Connect from macOS

Introduction

macOS has everything you need built in — no extra software. You’ll use Screen Sharing for the desktop and Terminal for the command line.

How it works

• Desktop: the built-in Screen Sharing app speaks VNC. Connect to your Mac on port 59010 (not the default 5900).
• Terminal: OpenSSH on port 22. You authenticate with a password or an SSH key, and in both cases you must provide your username.

Examples

Desktop with Screen Sharing

1. In Finder, choose Go → Connect to Server (⌘K).
2. Type vnc://YOUR-IP:59010 and click Connect.
3. Enter your username and password.

The Screen Sharing app opens your remote desktop. Tips:

• View → Adaptive Quality keeps things responsive on slower links.
• Drag files between your Mac and the remote desktop, and share the clipboard with Edit → Use Shared Clipboard.

Terminal — with a password

ssh your-username@YOUR-IP

Terminal — with an SSH key

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 your-username@YOUR-IP

Deploy the key first

A key only works if it’s on your profile and selected when the instance is created. Add it at app.myremotemac.com/security (you can set it as default), then pick it during instance creation — see SSH keys.

Save a shortcut in ~/.ssh/config so you can just type ssh mymac:

Host mymac
  HostName YOUR-IP
  User your-username
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

The username is mandatory

Whether you use a password or a key, you must connect as your-username@YOUR-IP. Running ssh YOUR-IP (no username) makes SSH use your local Mac’s username, which doesn’t exist on the instance, so you get refused. The User line in ~/.ssh/config covers this for the ssh mymac shortcut.

Too many wrong attempts? You may be banned

fail2ban bans your IP for 1 hour after 5 failed logins within 10 minutes (SSH and VNC). Fix the username/key first, then retry. See Security.

FAQ

What port do I use for Screen Sharing?

Connect to vnc://YOUR-IP:59010. The desktop runs on port 59010 instead of the default 5900 to reduce brute-force attacks.

Do I need the username for key-based login too?

Yes. The username is required for both password and key authentication: ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 your-username@YOUR-IP. Omitting it gets the connection refused.

The Mac says "Your screen is being observed" — should I worry?

No. That indicator appears because Screen Sharing is active with a connected session (yours). It is not someone else watching. See support.apple.com/en-us/120315.