Google Remote Desktop: Access Your PC — remotedesktop.google.com/access

Access Your Computer Remotely with Remote Desktop — remotedesktop.google.com/access

Jonathan Wells
6 min readDec 12, 2019

Remote Desktop is a powerful tool that allows you to access your computer from anywhere, providing you with convenience, flexibility, and the ability to work remotely. Google offers its own Remote Desktop service, accessible through the website remotedesktop.google.com/access. In this article, we will explore the features and benefits of Google Remote Desktop and guide you through the process of accessing your computer remotely using this platform.

What is Google Remote Desktop?

Google Remote Desktop is a service that enables you to remotely access and control your computer from another device, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It allows you to view and interact with your computer’s desktop as if you were sitting right in front of it.

Setting up Google Remote Desktop:

To get started with Google Remote Desktop, follow these steps:
a. Open your web browser and navigate to remotedesktop.google.com/access.
b. Sign in to your Google account if prompted.
c. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up and install the Remote Desktop extension for Chrome on your computer.

Accessing your computer remotely:

Once you have completed the setup process, you can access your computer remotely using Google Remote Desktop. Here’s how:
a. Visit remotedesktop.google.com/access in your web browser.
b. Sign in to your Google account if required.
c. Locate your computer’s name on the page and click on it to initiate the remote connection.

Configuring remote access options:

Google Remote Desktop offers various options to customize your remote access experience. You can:
a. Adjust display settings: Modify the screen resolution and quality to optimize the remote viewing experience.
b. Enable or disable sound: Choose whether to hear audio from your remote computer during the session.
c. Send keyboard shortcuts: Easily perform actions such as Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Alt+Delete on the remote computer.

Security and privacy considerations:

While using Google Remote Desktop, it’s important to prioritize security and protect your privacy. Consider the following measures:
a. Use strong passwords: Set up strong, unique passwords for your Google account and computer to prevent unauthorized access.
b. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security by enabling 2FA for your Google account.
c. Be cautious with sharing access: Only grant remote access to trusted individuals and revoke access when it’s no longer needed.

Troubleshooting common issues:

If you encounter any difficulties while using Google Remote Desktop, here are some troubleshooting tips:
a. Check your internet connection: Ensure that you have a stable internet connection on both your local and remote devices.
b. Verify computer availability: Make sure your computer is powered on and connected to the internet.
c. Update the Remote Desktop extension: Ensure that you have the latest version of the Remote Desktop extension installed on your computer.

Conclusion:

Google Remote Desktop offers a convenient and secure way to access your computer remotely from any location. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up and utilize the features of Google Remote Desktop at remotedesktop.google.com/access. Enjoy the flexibility and productivity that remote access provides, whether you’re working from home, traveling, or simply need to access files on your computer while away.

Access Your Computer Remotely with Remote Desktop — remotedesktop.google.com/access

Once upon a time, in a not too distant world, accessing a computer remotely required all kinds of expensive and complicated software and technical knowledge.

These days, it’s a different story. Google’s free Chrome Remote Desktop service makes it easy to access any computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS) from virtually any other desktop or mobile device. You can access all the contents of the remote system and even click as if you were sitting in front of it.

Chrome Remote Desktop can be useful for logging into your own personal or work computer from afar, and it can be equally valuable to take a look at someone else’s system, be it your co-worker or your mother’s, to provide practical help without having to be in the same place

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And the best of all? Starting the service is as easy as it can be. In fact, all you need to do is decide what type of connection you want and then complete a couple of quick steps, and it will connect remotely as if it were nobody’s business.

[More information: the essential guide of the wireless road warrior]
(Please note that Chrome Remote Desktop may not work with Google corporate accounts, depending on how your IT department has set them up. Also note that some users have had trouble getting Chrome Remote Desktop to work correctly with the version macOS Mojave. Neither Google nor Apple have done so. It offered any official solution for this as of this writing.)

Using Chrome Remote Desktop to access your own computer
Step 1: prepare the computer for connections
If you want to be able to access your own computer from another desktop or mobile device, start by opening Chrome on the host computer (or downloading and installing Chrome, if you are using a Windows, Mac or Linux system that somehow does not work I already have it ). Inside Chrome, navigate to the new Google Chrome Remote Desktop web application and click on the blue circular arrow icon inside the “Set up remote access” box.

You will then be asked to download the new Chrome Remote Desktop extension. Click the blue “Add to Chrome” button on the page that appears and confirm that you want to continue. Then, return to its original tab and you will find a message waiting for you to name your computer and move on.

01 Chrome remote desktop configuration
JR Raphael / IDG
You can give your computer the name you want, as long as you recognize it. (Click on any image in this story to enlarge it).
Once you have given the computer a name and clicked on the “Next” button, you will be asked to create a PIN with at least six digits. For security reasons, you will need that PIN, in addition to logging into your Google account, to access the computer remotely. (Google says that all Remote Desktop sessions are also encrypted for additional protection.)

And that’s it: your operating system can display a warning making sure you want to allow access to the application to initiate a remote connection (and macOS Mojave may also require you to grant permission for org.chromium.chromoting.me2me.sh in the Preferences system> Security and privacy> Accessibility), but once you’ve confirmed that, the Chrome Remote Desktop tab will show you that your computer is online and waiting.

The computer will remain available every time it is turned on and Chrome is running (and since Chrome normally starts automatically and runs in the background, that means it will probably be available every time the computer is awake, period). Just keep in mind that if you want connections to remain possible for an extended period of time, you may have to visit your computer’s power management settings to make sure the system does not enter hibernate mode (even if the screen turns off).

If you ever want to disable remote connections, simply return to remotedesktop.google.com/access or click on the Chrome Remote Desktop icon to the right of your browser’s address bar. You can then click on the trash can icon next to the name of your computer to remove it from the application. Alternatively, you can simply uninstall the application completely by right clicking on its icon and selecting “Remove from Chrome”.

Step 2: connect to the computer from another desktop or mobile device
Here is the easy part: with your host computer set up for connections, everything you have to h

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