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How to View Someone's Mac or iOS Device Remotely

Mar 16, 2015

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Troubleshooting friends' or family members' computers is tricky when they’re far away, but thanks to OS X's built-in screen sharing capabilities, you can see exactly what they are is seeing on their Mac—or, with a little help from Yosemite—even on their iOS device. Mac expert Dan Moren, author of The Connected Apple Family: Discover the Rich Apple Ecosystem of the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, shows you that it doesn't have to be a frustrating process at all.

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Is there anything more frustrating than trying to troubleshoot a family member's computer over the phone? “Do you see the Edit menu?” “No, no, Control-click on that.” “Wait, what are you looking at?” The good news is that even if circumstances have you at a geographic remove from the Mac you're trying to fix, you can still see exactly what they're looking at, thanks to OS X's built-in screen sharing capabilities or various third-party solutions. And with a little help from OS X Yosemite, you can even troubleshoot a relative's iOS device too.

Screen Sharing for Macs

Screen sharing is, simply put, just what it says: a way to see what's on another computer's screen. A number of different pieces of software can help with this task; they vary in terms of their complexity and cost, but there are also plenty of cost-effective, simple options as well. Let's run down a handful of the most popular ways to remotely view a family member's computer—with their permission, naturally.

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