Gadgetory

there are lots of ways to remotely access your computer but Google has its own solution that lets you view your Mac or PC from your Android device the setup is really simple first launch Chrome on your PC and install Chrome remote desktop this works for Mac and Windows once it's installed open the app and grant it permission for remote access now you've got two options the first is useful if you're trying to troubleshoot a friend or family's computer you'd want to set this up on their computer if they're constantly bothering you for technical support the second option is good if you want to access your own machine before I can continue there's one additional piece of software to install that will give my Android permission to access the computer remotely when that's all set the last thing to do is to choose a pin so that any random person can't just access your computer if they swipe your phone so choose a pin and when you're done you'll be asked to enter it to enable the service the second part of this equation happens on your Android device where you'll be accessing your computer just install the chrome remote desktop app from the Google Play Store and make sure that when you're setting it up you're signed in with the same account you used for the desktop web app choose the computer you want to access enter your PIN and your desktop will appear right away at this point you can interact with anything on screen swiping to change the view and using the usual pinch gesture to zoom in and out navigation can be a little awkward but it helps if you use this option to make it fullscreen you can also use the menu button to access control alt delete' or to disconnect back on your computer and alert box shows up at the bottom of the screen to let you or the other person know that the screen is being mirrored plus an option to stop the session so now whenever you're away from home or you get that frantic call from a family member there's an easy way to get remote access if you have any questions or tips of your own hit me up on Twitter and check out cnet.com slash how-to for more tips like this for CNET I'm Sharon Profis