How to set up a remote desktop on my elderly parents' computer

March 8, 2023 9:25 AM

What are the options for remote controlling my mom's computer? (with her consent, of course)

My mom has a mac computer. I've got a Macbook.

I'd like to be able to set up some sort of remote desktop option so I can see her screen and help her with common tasks.

What are my options? The only thing I know about is TeamViewer, and that's from watching those disturbing videos about IT scammers.

Looking for something secure + easy to use. I'll be setting it up on her computer.

posted by fishhouses to Technology (11 answers total)

Lots of videoconferencing software (Zoom, Teams, etc) now includes screen/mouse sharing. This may be the safest, most secure option because you and your mom would first have to call each other and agree to share control of her screen instead of there being some sort of remote desktop server silently waiting for connections 24/7.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 9:31 AM on March 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

There is an easy way - in preferences on her computer, go to Sharing and then check the box for screen sharing.

A little green light should come on and it will say something like:
"Other users can access your computer’s screen at vnc://fixed-1X6-1XX-XX-XX8.gisc.blahblah.net/ or by looking for “Mom's Mac so and so” in the Finder sidebar"

Then, IIRC, in your finder, you press command-k to connect, and paste in that address, and log in with a user account (hers, for example). Once connected, you see the remote desktop open on your desktop.

EDIT: you might also need to check "remote login" and use the address provided when you click that box.

I used this extensively during the pandemic working from home on a slow macbook air while controlling my office mac pro remotely.
posted by niicholas at 9:38 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

I use teamviewer with my parents, it does what it says on the tin, not too much lag. They're tech savvy enough to start it when I need to get in to help, so it's not running 24/7 waiting for a connection or anything nefarious.
posted by defcom1 at 9:45 AM on March 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

Note: the Sharing vnc may not work depending on how permissive the networks are in between you and them
posted by advicepig at 9:48 AM on March 8, 2023

Best answer: If you can chat with your mom using the Messages app, you can initiate screensharing right from there. In the Conversation menu there's an "Ask to share screen" option that will start the process. Once screen sharing is open you can also request control of the remote machine (keyboard/mouse).
posted by sriracha at 9:53 AM on March 8, 2023 [5 favorites]

+1 sriracha. This is what I do with my mom. Neither you nor she should need any extra software (which could complicate things with a naive user).
posted by adamrice at 10:01 AM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have my Mom's computer set up with TeamViewer, configured to run automatically at startup. It works well for this purpose because my mom doesn't have to do anything besides making sure that the computer is turned on.
posted by alex1965 at 10:26 AM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Chrome Remote Desktop is what I use to go back and forth between my own PCs and one Mac. Once you install it on her computer and register it with your own Google account, you can just use remote.google.com on any computer. As long as her computer is awake and internet connected, you should be able to open it with the PIN you select.
posted by soelo at 12:20 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

AnyDesk is a quick and easy (and free) solution as well.
posted by hydra77 at 12:45 PM on March 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sorry, the right website for chrome remote desktop is remotedesktop.google.com and you don't have to be using chrome on your own computer.
posted by soelo at 8:49 PM on March 8, 2023

Best answer: dualmon.com lets you access 2 computers for $20/year. Free trial. I found it better than team viewer and Chrome remote desktop.
posted by Sophont at 12:48 AM on March 9, 2023