Jul 20, 2017. Mar 26, 2020. Tip: The 64-bit version is installed by default unless Office detects you already have a 32-bit version of Office (or a stand-alone Office app such as Project or Visio) installed.In this case, the 32-bit version of Office will be installed instead. To change from a 32-bit version to a 64-bit version or vice versa, you need to uninstall Office first (including any stand-alone Office apps you.
-->Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016
You can use the Remote Desktop client for Mac to work with Windows apps, resources, and desktops from your Mac computer. Use the following information to get started - and check out the FAQ if you have questions.
Note
- Curious about the new releases for the macOS client? Check out What's new for Remote Desktop on Mac?
- The Mac client runs on computers running macOS 10.10 and newer.
- The information in this article applies primarily to the full version of the Mac client - the version available in the Mac AppStore. Test-drive new features by downloading our preview app here: beta client release notes.
Get the Remote Desktop client
Follow these steps to get started with Remote Desktop on your Mac:
- Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.
- Set up your PC to accept remote connections. (If you skip this step, you can't connect to your PC.)
- Add a Remote Desktop connection or a remote resource. You use a connection to connect directly to a Windows PC and a remote resource to use a RemoteApp program, session-based desktop, or a virtual desktop published on-premises using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections. This feature is typically available in corporate environments.
What about the Mac beta client?
We're testing new features on our preview channel on AppCenter. Want to check it out? Go to Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac and select Download. You don't need to create an account or sign into AppCenter to download the beta client.
If you already have the client, you can check for updates to ensure you have the latest version. In the beta client, select Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta at the top, and then select Check for updates.
Add a workspace
Subscribe to the feed your admin gave you to get the list of managed resources available to you on your macOS device.
To subscribe to a feed:
- Select Add feed on the main page to connect to the service and retrieve your resources.
- Enter the feed URL. This can be a URL or email address:
- This URL is usually a Windows Virtual Desktop URL. Which one you use depends on which version of Windows Virtual Desktop you're using.
- For Windows Virtual Desktop (classic), use
https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/feeddiscovery/webfeeddiscovery.aspx
. - For Windows Virtual Desktop, use
https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery
.
- For Windows Virtual Desktop (classic), use
- To use email, enter your email address. This tells the client to search for a URL associated with your email address if your admin configured the server that way.
- This URL is usually a Windows Virtual Desktop URL. Which one you use depends on which version of Windows Virtual Desktop you're using.
- Select Subscribe.
- Sign in with your user account when prompted.
After you've signed in, you should see a list of available resources.
Once you've subscribed to a feed, the feed's content will update automatically on a regular basis. Resources may be added, changed, or removed based on changes made by your administrator.
Export and import connections
You can export a remote desktop connection definition and use it on a different device. Remote desktops are saved in separate RDP files.
To export an RDP file:
- In the Connection Center, right-click the remote desktop.
- Select Export.
- Browse to the location where you want to save the remote desktop RDP file.
- Select OK.
To import an RDP file:
- In the menu bar, select File > Import.
- Browse to the RDP file.
- Select Open.
Add a remote resource
Remote resources are RemoteApp programs, session-based desktops, and virtual desktops published using RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The URL displays the link to the RD Web Access server that gives you access to RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.
- The configured RemoteApp and Desktop Connections are listed.
To add a remote resource:
- In the Connection Center select +, and then select Add Remote Resources.
- Enter information for the remote resource:
- Feed URL - The URL of the RD Web Access server. You can also enter your corporate email account in this field – this tells the client to search for the RD Web Access Server associated with your email address.
- User name - The user name to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Password - The password to use for the RD Web Access server you are connecting to.
- Select Save.
The remote resources will be displayed in the Connection Center.
Connect to an RD Gateway to access internal assets
A Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) lets you connect to a remote computer on a corporate network from anywhere on the Internet. You can create and manage your gateways in the preferences of the app or while setting up a new desktop connection.
To set up a new gateway in preferences:
- In the Connection Center, select Preferences > Gateways.
- Select the + button at the bottom of the table Enter the following information:
- Server name – The name of the computer you want to use as a gateway. This can be a Windows computer name, an Internet domain name, or an IP address. You can also add port information to the server name (for example: RDGateway:443 or 10.0.0.1:443).
- User name - The user name and password to be used for the Remote Desktop gateway you are connecting to. You can also select Use connection credentials to use the same user name and password as those used for the remote desktop connection.
Remove Mac Download From Desktop Windows 10
Manage your user accounts
When you connect to a desktop or remote resources, you can save the user accounts to select from again. You can manage your user accounts by using the Remote Desktop client.
To create a new user account:
- In the Connection Center, select Settings > Accounts.
- Select Add User Account.
- Enter the following information:
- User Name - The name of the user to save for use with a remote connection. You can enter the user name in any of the following formats: user_name, domainuser_name, or user_name@domain.com.
- Password - The password for the user you specified. Every user account that you want to save to use for remote connections needs to have a password associated with it.
- Friendly Name - If you are using the same user account with different passwords, set a friendly name to distinguish those user accounts.
- Select Save, then select Settings.
Customize your display resolution
You can specify the display resolution for the remote desktop session.
- In the Connection Center, select Preferences.
- Select Resolution.
- Select +.
- Enter a resolution height and width, and then select OK.
To delete the resolution, select it, and then select -.
Displays have separate spaces
If you're running Mac OS X 10.9 and have disabled Displays have separate spaces in Mavericks (System Preferences > Mission Control), you need to configure this setting in the Remote Desktop client using the same option.
Drive redirection for remote resources
Drive redirection is supported for remote resources, so that you can save files created with a remote application locally to your Mac. The redirected folder is always your home directory displayed as a network drive in the remote session.
Note
In order to use this feature, the administrator needs to set the appropriate settings on the server.
Use a keyboard in a remote session
Mac keyboard layouts differ from the Windows keyboard layouts.
- The Command key on the Mac keyboard equals the Windows key.
- To perform actions that use the Command button on the Mac, you will need to use the control button in Windows (for example Copy = Ctrl+C).
- The function keys can be activated in the session by pressing additionally the FN key (for example, FN+F1).
- The Alt key to the right of the space bar on the Mac keyboard equals the Alt Gr/right Alt key in Windows.
By default, the remote session will use the same keyboard locale as the OS you're running the client on. (If your Mac is running an en-us OS, that will be used for the remote sessions as well.) If the OS keyboard locale is not used, check the keyboard setting on the remote PC and change it manually. See the Remote Desktop Client FAQ for more information about keyboards and locales.
Support for Remote Desktop gateway pluggable authentication and authorization
Windows Server 2012 R2 introduced support for a new authentication method, Remote Desktop Gateway pluggable authentication and authorization, which provides more flexibility for custom authentication routines. You can now try this authentication model with the Mac client.
Important
Custom authentication and authorization models before Windows 8.1 aren't supported, although the article above discusses them.
To learn more about this feature, check out https://aka.ms/paa-sample.
Tip
Questions and comments are always welcome. However, please do NOT post a request for troubleshooting help by using the comment feature at the end of this article. Instead, go to the Remote Desktop client forum and start a new thread. Have a feature suggestion? Tell us in the client user voice forum.
There are numerous tips that are simple and help keep your Mac working in top speed. One of the is occasionally cleaning up the downloads folder of your Mac which due to its limited space as well as your download and usage habits can quickly get out of hand. When this folder gets full, you usually get prompts that file was not able to download or your system becomes slow. Ultimately, the only solution you have is to delete downloads on Mac. In this article, you will be guided through manual and automatic ways to get it done.
What Are in My Downloads Folder on Mac
The Downloads folder on Mac is basically the default folder where all the files that you download from the internet go to. The PDF of your bank statement, the song that you were downloading, your movie, the setup for the latest update, the email attachment each and everything that you download goes to the download folder. While this location can be changed by prompting your browser to ask you the location of download, but that may not always be applicable and eventually, the download folder does fill up.
Try These 6 Solutions to Delete Downloads on Mac Manually
Here is the question. How do you delete downloads on a Mac? If you want to remove those downloads by yourself, here are 6 solutions for you. These manual operations are a little tricky for beginners. Just follow the following steps, you will get it done successfully.
Solution 1: Delete Downloads by Using Finder
There are several ways by which one can delete downloads on Mac. One of these ways is by using finder. The steps are as follows:
- Go to the 'Finder' option on the menu bar at the top of your Mac.
- Select go and this will present a drop-down with a list of options.
- Then select downloads and this will open all downloads currently stored in the Downloads folder. You can always re-arrange the files based on their size by going to the view tab and select by size.
- Choose the files you want to delete at once by clicking Command + a and dragging them to the Trash Can.
Quick navigation: If your Mac are running macOS 10.6 or higher versions, please refer to Solution 3.
Solution 2: Delete Downloads by Using Terminal
Learning how to delete downloads on a mac using the terminal is a little tricky but with these few steps, you will perform this task successfully.
- Move the targeted file to desktop for easy access.
- Open the Utilities or application folder and select 'Terminal'.
- In the terminal type 'cd~/Desktop' this should take you to the desktop directory.
- Type 'rm (name of the file)' to delete a file. For example 'rm wave.mp3' deletes the file wave.mp3.
Solution 3: Delete Downloads by Using 'Go Menu'
Another way to clear downloads on a mac is by using 'Go Menu'.
- First access the finder by following the step stated in solution 1.
- Click on the Go Menu.
- Select Go To folder (this prompts window).
- Type ~/Downloads in the window and this will take you to the download folder where you can delete any file you like.
Note: This solution is only available for maxOS 10.2 and above versions.
Solution 4: Delete Downloads in Browser
Remote Desktop From Windows To Mac
Deleting downloads from browsers is also possible. We will discuss some main browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Opera. The specific steps to clear different browser downloads on Mac are different. Just check details below.
Clear Downloads from Chrome
- Open Chrome browser on the Mac.
- Click the icon with three horizontal lines at the far right of the menu bar.
- Then you will see a 'Downloads' button and click on it.
- Then click 'Clear all' to delete all the download files on the Chrome browser.
Clear Downloads from Safari
- Launch Safari browser on your Mac.
- Then click the gear icon at the menu bar.
- Select 'Downloads' on the next tab.
- Click 'Clear' button, then all the download files on the Safari browser will be removed.
Clear Downloads from Firefox
- Run Firefox browser on your Mac.
- Then click the 'Firefox' icon at the top left corner.
- Choose 'Downloads' on the next tab.
- Then click 'Clear List' button for deleting all the downloads on the Firefox browser on your Mac.
Clear Downloads from Opera
- Launch the Opera app by clicking the Icon.
- Click on the three dots on the top right corner.
- Select 'Downloads' and then delete.
Solution 5: Delete Downloads from Email Account
A lot of times we receive emails with attachments that we need to download before we can access. These attachments accumulate and occupy valuable space on your Mac system. Here is how to delete mail attachments on your Mac.
- Open Spotlight in the menu bar on your Mac.
- Type in Mail Downloads in the search bar, and then click on the folder to open it.
- And you'll see a list of doenloaded files that mail account has locally saved.
- Select the files you want to get rid of and delete them in a flash.
Solution 6: Delete Downloads in Software like Skype And µTorrent
Sometimes apps like Skype and µTorrent do not download to the local download folder so deleting these can be tricky but easy. All you have to do to clear downloads on Mac in these softwares is:
for Skype
- Launch the Skype app through the icon.
- Go to preference (this pops up a window).
- This window will contain the download location of all Skype files. You can open this location and delete any file you like.
for µTorrent
- Click on the app icon.
- Go to preference.
- Select directories and you will find the downloads location of the app, then select and delete the files.
How to Recover Deleted Downloads on Mac If You Wrongly Removed Them
If we deleted important files wrongly with the above solutions and need to recover them. There are two basic ways to get this job done.
- Using Trash: Normal deletion does not completely delete files. The deleted files will move to the trash folder. In oder to recover files, all you have to do is to find the deleted file in the trash folder and download it again.
- Using Time Machine: Backing up files is a lifesaver. In a situation where you have deleted the file permanently but you made a backup using Time Machine, it can be recovered from this utility.
As you can see, deleting downloads on Mac manually may wrongly remove those important for you. And you need yo spend extra time to recover them. To avoid the mistakes of deleting important files it is advisable to use professional software like Unmate Mac Cleaner to clear downloads files.
How to Remove Downloads from Mac Automatically with Umate Mac Cleaner
However, it is more efficient to resort to software for clearing out your download folder. The best option for cleaning software is Umate Mac Cleaner. The Umate Mac cleaner is extremely efficient cleaning and optimization software that helps to improve the performance of your system, as opposed to manual maintenance. It assists you in freeing up disk space on your Mac. So if you are wondering the ways to delete downloads, then this is one of the easier and more efficient ways to clean out your disk.
How Do Umate Mac Cleaner Function to Delete Downloads Files
How to delete downloads on Macbook with Umate Mac Cleaner? In fact, Umate Mac Cleaner has two cleaning modes to get it done. One is the quick clean mode, which automatically detects and checks useless files. It detects the files that are 100% safe to be deleted from your Mac. It allows you to remove them with a single click. In Quick clean, you can clean System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bins, Installation Packages, and iTunes Junk. However, if you are looking for a much thorough cleanup, to free up even more disk space and delete heavy files from the downloads folder. This feature will show your more files and you can decide the specific types of junk files to be removed, like downloaded files, iOS backups. What's more, the app's scanning and cleaning speed is 3x faster than other competitors.
User Guide of Umate Mac Cleaner
It's simple to use and only requires a few simple steps to clean your downloads which are as follows:
Step 1: Open Umate Mac Cleaner after installation.
Step 2: Start to scan your Mac, and it will show you what are safe to be cleared in quick clean feature. You can click the “Clean” button to clean up all the selected junk files.
Step 3: If you want to do a deeper cleanup to delete downloaded files on Mac, then choose “Deep Clean” part to continue. Select the items you want to delete and click the 'Clean' to delete those annoying downloads on your Mac in a flash.
With the help of this app, you can easily and quickly delete downloads files instead of manual removal.
Bottom Line
Conclusively, while deleting downloads and freeing up memory can be done manually, it is going to take a lot of time and effort from your side. If you have been searching about “How do I delete downloads on my Mac”, then the better option for you is to use Umate Mac Cleaner. The app is easy to use, and gets the job done in a few minutes as opposed to deleting everything manually. It is safer to use, as you are saved from deleting files that you may need in the future. The job that may take hours to complete can now be done in a few clicks. All in all, Umate Mac Cleaner is your best bet if you want to keep your system clean from download files and prevent memory choking.