How to share your Mac's screen with your network

If you would like to view or control your Mac remotely from any device within the same network, here's how:

A. How to share the Mac's screen

1. Click the Apple icon on the top left corner of the screen
2. Click System Preferences...
3. Click Sharing
4. On the left panel, select Screen Sharing and click the box to its left to toggle it on
5. Click the Computer Settings... button, check both boxes, and include a password in the text field, and click OK
6. If desired, you may limit access by adding users under the Only these users window by clicking the + symbol
7. Take note of the message under the "Screen Sharing: On" text which reads "Other users can access your computer's screen at vnc://###.###.###.###/ or by looking for "[Computer Name]" in the Finder sidebar."

B. How to access the Mac's screen from another Mac

Preferred Method

1. Ensure your Mac is connected to the same network as the target Mac in section A
2. Click the magnifying glass at the top right corner of your screen to open the Spotlight Search bar
3. Type Screen Sharing and press return or click the app from the list
4. Under the "Connect To:" field, type in the entire vnc://###.###.###.###/ address provided in step 7 of section A and click Connect

Alternate Method

1. Ensure your Mac is connected to the same network as the target Mac in section A
2. Open a Finder window
3. Show the Sidebar by navigating to the menu bar at View / Show Sidebar
4. In the left Sidebar, click Network
5. Double-click the computer with the name provided in step 7 of section A 
6. Click the Share Screen... button on the top right
7. Enter the target Mac user's credentials and sign in

C. How to access the Mac's screen from a Windows or Linux computer

1. Download and install VNC® Viewer
2. Run VNC® Viewer
3. Ensure your computer is connected to the same network as the target Mac in section A
4. In the address bar, type in [Computer Name].local (name as provided in step 7 of section A, e.g. "MaccyMcMacface.local") and press enter/return
5. Click Continue and type in the user credentials to log on

D. How to access the Mac's screen from an iOS or Android device

1. Download VNC® Viewer for iOS or Android
2. Run VNC® Viewer
3. Ensure your iOS or Android device is connected to the same network as the target Mac in section A
4. Click the + icon to add the Mac 
5. In the address bar, type in ###.###.###.### (digits as provided in step 7 of section A, e.g. "192.168.1.100") and press enter/return
6. Click OK if an "Unencrypted connection" screen appears
7. In the Authentication screen, enter the password as provided in step 5 of section A to connect

E. Help, it's not connecting!

1. Is your device connected to the same network as the target Mac?
2. Is the target Mac powered on? Check its sleep settings under System Preferences/Battery (AKA Energy Saver) and disable the "Put hard disks to sleep when possible" setting
3. Check step 7 of section A to see if the address has changed. This may happen if your target Mac's network settings are configured for DHCP instead of static IP

Only activate this feature under a network you trust - or at the very least, create a very strong password in step 5 of section A