The University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Mac OSX Operating System

Remote Control Your Mac

You can control your computer remotely by using ssh, a nifty command that allows you to connect to other computers and servers over a network. One great use is to set up your Mac for it, then you can control your computer from anywhere! As long as your computer is open and on, of course.

Setting Up Your Mac

1. Go to System Preferences. This windows should open:

Screen Shot 2013-05-17 at 1.54.00 PM

2. Open up “Sharing”

3. Click on Remote Login and keep sure it is checked.

You will see under “Remote Login: On” a sentence that says something similar to “To log in to this computer remotely, type ssh username@IPaddress”

 

SSH Into Your Mac

1. When you’re not near your home computer, get into terminal on another computer and type the exact command you saw before – ssh username@IPaddress

2. You’ll probably be told that you can’t authenticate, say “yes” when asked if you want to connect anyway. You’ll be prompted for your password – this is the password to your home computer that you use when you log into that user account.

Assuming you enter your password correctly, you are now in your home computer! Anything you do in terminal will be done on your home computer. Congrats, you now have access to your computer from anywhere!