Looking for the best remote desktop app for Mac running OS X Mavericks? Look no further because here we are going to explore 3 of my favorite ways to remote into Windows machines from Mac.

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When I purchased my first Apple computer (13″ Macbook Air) early in 2013, I found myself searching for the best application to remote into my Windows computers and servers.

With the need for me to be able to quickly remote into a variety of Windows servers, I wanted an RDP client I could use on my Mac that would give me a great experience.

At work we typically suggest Microsoft’s Remote Desktop for Mac to our Doctors and staff when they come to us for assistance with setting up VPN and remote access into the hospital.

But Microsoft’s Remote Desktop for Mac isn’t the only application available.

My RDP Requirements

Since I work heavily on Windows machines, there were a few essential requirements I was looking for to help my overall daily workflow:

Performance.
Manageability of multiple systems.
Price

1. Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac

Coming in at # 1 for my favorite remote desktop client for Mac is Microsoft’s Remote Desktop for Mac.

Microsoft had recently made version 8.0.0 available. This version really has stepped it up a notch from their previous version.

Performance

Performance is not an issue for me during my tests.

Manageability of multiple systems

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Yes, you can manage multiple systems.

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One of the biggest notable changes I found with this version over the previous is the fact that you can save client servers/sessions. This was important to me since I have a wide-range of servers that I need to connect to at any moment.

Price

Free

Cons

None as of this writing.

2. 2X Client for RDP/Remote Desktop

Coming in at # 2 on my list is 2X Client for RDP/Remote Desktop.

I have to be honest and say that I haven’t given this one a full blown test as of yet. However, I have used it many times on IOS devices and has worked well. I did install it for my testing here in this article and overall was a nice experience.

I would have to rank this one a close 2nd to Microsoft’s client.

Performance

Overall performance was not an issue for me during my tests.

Manageability of multiple systems

Yes, you can manage multiple systems.

Price

Free

Cons

A small issue I see (and probabaly not an issue for most) is the Windows Snap feature. It seems to be a ‘hit-and-miss’ when I try to snap a window to the top of the screen.

3. CoRD

Coming in at # 3 on my lis is CoRD.

CoRD is a Mac OS X remote desktop client for Microsoft Windows computers.

As of this writing, CoRD’s website has an announcement saying: “Cord don’t seem to work on 10.9 Mavericks. Check back next week.” This was announced on 2013-10-23.

As you can see in the video, I have installed CoRD on my Macbook Air running 10.9 OS X Mavericks and it does work. Maybe there are some bugs that I am not aware of but overall it does seem to run OK for me.

Performance

Overall performance for me was not an issue during my tests.

Manageability of multiple systems

One thing I really do like about CoRD is the option to view all remote sessions in one window. This really saves space on your desktop and makes it a breeze to switch between the different sessions.

Price

Free

Cons

CoRD doesn’t appear to work with NLA (Network Level Authentication). This is a problem for me since a lot of the servers at work are now configured to use NLA, I simply get an error saying: “The requested session access is denied” when I try to connect.

As with CoRD, another issue is the Windows Snap feature is a hit-and-miss.

Conclusion

In the end, all three of the applications worked well. The major downside for me with CoRD is the fact I am unable to connect to servers with NLA enabled.

For now, I will continue to use Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac.

I will update this post and/or comments below with any updated experiences (good or bad).

Question for You

What do you use on your Mac to remotely manage Windows machines?