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Apple Remote Desktop

Apple Remote Desktop

Overview

What is Apple Remote Desktop?

Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Apple Remote Desktop has proven to be an invaluable tool for a wide range of users and organizations. IT departments, in particular, rely …
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Nondisruptive Access

10 out of 10
December 08, 2022
Incentivized
We use Apple Remote Desktop to connect to our MacOS end users on a regular basis to troubleshoot desktop support issues. The application …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 14 features
  • Instant message (20)
    9.3
    93%
  • File transfer (24)
    9.0
    90%
  • Screen sharing (25)
    8.9
    89%
  • Remote management of servers & workstations (21)
    8.4
    84%
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Pricing

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N/A
Unavailable

What is Apple Remote Desktop?

Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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GoTo Resolve is an all-in-one IT management and support software built for today's small-to-medium-sized businesses. It helps IT professionals streamline their help desk by bringing together the tools they need to engage, identify problems, and fix issues faster—all in one place. It combines remote…

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Product Demos

Apple Remote Desktop 3 Demo -Copy from remote to local-

YouTube
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Features

Remote Administration

Remote administration software is used to control a computer from a remote location.

8
Avg 8.3
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Product Details

What is Apple Remote Desktop?

Apple Remote Desktop Video

Installation and the basic how-to of  Remote Desktop in macOS 10.5.

Apple Remote Desktop Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.

Reviewers rate Instant message highest, with a score of 9.3.

The most common users of Apple Remote Desktop are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(104)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Apple Remote Desktop has proven to be an invaluable tool for a wide range of users and organizations. IT departments, in particular, rely on this software for remote access, support, and maintenance tasks. Users appreciate the ability to remotely view and command multiple machines at once, which improves efficiency and saves time. The software is particularly helpful for silently pushing updates or gathering information about computer usage behind the scenes. It also offers encrypted connections and compressed data traffic, ensuring secure and efficient remote support. This makes it a popular choice for organizations that prioritize data security.

Educators have also found value in Apple Remote Desktop, using it to enhance student engagement through screen sharing and remote control. It allows educators to observe multiple devices simultaneously and organize them according to grade levels. In an educational setting, the software supports content and use management, facilitating screen sharing and file sharing among students. Additionally, Apple Remote Desktop streamlines logins for young students by pushing login information for various software programs.

Developers utilize Apple Remote Desktop to remotely work on Mac devices for iOS and macOS application builds. The software enables seamless collaboration by providing remote access to Mac Mini devices, allowing developers to work on their projects without being physically present at the machine. Support teams also find great value in this tool as they can connect to end users' macOS devices for troubleshooting desktop support issues and performing software updates without needing physical access to the machines.

Overall, Apple Remote Desktop offers a wide range of features that cater to diverse user needs. Whether it's IT administrators managing a large number of computers or educators improving student engagement, this software provides the necessary tools to save time, improve efficiency, and enhance productivity in various professional settings.

User-Friendly Interface: Many users have praised the user interface of Apple Remote Desktop, noting that it is simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate. They appreciate the top navigation bar that provides quick access to all necessary tools and elements in the software, making tasks effortless to perform.

Reliable Remote Access: Several reviewers have highlighted the reliability of Apple Remote Desktop's remote access capabilities. They mention that the software can remotely access Apple computers even if they are not logged in or at the login screen. This feature has proven particularly useful for performing updates or managing machines without interrupting the user's workflow.

Comprehensive Feature Set: Users value the wide range of functionality provided by Apple Remote Desktop at a low cost. They mention features such as remote searching on devices, screen capture sharing, file copy transfer, application installation, and automator actions that automate workflow tasks and save time. This comprehensive set of features makes Apple Remote Desktop a valuable tool for various tasks.

Cross-platform limitations: Some users have expressed disappointment that Apple Remote Desktop is only compatible with Mac computers, and they would like to see more support for iOS and mobile devices.

Performance issues: Several users have mentioned that the performance of Apple Remote Desktop can be slow, especially when running operations on multiple machines simultaneously.

Outdated user interface: Many users have found the user interface of Apple Remote Desktop to be outdated and in need of improvement. They feel that the interface can be confusing and requires specific configurations on endpoints.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 25)
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Zane Alsareinye | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple Remote Desktop helps me connect with my clients with ease. If there are problems or discussions that need to be conducted via Remote Desktop, this program is the most suitable. I have used it, especially during the pandemic, but also during times when traveling may not be as feasible, as well as when there is an urgent meeting that is taking place.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use it to control Mac remotely. It allows me much more control over Zoom Remote or Microsoft Remote Desktop in automation. We have over 200 Mac laptops and the other remote software falls short. It would be nice to have an all-in-one solution but I do not believe it exists.
Amul Porwal | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I researched about a lot of software that could help me manage all the workstations in my office, and I came across Apple Remote Desktop. I have always had faith in the services offered by Apple and I definitely had to try this one out. I got a tutorial from an expert and I knew that I have to use it no matter what. The biggest problem it helped me solve is that I can now manage and administer the common issues from my own desk. I can run the periodic task of maintenance from the comfort of my office.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple Remote Desktop works for us to manage all of our Apple computers on site. We can control screens, share files, run commands and manage the devices remotely. We use it for this basic functionality as an occasional alternative to other remote management products that we also run. Sometimes Apple Remote Desktop is the only software that can access the computer in a pinch.
December 08, 2022

Nondisruptive Access

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apple Remote Desktop to connect to our MacOS end users on a regular basis to troubleshoot desktop support issues. The application is also used for software updates and remote viewing/control of an Apple machine.
Isidoro "Roy" Jovero | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We used to use ARD when we had Mac-based Zoom Room setups, but after changing our ZR environment, we only use ARD on a couple of dashboard setups in the org. It proved to be very helpful when it came to working on machines that don't have regular human interaction (we would use Zoom to do remote support when a human was on the other end).
Ravinder Gupta | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are using Apple Remote Desktop for managing Mac computers on our network. The product is being used to perform administrative tasks such as on-demand remote assistance, remote software installations and perform AutoInstall using Task Server to minimize human intervention on scheduled tasks.

Automator Actions is another cool feature we use often. You can create a workflow of tasks you want to perform and then schedule them to execute automatically on client machines.

One of the coolest features which I haven't used elsewhere is "Curtain Mode" while performing an administrative task on a client machine. You can block the local user's view of his own screen while performing administrative tasks.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use it across the organization for various maintenance tasks. Whether it is accessing servers, installing packages, or simply assisting staff with technical problems, we have done it all it with ARD at some point.

Some users are more advanced than others and have even used it as a reporting tool. With the advent of Jamf in our organization though, I imagine ARD's days are numbered. Especially considering the security risks that are all but necessary in our implementation.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
ARD is being used by technology support staff in our organization to manage Apple desktops and laptops in our organization. It can collect stats from our endpoints and can run UNIX scripts in the background, this is especially helpful if we need to silently push an update or get information about the usage of a computer behind the scenes so to speak. We use this throughout our organization and not a day goes by when I do not use it.
Aleese Gulick | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Apple Remote Desktop to login into my work computer remotely. It is two different interfaces that I am dealing with and I have yet to have any issues, if anything it is very fast and easy to use. My whole department uses it if they have a need for it, and it is made available to the whole campus. It addresses the issue of having to conform to using one thing to access your work, makes it easier to get things done.
November 14, 2017

MR.Power ON ARD

Christopher Power | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple Remote Desktop is being used specifically for content and use management, at the school level, for managing students. The most used tools are computer screen sharing, file drops and locking labs of computers down during lesson plans. The entire organization of our school utilizes Apple Remote Desktop, as the entire school has MAC labs and MAC computers. All departments and educators have access to ARD in the entire building.

The problem that ARD addresses is the need to have a tool available for educators to improve the quality and control of the educational experience. Students often need files sent to them for lessons or project based learning. During other times teachers will need to use ARD in order to address the issue of student engagement and use Apple Remote Desktop to improve engagement by either screen sharing or sharing a student's screen to the rest of the class of students.
Angel Swalve | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple Remote Desktop is being used in our school district on each campus. I currently use Apple Remote Desktop to troubleshoot classroom and lab computers as needed. I also use Apple Remote Desktop to update computer software as new updates are released. I also use Apple Remote Desktop to make it easier for teachers, who bring in 20-25 Pre-Kindergarten students, by logging the lab computers in through Apple Remote Desktop. This creates less stress for the teachers and allows the students more time to work on their programs instead of sitting waiting for the teacher to log them in one by one. I also use Apple Remote Desktop to push log in information for different software programs. Apple Remote Desktop allows me to work on numerous computers quickly and more efficiently. I currently have over 250 computers that I manage on a daily basis and without Apple Remote Desktop it would be impossible to touch each and every computer.
Eric Kelley | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
With a company of over 800 employees and growing everyday, our IT department needs a remote support solution. We have users all over the country, and with Apple Remote Desktop we are able to quickly and efficiently support those users. We use ARD daily for general maintenance and fixes for our users, we push out updates and new software as well. I'd say the most critical use for ARD for myself is being able to VPN into my network and maintain the servers when I am offsite.
December 15, 2016

Great tool!

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is used to monitor students when they work on MacBooks. I use it to maintain, update, install and distribute certain applications remotely. It's good enough to take a peek at a number of devices at the same time. I can control how I want to have a look at the devices by just "observing" (without knowledge of the client) or having a total control on the device. It also helps in organizing the devices according to their grade levels. At certain times UNIX commands can be used to control the macs. There are many many more features of Apple remote desktop, and it all depends on the users how to make use of all of its features.
Gabriel Duff | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple remote desktop (ARD) is a key tool in any Macintosh system administrators tool box. Made by Apple itself and currently supporting remote connectivity to any of its operating systems, it's the tool you need. The ability to secure and collect any amount of systems across an organization for remote access or remote installs and commands makes my job easier every day. The price for ARD is also under $100 from Apple's app store, this makes it very easy to recommend for support and keeps you in budget with your company. Being able to use a remote task server also allows ARD to be able to do tasks for you when you aren't around, further lightening your work load. IT also offers encrypted connections to users systems and compressed data traffic.
Tim Twiss | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is utilized by members of the information technology department to provide support for the Mac OS computers in our network environment. It is utilized primarily to provide instant remote support for end users whether they were in the same office or located in another city. We also rely heavily on ARD to provide detailed software and hardware reports on the clients running the software. It also works well to centrally manage the distribution of new software. Essentially, it allows the IT department to provide a much higher level of support while increasing efficiency and productivity.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apple Remote Desktop in the IT department to monitor and update our 150+ computers in our agency. ARD allows us to help employees with small tasks like updating software (Microsoft Ofiice, Flash ect.) to bigger task like troubleshooting issues over the phone. Overall ARD gets a lot of use from our 3 IT guys
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