Mac would be complete without looking at Microsoft Remote Desktop Manager for Mac.

Microsoft RDP for Mac is now called Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac (confusingly also known as RDC for Mac or Remote Desktop for Mac).

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac is a Microsoft tool which allows you to connect your Mac to PC Windows machines and other devices.

Microsoft RDP is used by applications such as Microsoft Azure to run Windows only applications and we showed how effective it is in our tutorial on How To Run Visio On Mac.

Microsoft released the latest version of Remote Desktop 8.0 on 17th October 2013. It was the first update to the client in two years and previous to that, there was no official Microsoft RDP client on Lion or above.

The last version, Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2.1.1, (see below) only supported up to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and does not officially work with Lion or above although some users claimed they had limited success using it.

With the release of Remote Desktop 8.0 however, Mac users finally have an official client for OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks and Yosemite.

The release of version 8.0 coincided at the same time that iTap for Mac (see review mentioned earlier) was discontinued and the similarities in the new 8.0 version confirmed that Microsoft bought HLW Software’s iTap client.

The question is, have they improved it or ruined it?

Remote Desktop 8.0 allows Mac users to access virtual desktops on Windows, Windows RT, Windows 8, iOS, OS X and Android.

The Mac version also includes support for printing to Mac configured printers and support for multiple monitors/projectors for presentations.

Version 8.0 is definitely an improvement over version 2.1.1 but yet still falls short of the Windows version.

The connection speed is the most notable improvement on the last version and both full-screen and multi-monitor support were long overdue.

The latest version also supports high quality audio and video streaming and connections feature greater NLA quality encryption.

Microsoft also seems to be putting more effort into updating Remote Desktop on Mac too. More recently for example, it improved the app by allowing you to use Mac keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy and paste.

There are some basic features missing from the Mac version however which many users will find frustrating.

For starters, there’s no way to import connections from the old version of Microsoft RDP for Mac meaning you have to go through the time-consuming process of re-setting up all of your connections again.

There’s also no way to manage or even see how many multiple connections you’ve got going on at one time.

Also, simple features such as Font Smoothing, Wallpaper options and Full-Screen drag are missing.

Unlike the Windows version too, the Mac version does not support more secure methods of login such as via smart cards, PIV and CAC cards etc. If you need PIV and CAC Smart Card redirection support, check out the Royal TSX client reviewed earlier.

The Mac version also seems less helpful than the Windows version. For every new connection you make, you must preconfigure everything and add it to a connection list – you can’t simply just paste in an IP address and connect to another machine like the old version.

It can also be quite unreliable at connecting – sometimes it simply times out, freezes or won’t connect and you feel like you’re never sure if you can trust it to work when you really need it.

You can get Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac 8.0 free from the Mac App Store.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is a wide range of Remote Desktop Connection Managers for Mac although this list is by no means exhaustive.

We’ve covered a combination of paid and free remote desktop apps for Mac software and many vendors such as Devolutions, TeamViewer and NoMachine also offer a free version if you just want to use it for personal use and connect to a few computers.

For ease of use and simplicity for users at both end, we strongly recommend TeamViewer especially since you can get 30% off.

If you need something that has specific tools for help desk support and the needs of small businesses, LogMeIn is the complete solution.

Beyond the apps featured here, there are a few other more expensive high-end corporate Remote Desktop for Mac solutions that we haven’t mentioned such as Ericom Blaze for Mac designed for the needs of very large enterprises.

Ericom is officially partnered with Microsoft, Oracle and IBM and pricing is only available by quotation.

If you have any suggestions for other remote desktop software for Mac that should be included in this article, or have any experiences or questions with the Mac remote apps reviewed here, let us know in the comments below.