Access your desktop from an Android phone or tablet
Mobile
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There are lots of ways to remotely access your computer, but Google has its own solution that lets you view your Mac or PC from your Android device.
The setup is really simple.
First, launch Chrome on your PC and install Chrome Remote Desktop.
This works from Mac and Windows.
Once it's installed, open the app and grant it permission for remote access.
Now you've got two options.
The first is useful if you're trying to troubleshoot a friend or family's computer.
You'd want to set this up on their computer if they're constantly bothering you for technical support.
The second option is good if you want to access your own machine.
Before it can continue, there's one additional piece of software to install that'll give my Android permission to access the computer remotely.
When that's all set, the last thing to do is to choose a PIN, so that any random person can't just access your computer if they swipe your phone.
So choose the PIN, and when you're done, you'll be asked to enter it to enable the service.
The second part of this equation happens on your Android device, where you'll be accessing your computer.
Just install the Chrome Remote Desktop app from the Google Play store.
And make sure that when you're setting it up you're signed in with the same account you used for the desktop web app.
Choose the computer you wanna access.
Enter your PIN, and your desktop will appear right away.
At this point you can interact with anything onscreen, swiping to change the view, and using the usual pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
Navigation can be a little awkward, but it helps if you use this option to make it fullscreen.
You can also use the Menu button to access Ctrl+
Alt+
Delete, or to disconnect.
Back on your computer, an alert box shows up at the bottom of the screen to let you or the other person know that the screen is being mirrored, plus an option to stop the session.
So now, whenever you're away from home, or you get that frantic call from a family member, there's an easy way to get remote access.
If you have any questions, or tips of your own, hit me up on Twitter and check out cnet.com/how-to for more tips like this.
For Cnet, I'm Sharon Profis.
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