Skip to main content

How to Remote Desktop from Home

Your Windows computer on campus can be accessed remotely using a Remote Desktop Connection on your home computer. To use this, your office computer must be on (not in sleep mode), and your home computer must be connected to NKU's VPN.

Before You Start

  1. Find the network name of your office computer
    1. Right-click on "This PC" on the desktop
    2. Click "Properties."
    3. Find "Full computer name".  It will show something similar to "nku063644.hh.nku.edu".  Make a note of this for reference.

Leave your computer on and make sure it is not set to go into standby mode.

Microsoft Windows Logo

Windows: What to do on your home computer

  1. Ensure you are connected to NKU's VPN.
  2. Click the Start menu and select "Run".
  3. Type "mstsc" and click "OK".  If this cannot be found, type "c:\windows\system32\mstsc.exe" and click "OK".
  4. The Remote Desktop Connection program will start. In the "Computer" field, type the name of your office computer (in the format "nku063644.hh.nku.edu") and click "Connect". 
  5. You will be prompted to enter your NKU username and password to log in to your office computer. You may need to enter your username as "nku\username".

 

Mac Logo

Mac: What to do on your home computer

  1. Ensure you are connected to NKU's VPN.
  2. Install the Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for Mac.  Instructions can be found on Microsoft's Remote Desktop Mac Site, under "Get the Remote Desktop client".
  3. When you run the program, it will ask for your computer name.  Use the format "nku063644".  If this does not work, use the format "nku063644.hh.nku.edu".
  4. You will be prompted for your NKU username and password.  In the "Domain" field, enter "hh.nku.edu".

What Comes Next

After logging in, your office computer's desktop should appear on your screen, and you can operate it as usual.

If you print a document from your office computer, it will print to your home printer (if available).

cq-text-component-placeholder