Can Screens Connect work with a VPN?

Connecting to a remote computer through a VPN is neither recommended nor supported. Many VPNs operate in such a way that obscures the path of most user-space network traffic, preventing Screens from being able to directly contact and communicate with your remote computer.

Screens offers its own secure connection feature that encrypts the connection to your remote computer, preventing eavesdropping or hijacking by mischievous or malicious parties. See Configuring a Secure Connection in Screens for more information.

Tailscale

Some of our users are able to connect by using Tailscale, which is free for personal use. Tailscale also can provide a way to work around Carrier Grade NATs.

  1. Make sure your computer is configured for Remote Access via Screens
  2. Create a Tailscale account if you do not have one already
  3. Make sure to install Tailscale on the computer you'll be connecting to and the Mac(s) and/or iOS device(s) you'll be using Screens to connect from
  4. On the computer you'll be connecting to, open the Tailscale menu and click on your computer to copy the public IP address
  5. Create a new custom connection using this public IP address

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