Three Ways to Remotely Access PC from iPhone

Can I remotely access my computer from my phone?

“Whenever I travel for business to another city or country, I always need to download a large number of files onto my laptop in preparation in case I need them later. However, I occasionally find that carrying my laptop everywhere with me is difficult and bulky. Is it possible to remotely access my office computer from my iPhone, eliminating the need for me to bring my laptop?”

How to remotely access PC from iPhone

With the increase of the functions of our smartphones, they can be used to replace more and more computer functions, remote control is one of which. For example, you can just remotely access your computer files from your iPhone. Three ways to remotely access PC from iPhone are going to be introduced next.

Method 1. Access shared files with the iPhone built-in Files app

The first method we introduce here is to guide you on how to access shared files on your PC from your iPhone.

Step 1. On the Windows server, right-click the folder you want to access from the iPad, then choose Properties.

Step 2. Go to Sharing tab, then click Share.

Step 3. Choose people to share with, then click Share.

Step 4. Click Done to finish the process.

Step 5. Open the built-in Files app on your iPhone.

Step 6. Tap on the “triple-dot” icon located at the top-right corner and then click Connect to Server.

Step 7. Enter the Server IP and then tab Connect.

Step 8. Choose Guest or Registered User according to the setup on your file server. Enter the username and password, and then tap Next.

Step 9. You will now be connected to the shared folder.

Method 2. Add a PC within RD Client

Another way to remotely access PC form iPhone is to use the RD Client software. It’s worth noting that the way to access Windows computer from iPad is exactly the same as using iPhone.

 Step 1. Download and open RD Client on your iPhone.

Step 2. Click the “+” sign in the upper right corner of the interface, and select Add PC in the pop-up window.

Step 3. Click PC name.

Step 4. Enter the hostname or IP address of the remote computer. (Note that if you specify a different remote desktop port for your computer than the default 3389, you need to specify it as “host:port” or “192.168.1.156:specified port”).

Step 5. Click User Account.

Step 6. If you often need to remotely control a PC from iPhone, it is recommended that you select Add User Account. If you are not, you can choose the default Ask When Required.

Step 7. Back to the main interface and click the IP address icon just created, enter the user name and password of the controlled computer in the pop-up Enter Your User Account window, and click Continue to successfully establish the connection.

Step 8. Then you can control PC from your iPhone.

Note: RD Client can be used only when the PC and iPhone are under the same network, otherwise, you’ll need to configure the port forwarding.

Method 3. Use third-party remote desktop software

The last way how to remotely control a PC from iPhone is to use the free third-party remote desktop software AnyViewer which can be used even if the two devices are under different networks. 

Part 1. Enable remote access on Windows computer

Step 1. Download, install and launch AnyViewer on the Windows computer.

Step 2. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)

Step 3. Fill in the signup information.

Step 4. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.

Part 2. Achieve unattended remote access on iPhone

Step 1. Download and install AnyViewer for iOS on your iPhone, then open it. Log in to the account you've logged in to the Windows computer.

Step 2. Then all the devices that have been logged in to the same account will be displayed here. Choose the device that you want to control.

Step 3. Click One-click control to achieve unattended remote access to the specific computer.

Step 4. Then you'll be successfully connecting your iPhone to Windows computer. It supports both vertical and horizontal screens, you can switch freely.

Conclusion

This post mainly introduces three methods on how to remotely access PC from iPhone. You can use the iOS built-in Files App to remotely access shared files on the computer, or use RD Client on your iPhone to remotely connect to the Windows built-in remote desktop program on your computer. The final option we offer is to use the free third-party remote desktop software AnyViewer, which allows you to remotely access your PC from your iPhone easily and quickly.