How to Control a Windows PC from Your Mac Using Windows App

Aseem Kishore
Ā·
4 min read

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Desk setup showing screen mirroring from a large monitor to a laptop, with keyboard, mouse, and blue Ethernet cable.

Accessing a Windows PC from your Mac requires two things: Remote Desktop enabled on the Windows side and Windows App installed on the Mac. The whole setup takes under ten minutes on a local network.

Step 1: Enable Remote Desktop on the Windows PC

  1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
  2. Go to System > Remote Desktop.
  3. Toggle Remote Desktop on.
  4. Click Confirm when prompted.
  5. Note the PC name shown on this screen. Youā€™ll need it on the Mac.
Windows 11 Settings > System > Remote Desktop with the Remote Desktop toggle turned on and the PC name field visible below

The account youā€™ll connect with must have a password set. Accounts without passwords canā€™t accept Remote Desktop connections.

Also open System > Power & sleep and set the PC to never sleep while plugged in, as a sleeping PC drops the connection immediately.

Step 2: Install Windows App on the Mac

The Mac client for Remote Desktop is Windows App, available free on the Mac App Store.

  1. Open the Mac App Store on your Mac.
  2. Search for Windows App.
  3. Click Get, then Install.
  4. Open Windows App once it finishes downloading.
Mac App Store search results showing Windows App by Microsoft with the Get button visible

Step 3: Add the PC and connect

  1. In Windows App, click the + button or choose Add a PC.
  2. Enter the PC name or IP address you noted from the Windows Remote Desktop settings page.
  3. Under User account, enter your Windows username and password.
  4. Click Add to save the connection.
  5. Double-click the connection tile to connect.
Windows App on Mac showing the Add PC dialog with the PC name field filled in and a user account configured

A certificate warning appears on the first connection. Click Continue. Thatā€™s expected for a local PC without a domain certificate.

After a few seconds, your Windows desktop loads full-screen on the Mac.

Windows App connected session displaying a full-screen Windows 11 desktop on a Mac

Step 4: Grant local network access on macOS Sequoia

On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, Windows App needs explicit permission to discover PCs on your local network. Without it, the app may time out silently without a useful error.

  1. Open System Settings on the Mac.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security > Local Network.
  3. Find Windows App in the list and toggle it on.
macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network showing Windows App listed with its toggle switched on

On macOS 14 Ventura or earlier, skip this step because that permission doesnā€™t exist there.

Connecting from outside your home or office

Remote Desktop works reliably on a local network. Reaching the PC from a hotel or a coffee shop is more involved. RDP runs on TCP port 3389, and forwarding that port through a home router to the open internet is a real security risk, so donā€™t do it.

The right approach is a VPN service that puts your Mac on the same logical network as the Windows PC before connecting. Many modern routers have a built-in VPN server; enabling it there keeps everything inside your existing setup without extra software on the Windows machine. If your router doesnā€™t support VPN natively, a WireGuard-based solution is straightforward to configure.

Troubleshooting

Error 0x204 or 0x104 on connect These almost always mean Remote Desktop isnā€™t enabled on the Windows PC, the PC has gone to sleep, or a firewall is blocking port 3389. Check in that order.

Windows App canā€™t find the PC on the network On macOS Sequoia, revisit Privacy & Security > Local Network and confirm Windows App is toggled on (Step 4 above).

The IP address stopped working Home networks reassign IP addresses after router restarts. Use the PC name instead of the IP, which Windows resolves automatically on most home networks, or reserve the PCā€™s address in your routerā€™s DHCP settings so it stays fixed.

Credentials rejected Confirm the username and password match the Windows account exactly. On a domain-joined PC, enter credentials as DOMAIN\username.

It worked before but broke after a macOS update macOS updates occasionally reset privacy permissions. Check Privacy & Security > Local Network and re-enable Windows App if the toggle is off.

Alternatives worth knowing

Windows App is the right pick for Microsoftā€™s RDP protocol. A few alternatives are worth considering depending on your situation:

  • Chrome Remote Desktop is browser-based, installs in a few minutes, and needs no network configuration. Good for occasional access from anywhere.
  • TeamViewer is widely used for remote support and unattended access across platforms.
  • AnyDesk is lightweight and quick to install on both sides.
  • Jump Desktop offers a polished experience popular with Mac users, supports RDP and its own protocol, and is paid.

If you just need easy occasional access without touching a VPN service or router settings, Chrome Remote Desktop gets you there faster.

Conclusion

Enabling Remote Desktop in Settings and connecting through Windows App is a solid choice for anyone regularly switching between a Mac and a Windows PC on the same network. The step that most commonly trips people up is the macOS Sequoia local network permission. It blocks discovery silently, so the connection just times out with no clear message. For access over the internet, pair it with a VPN; skipping that step creates a genuine security exposure.