How To Log In Mac Mini

David Ch'ng

Modified on: Tue, 10 Nov, 2026 at 3:25 PM

How to Connect to Your Mac mini

You can connect to your Mac mini in two ways: SSH (Terminal, text only) and VNC (Screen Sharing, full desktop).

Use the details from your welcome email: replace username with your Mac mini username and x.x.x.x with your Mac mini IP address.

Important: The standard ports (22 for SSH and 5900 for VNC) are closed at our network firewall. Use port 8288 for SSH, and reach VNC through an SSH tunnel as shown below.

1. Connect with SSH (Terminal)

macOS

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
Run this command:
```
ssh -p 8288 username@x.x.x.x
```
The first time, type yes to accept the host key.
Enter your password. Nothing shows on screen while you type. This is normal.

Windows

Install PuTTY (free) from putty.org and open it.
Under Session, enter:
- Host Name: x.x.x.x
- Port: 8288
- Connection type: SSH
Click Open, accept the host key, then enter your username and password.

2. Connect with VNC (Screen Sharing)

VNC runs through an SSH tunnel. Step A opens the tunnel and Step B connects the viewer. Keep the tunnel window open the whole time you use VNC.

Step A: Open the tunnel

macOS (Terminal):

ssh -p 8288 -L 5901:127.0.0.1:5900 username@x.x.x.x

Enter your password, then leave this window open.

Windows (PuTTY):

Under Session, enter Host Name x.x.x.x and Port 8288.
Go to Connection > SSH > Tunnels.
Source port: 5901. Destination: 127.0.0.1:5900. Select Local, then click Add.
Go back to Session, click Open, log in, and leave the window open.

Step B: Connect the VNC viewer

Connect to localhost on port 5901. Do not use the Mac mini IP address here.

macOS: In Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server (Cmd+K), enter:

vnc://localhost:5901

Click Connect, then sign in with your Mac mini username and password.

Windows: Install RealVNC Viewer (free), enter localhost:5901, and sign in with your Mac mini username and password.

When you are done, close the viewer, then type exit in the tunnel window (macOS) or close the PuTTY window (Windows).

Troubleshooting

Connection timed out	Check that you are using port 8288 for SSH. Do not use port 22.
Permission denied	Check your username and password from the welcome email.
VNC will not connect	Make sure the tunnel window is still open, and that the viewer points to `localhost:5901`.
Port 5901 already in use	Use another local port such as `5902` in the tunnel and the viewer.

Still cannot connect? Open a ticket with our Technical Support team and include the step where it fails.

English