How To Access Your Windows PC From iOS And Android

Want to view and control your Windows PC from your smartphone or tablet? There’s an app for that. Microsoft’s Remote Desktop tool lets you access one computer from another, and with the Remote Desktop app for iOS and Android, you can tap into your PC, view the screen, and work with your computer as though you were in front of it from a mobile device. Here’s how.

- Lance Whitney

First, you need to make sure your Windows computer is set up for remote access. To do this, open Control Panel. In the search field in the upper-right, type the word remote. From the search results, click on the link for “Allow remote access to your computer.”

At the Remote tab for the System Properties window, make sure the option to “Allow remote connections to this computer” is enabled. You can also check on the box to “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended).” Then click OK to close the window.

FOR IOS

Those of you who want to access your computer from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch can download the Remote Desktop app. After installation, launch the app on your mobile device.

Tap on the + symbol to add the name of the computer that you wish to access. An “Add New” window pops up asking what type of device you want to add. Tap on the option for “Desktop.”

The Desktop window prompts you to enter the name or IP address of the PC you want to access.

To grab the computer name in any version of Windows, open Control Panel. In the search field in the upper-right, type computer name. From the search results, click on the link to “See the name of this computer.” You’ll find the computer name displayed in the section for “Computer name, domain, and work group settings.”

To see the IP address of your PC, open a command prompt. At the command prompt, type ipconfig. Then look for and note the IP address listed for IPv4 Address.

Return to the Remote Desktop app and tap the field for PC Name. Type either the computer name or IP address in the field for “Host name or IP address.” Then tap “Done.”