How to remote in to your on-campus computer from home

Overview

There are instructions for Mac and Windows to remotely connect to your on-campus computer.

• Jump to instructions for at-home Mac to on-campus Mac
• Jump to instructions to connect your on-campus Mac manually
• Jump to instructions for at-home Mac to on-campus PC

Connect from at-home PC to on-campus PC

1. From your personal PC, connect to the MHC VPN.
2. Open the Remote Desktop Connection app by typing "remote" from the Start menu.
3. Once the app opens, enter your computer name and choose Connect.
   • You may need to enter .ms.mtholyoke.edu after your computer name.
4. After entering your computer name, enter your MHC password (the same password that you would use to log into your MHC email or my.mtholyoke.edu account) then select OK.

Connect from at-home Mac to on-campus Mac

1. From your personal Mac, connect to the MHC VPN.
2. Open Finder. Your MHC Mac should appear under "Shared".
   • If you don’t see the Shared section, choose your device (listed under “Devices”) → Network → double click your MHC Mac.
   • The Network tab may also appear under “Locations,” depending on your Mac.
   • In the unlikely case your MHC computer does not appear under Shared or Network, scroll down and follow the steps to Connect to your MHC Mac manually before returning to this step.
3. Once you’ve double-clicked on your MHC device, choose Share Screen. 
4. The Screen Sharing app will open. Enter your MHC username and password. 

Connect to on-campus Mac manually

1. Open the Terminal app. 
   • To find Terminal, select the magnifying glass in the top right corner of your screen to open Spotlight Search. Type “terminal,” and double-click the app when it appears in the search results.  
2. Type the ssh command to connect to your MHC Mac, then select Return.
   • The general format of the ssh command is ssh username@IPAddress.
   • If you don’t know the user name and IP address for your MHC Mac, open the Remote Login pane of Sharing preferences (on your MHC Mac). The ssh command you need is shown below the “Remote Login: On” indicator.
3. Enter your password, then choose Return.
4. When you are successfully logged in, return to Step 2 of Connect from an at-home Mac to an MHC Mac. 

Connect from at-home Mac to on-campus PC

1. From your personal Mac, connect to the MHC VPN.
2. Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
3. Open the app, and choose Add PC.
4. Enter your MHC PC name and select Add. 
5. Double-click the computer from your Microsoft Remote Desktop dashboard. 
6. Enter your username and password when prompted. Choose Continue.
7. If you receive a notice that your connection may not be secure, choose Continue.