A VNC Server, such as UltraVNC or TightVNC, is required to connect to a Windows PC. Windows and Linux PCs can only send or receive text and URLs. Screens will not receive any sound from your computer. This is a limitation of the RFB protocol the app is using. Screens Connect requires OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard or later.
There are a whole bunch of questions about very slow performance of VNC when using it to login to a Mac. Among them:
- There are plenty of VNC clients available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, all of which will let you access your Mac remotely. TightVNC is a free option that is available for Windows and Unix systems and is known to work with the macOS VNC server. RealVNC is another option. To connect, simply type in the IP address of your Mac.
- VNC Server or Enabling Screen Sharing. The VNC Server is the application running on the computer, or device, which screen is being shared. This can be your Mac, a Windows or Linux PC, or even an Android tablet, or iPhone (jailbreak needed to run Veency, the VNC server for iOS).
I had the problem also. I've gotten around it, as described below.
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First, my situation:
- Near computer (the one I'm sitting at): iMac 20'. Native screen res: 1680 x 1050. (2007 vintage) Running 10.11.1 El Capitan
- Far computer (the one I'm trying to see by VNC): Mac Pro with 24-inch Cinema display. Native screen res: 1920 x 1200 (early 2009) Running 10.11.1 El Capitan
- Connection: VPN from home to work over Junos Pulse Secure. Ping shows an average round-trip time of 24 ms.
- Using: Native VNC built into OS X: Finder: Go: Connect to Server... vnc://[remoteMacAddress]. Running in 'Full Screen' mode with 'Adaptive Quality'.
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With the native setup, I figure I was getting about 1 sec from clicking on something to seeing the change on my screen.
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My workaround:
- On the far computer, open System Preferences / Displays. Change Resolution from 'Default for display' to 'Scaled'. In the list below, select: 1600 x 1000. This change alone got me most of the improvement I see.
- In the 'Screen Sharing' menu on the near computer, under 'View, uncheck 'Turn Scaling On'. This may have gotten me a bit more performance, but it's hard to tell.
Note: I think the key is, in step 1, to select a resolution that is Smaller than the native resolution of the near computer's display. Turning Scaling off just simplifies the situation a bit more.
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Hope this helps.
Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), Cinema display 1920 x 1200
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