Have you ever been put in a scenario: You’re far away from home and so in need of accessing a file on your computer, which is also left at home?
Will you come back home, or just let it happen? But either way, it’s dilly-dallying and extremely inconvenient for you to do so.
Then what should you do? How to manage your time and energy but still can access your home computer? In this article, I will give you an answer to the question: “How to access another computer through IP address?” and the simplest ways to do it like an expert.
What is an IP Address?
An IP address is an identifier for every device all over the world. The word “IP” stands for “internet protocol address”, as known as IP address.
They are normally written in a series of numbers, divided by periods and yes! – They’re for the computers to identify each other (for example 192.168.1.1).
Access Another Computer Through an IP Address by Remote Desktop
One of the most popular tools to remotely access Microsoft Windows computers is Microsoft’s Remote Desktop. With this software, you can easily access any computer running Windows 10 or any earlier versions of the system. And did you know? It’s free to use too!
To access another computer through an IP address, you need to ensure that the computer is powered on and connected to the Internet. The next step is to secure the connection on your computer.
To do this, you need to click the “Start Menu” then select “Settings”. Within the “Settings” menu, choose “Remote desktop” and then click on “Enable Remote Desktop”. Remember to note this IP address down.
On another computer, open the Remote desktop and enter the IP address that you want to access. You can easily find the IP address in the Settings menu. Once you finish entering it, click Connect.
How to Find Your IP address:
For Windows:
On Windows 10, you can find the IP address, not utilizing the command prompt:
- Get on the Start icon and select Settings.
- Choose the Network & Internet symbol.
- Next, choose Ethernet on the left menu and pick your network connection. You will see your IP address shown up next to “IPv4 Address”.
- With a wireless connection, you need to choose WiFi on the left menu and click Advanced Options, then you will find your IP address next to “IPv4 address”.
Mac OS X:
Find the IP address on Mac OS X 10.5 and later version:
- Open the Apple menu, select System Preferences, and click Network.
- When the Network Preferences window pop-up, choose a network port (e.g., AirPort, Wi-Fi). When you are connected, you’ll see its IP address under “Status:”.
Other Remote Computer Access Tools
Teamviewer
TeamViewer is an extremely convenient program to remotely control any computer all over the Internet. You can easily download it on your PC, tablet, or even your phone. With super-easy to download and install, this program is perfect for those who need to recover forgotten files, run programs, or troubleshoot a problem without moving.
Chrome Remote Desktop
To access files and applications on another computer, you can work with a computer or mobile device and use Chrome Remote Desktop.
- Open Chrome
- Within the address bar, type remotedesktop.google.com/access, and press Enter.
- Click Access to choose which computer you want.
- To access another computer, enter the PIN required.
- Then click the arrow to join.
- When you’re completed, close your tab to the end.
Tips And Tricks
- To allow users on Windows Vista or earlier versions of the operating system, choose “Allow Connections From Computers Running Any Version of Remote Desktop” for an accessible connection with the remote computer. However, this is less secure to protect your data from hacking.
- For allowing standard users, click “Select Users” on the Remote tab and then click “Add.” Enter the name of the standard user, click “Check Names” to find the correct account, and then click “OK.”
Can We Share What We Want with Other Computers Via Our IP Address?
When connected to a switch or router, each system receives an IP address attached to it by default (with DHCP protocol) or from the administrator (Static IP addresses). And to recognize a system on the network, we will utilize this IP address. Thus, you can request data or send data to different devices.
Instructions (For Windows 8 & 8.1):
- Open the ‘My Computer’ window on your PC list.
- On top of the pop-up window, there would be three menu tabs (Files, Computer & View). Choose the ‘Computer’ tab and then select ‘Map network drive’. A window pop-ups with several options, which links to your networked computer.
- Click the ‘Browse’ button. Then, type the IP address in the text box and the drive to which you want to connect. For example, “192.168.1.10\c” connects to the IP address and the computer’s “C” drive, click ‘OK.’
- Click ‘Finish’ to map to the remote computer. The window closes and you can see the new mapped drive character in the window. Double-click the mapped drive.
- Double-click a file you want to open. When you open the file on your computer, any changes made to the file are saved on the remote computer. You can also duplicate, edit, or delete the files from another computer.
Last Words
How to access another computer through IP address isn’t as difficult as you might think! All you need is another device to connect and a simple, clear-cut guide to follow. Perhaps you might find it’s hard to understand for the first time but believe me, the next time will be easy as pie!