Remote Desktop

Open the desktop of a macOS Devbox in a VNC client to see and use it from your machine.

Some work on a Mac needs the screen: trying an app in the iOS Simulator, checking how a page renders in Safari, answering a system dialog, or using a tool that has no command line. A macOS Devbox has a full desktop for this. Open it in a VNC client on your machine to see it live and use it with your own mouse and keyboard.

[!NOTE]

The desktop is available on macOS Devboxes only. See Create a Devbox.

Open the Desktop

devbox desktop connect opens the desktop of a Devbox in your local VNC client:

CLI

devbox desktop connect my-devbox

Omit the name to pick a Devbox from a list.

The connection is forwarded through a local port, so the Devbox needs no public address or open port. It stays open until you close the VNC client or press Ctrl+C in the terminal.

Click and type in the window to use the desktop as you would a local Mac. Apps you start keep running on the Devbox after you close the VNC client.

Use a Different VNC Client

Pass --no_open to print the connection details instead of opening a client:

CLI

devbox desktop connect my-devbox --no_open

Connect your VNC client to the printed address with the printed credentials.