Use Remote Desktop on your Windows, Android, or iOS device to connect to a Windows 10 PC from afar.
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is a Macintosh application produced by Apple Inc., first released on March 14, 2002, that replaced a similar product called Apple Network Assistant. Learn why QuickBooks Desktop Pro is the desktop accounting software 94% of users would recommend to a friend. Learn about features, pricing and what's new for 2021. Chrome Remote Desktop. Access my computer. Share my screen. The easy way to remotely connect with your home or work computer, or share your screen with others. Securely access your computer whenever you're away, using your phone, tablet, or another computer. Remote desktop applications have varying features. Some allow attaching to an existing user's session (i.e., a running desktop) and 'remote controlling', either displaying the remote control session or blanking the screen. Taking over a desktop remotely is a form of remote administration.
Set up the PC you want to connect to so it allows remote connections:
Make sure you have Windows 10 Pro. To check, go to Start > Settings > System > About and look for Edition. For info on how to get it, go to Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro.
When you're ready, select Start > Settings > System > Remote Desktop, and turn on Enable Remote Desktop.
Make note of the name of this PC under How to connect to this PC. You'll need this later.
Use Remote Desktop to connect to the PC you set up:
On your local Windows 10 PC: In the search box on the taskbar, type Remote Desktop Connection, and then select Remote Desktop Connection. In Remote Desktop Connection, type the name of the PC you want to connect to (from Step 1), and then select Connect.
On your Windows, Android, or iOS device: Open the Remote Desktop app (available for free from Microsoft Store, Google Play, and the Mac App Store), and add the name of the PC that you want to connect to (from Step 1). Select the remote PC name that you added, and then wait for the connection to complete.
If you use Remote Desktop Services (RDS) to provide shared computers to users in your organization, you can install Microsoft 365 Apps on those computers. But, you have to use the Office Deployment Tool and enable shared computer activation to do the installation.
Mac Pro Remote Desktop
The following are two common RDS scenarios:
Install Microsoft 365 Apps on an RDS server.
Install Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared virtual machine.
What you need to get started
The following is a list of prerequisites that you need to deploy Microsoft 365 Apps or the Project and Visio desktop apps with RDS:
- One of the following plans:
- An Office 365 (or Microsoft 365) plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, purchased through a Volume Licensing Program.
- A Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for business.
- For the Project and Visio desktop apps, a subscription plan that includes those products.
- The Office Deployment Tool, which is available on the Microsoft Download Center.
- A separate user account for each user who logs on to the shared computer.
- An eligible license assigned to each user account.
- A version of Windows listed in the Microsoft 365 plans for business, education, and government system requirements.
- Reliable connectivity between the shared computer and the internet.
- If you're deploying Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared virtual machine, Microsoft supports using Hyper-V only.
Note
- The ability to enable shared computer activation is a Microsoft 365 Business Premium entitlement and not a feature of Microsoft 365 Apps for business in general.
- The reliable internet connectivity is required because the shared computer must be able to contact the Office Licensing Service on the internet to obtain a license for each user who uses the Microsoft 365 Apps on the computer and then activate Microsoft 365 Apps. Internet connectivity is also needed to renew the license, which occurs every few days.
Install Microsoft 365 Apps on an RDS server
In this scenario, you install Microsoft 365 Apps on a computer configured as a Remote Desktop Session Host server. This enables multiple users to connect remotely to this computer. The users can each run Office programs, such as Word or Excel, at the same time. The overall process is the same for the Project and Visio desktop apps.
Here are the basic steps of how to install Microsoft 365 Apps on an RDS server:
Install and configure Windows Server.
Install and configure the Remote Desktop Session Host role service.
For example, follow these steps to install RD Session Host on Windows Server.
For users to be able to connect remotely to the server to use Microsoft 365 Apps, their accounts must be members of the Remote Desktop Users group on the RD Session Host server.
Use the Office Customization Tool to create a configuration file. Make sure to tick the Shared Computer box in the Licensing and activation section. Export the resulting configuration file and save it to the same location as the extracted Office Deployment Tool.
You can also create a configuration file using a text editor. Make sure that it includes the following line:
You use the SharedComputerLicensing setting to enable shared computer activation, which is required to use Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared computer.
Use the Office Deployment Tool and the configuration file to install Microsoft 365 Apps on the RD Session Host server.
At this point, users can connect to the RD Session Host server and use Microsoft 365 Apps. Users can connect to the server by using Remote Desktop Connection, which is available in Windows, or by using other Remote Desktop clients.
Install Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared virtual machine
In this scenario, you install Microsoft 365 Apps as part of a client operating system image, such as one running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Then, you use RDS and Hyper-V to create a group of virtual machines based on that image. These virtual machines can be shared by multiple users. In RDS, this is known as either a virtual desktop pool or a pooled virtual desktop collection, depending on which version of RDS that you're using.
Ipad Pro Remote Desktop
Note
You can also use RDS to assign a virtual machine to a specific user. RDS calls that a personal virtual desktop. In that scenario, you don't use shared computer activation, because the virtual machine isn't shared among multiple users.
Here are the basic steps of how to configure RDS to deploy Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared virtual machine:
Surface Pro Remote Desktop
Create the operating system image:
- Follow the instructions to Deploy Microsoft 365 Apps as part of an operating system image. In Step 2 of the instructions, make sure that your configuration.xml file also includes the following line to enable shared computer activation:
- You also need to make some RDS-specific changes on the virtual machine, such as enabling Remote Desktop.
Install and configure Windows Server.
Install and configure RDS.
For example, follow these steps to deploy a virtual desktop collection on Windows Server.
After you've completed all the RDS configuration steps, users can connect to any of the virtual machines and run Microsoft 365 Apps.
Free Remote Desktop Software
Related articles