How to connect to a Mac mini M1

This page shows how to connect to your Mac mini M1 via either VNC or SSH.

How to connect via VNC

VNC is a remote desktop-sharing protocol. It allows you to visualize the graphical screen output of a remote computer and to transfer local keyboard and mouse events to the remote computer by using a network connection. The protocol is platform-independent which means that various clients exist for Linux, Windows, and macOS based computers. The VNC server used on the M1 is the one directly integrated in the macOS system without any restriction from our side.

1. Click Apple silicon in the Bare Metal section of the side menu. A list of your Mac mini M1s displays.

   

2. Click the Mac mini M1 you want to connect to. Your Mac mini M1 Overview displays.

3. Click the VNC button to launch a VNC session on your Mac mini M1.

   

   Your VNC client opens, and you can log in to the graphical environment of macOS using the default user “m1” and your password.

   Note:

   macOS may ask you for your password once logged into the VNC session. Change the keyboard layout of macOS to your computer’s local keyboard layout before entering the password. Click “U.S. keyboard” in the top right corner, to display a list of all available keyboard layouts.

   

You are now logged in and can launch applications just as if you were using your Mac mini M1 locally.

How to connect with Remmina on Linux OS

If you are using Linux and you experience problems using the VNC button to connect to your Mac mini M1, you can connect directly from a VNC client. In the example below, we use Remmina.

1. Download and install Remmina, if necessary. Note that Remmina is included in most Linux distributions as standard, however.

2. Open Remmina and click the square + icon in the top left of the screen to create a new quick connection.

3. Enter the following parameters:

   • Protocol: Remmina VNC Plugin
   • Server: The Public IP address of your Mac mini M1, displayed on its Overview page in the Scaleway console.
   • Username: m1
   • User password: The VNC password of your Mac mini M1, displayed on its Overview page in the Scaleway console.
   • Color depth: High color (16 bpp) or better, otherwise the connection will fail.

4. Click Save and connect to save these settings for the future, and launch a connection to your Mac mini M1.

You can now log in the graphical environment of macOS using the default user m1 and the VNC password.

Note:

macOS may ask you for your password once logged into the VNC session. Change the keyboard layout of macOS to your computer’s local keyboard layout before entering the password. Click on U.S. keyboard in the top right corner, to display a list of all available keyboard layouts

How to connect via SSH

You can also connect directly to the terminal of your Mac mini M1 using the SSH protocol and your SSH key.

1. Click Apple silicon in the Bare Metal section of the side menu. A list of your Mac mini M1s displays.
   
2. Click the Mac mini M1 you want to connect to. Your Mac mini M1 Overview displays. You can find your SSH connection information here, under SSH command.
   

Check out our documentation on how to connect to an Instance for more help with connecting via SSH.