How-to · cross-platform remote access

How to remote into a Mac from Windows

Microsoft Remote Desktop connects to Windows — it can't host a Mac. Scry does both directions with one account, transport-encrypted over WebRTC. Free for single-monitor.

Get Scry — free single-monitor

Mac · Windows · browser · 0.1.x public preview

Here's the friction almost nobody warns you about: Microsoft Remote Desktop cannot remote into a Mac. Microsoft's Remote Desktop / Windows App connects to Windows machines. It is a Windows-target protocol. There is no “host” mode for macOS. So the very common task — I'm on my Windows PC and I need to get into my Mac — has no built-in answer on either side. (Going the other way has its own snag: RDP into a Windows PC requires a Pro/Enterprise Windows edition on the target; Windows Home can't be an RDP host.)

If you searched remote into mac from windows or remote desktop mac to windows, that's the wall you hit. Scry is built to not have it.

Why Scry works in both directions

Scry ships a Mac host and a Windows host, and a Mac, Windows, and browser client. Every combination works:

  • Windows PC → into your Mac ✓
  • Mac → into your Windows PC ✓ (no Windows Pro/Enterprise edition required on the target)
  • Either → from a browser, no install on the viewing side ✓

One Bravely account ties them together — no per-machine licensing math, no figuring out which side needs which edition.

How to do it (free single-monitor)

  1. On the Mac you want to reach:

    install the Scry host app, sign in, note the pairing code.

  2. On the Windows PC:

    install the Scry client (or just open the browser client — no install needed on the viewing side), sign in to the same account.

  3. Enter the pairing code.

    You're connected — full keyboard and mouse control, primary display, clipboard text sync, over a transport-encrypted WebRTC connection.

  4. Reverse it any time:

    a Scry host also runs on Windows, so the same steps work Mac → Windows.

Honest limits

  • The free tier is single-monitor. Multi-monitor switching, audio, and file transfer are Pro and currently in preview at the 0.1.x stage.
  • The iOS and Android apps are Pro-only — there's no free mobile viewer.
  • Connection is transport-encrypted (WebRTC). We do not claim end-to-end encryption yet.
  • Microsoft Remote Desktop is free and excellent for reaching Windows targets. If both your machines are Windows and the target runs Pro/Enterprise, RDP may already be all you need — we're not going to tell you to switch for the sake of it.

Reach your Mac from Windows in four steps.

Free single-monitor, one account, both directions. Pair with a code over a transport-encrypted WebRTC connection.

Get Scry

Related

Remote desktop in the browser, no install

Connect from a locked-down machine with nothing to install.

Without commercial-use detection

No timer, no disconnect, no appeal form.