Tech how-to: Control your computer using your phone
Have you ever found yourself digging for a file in class or a work meeting, only to realize what you need is on your home computer? That problem can feel insurmountable — especially during a time crunch.
You might be able to get someone else to locate and send it to you, or if you’re a computer whiz, you may know some complicated method to retrieve it. But there must be an easier, safer way. After all, choosing the wrong remote desktop app could spell disaster (and hard-to-remove ransomware).
There are many reasons you’d need to access your desktop when you’re not in front of it. You could have files stored on the hard drive instead of the cloud, or you could need access to a media file that isn’t saved elsewhere. There are ways to safely access and control your computer via your phone — you just need to know what they are and how to use them.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Google Chrome Remote Desktop is one of the options for accessing and controlling your computer remotely. This free service makes it easy to access what you need on your computer from your phone.
You’ll only have to add the Remote Desktop extension to your computer to make it accessible from another device, and all remote desktop sessions are fully encrypted.
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You can use Google Chrome Remote Desktop if you need to sign in to your personal or work computer from another location, and you can also use it to sign in to someone else’s computer. This can be helpful if you’re the family computer genius and need to fix an issue plaguing someone else.
You can use the Chrome browser and the Remote Desktop extension. And you can download the Chrome Remote Desktop app for iOS or Android.
To set up Remote Desktop on your computer:
Before you use Remote Desktop, you’ll need to add the extension to your computer to allow access from your other devices.
- Open Chrome.
- In the address bar, type remotedesktop.google.com/access.
- Tap the download button that looks like a downward arrow under Set up remote access.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install Chrome Remote Desktop.
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