Using the Windows App (Mac)

Owned by Trevor Bain
Oct 09, 2024
3 min read

If you haven’t done so already, download and install the Windows App from the App Store

Launch the Windows App (double-click on the Windows App icon in your Applications folder. If this is your first time using the Windows App, you will need to navigate through a series of welcome screens that you can read and dismiss

Originally you will see a blank window where you can add computers that you connect to (below).

Screen capture showing the Windows App with no devices listed

Click on the + in the upper right corner of the app and choose the Add PC option (below).

Screen capture showing the location of the Add PC option

In the resulting Window, add the details for the computer that you want to connect to.

PC name: the network name of the computer (e.g. health123-01.uwaterloo.ca)

Credentials: either Ask when required or you can choose the option to “Add Credentials” and save your credentials with the connection information. Note: Username can be either:

your UW userid with “nexus\” as the prefix (e.g. nexus\myuserid), or

your userid followed by “@uwaterloo.ca” (e.g. myuserid@uwaterloo.ca)

Friendly name: what you want the computer name to be in the “Devices” list of the Windows App

Click Add

Your newly-added computer connection will now appear in the list of Devices (below).

Connect to the PC by double-clicking on the large tile/icon in the Devices list.

If prompted, enter your credentials in the format nexus\userid or userid@uwaterloo.ca

You will be shown a certificate error when you connect (below), it is okay to click Continue to complete the connection to your Windows desktop

Unless you have programs running on the computer, you should sign out of the desktop - don’t just close the connection in the Windows App or close the Windows App.

  1. Click on the Windows icon on the taskbar along the bottom

  2. On the resulting window that pops up, click on your picture or name at the bottom

  3. Click on the Sign out option

 

If you have multiple monitors where you are connecting from, you can edit the Display settings and check the “Use all monitors” option. To edit the settings, click on the pencil icon when you hover your mouse over the device tile/icon.