Oriel is a free remote desktop server for macOS, made by Terminalworks. Install it on a Mac with Apple silicon and you can connect to that Mac from any Windows PC with Remote Desktop Connection, which already comes with Windows, or with Windows App. There is nothing to install on the PC.
Oriel is not released yet. It is coming soon, and you can sign up to get a single email on launch day (details at the end of this post).
Why reaching a Mac from Windows needs an extra piece
Macs include Screen Sharing, but it is built on VNC rather than Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Windows has no built-in client for it, so reaching a Mac from a PC usually means installing and maintaining extra software on every machine that needs access.
Oriel turns the Mac into an RDP server instead. Windows already knows how to talk to it, so the Mac shows up as just another Remote Desktop connection.
We built it for our own QA team first
Oriel started as an internal tool. Our QA team needed a dependable way to work on Macs from Windows while testing Alcedo RDP, our remote desktop client for Mac and Linux. Oriel is now in use every day, and we are making it available to everyone, free.
What a session feels like
Oriel is designed so that a Mac behaves the way you expect when you drive it from a Windows keyboard and mouse.
- Your shortcuts keep working. With the Windows-style layout, Ctrl acts as ⌘, so Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V and Ctrl+Z do what you expect. Mac-style and mixed layouts are available too.
- Clipboard, sound and printers. Copy text and images in both directions, hear the Mac's audio on your PC, and print from Mac apps to the printers at your desk.
- A privacy curtain on the Mac. While you work remotely, the Mac's own screens stay covered and local input is blocked. Authenticating at the Mac ends the remote session. Mirror and extend modes are there when you need them.
- Automatic reconnects. If the network drops, Windows reconnects to the session instead of ending it, the same way it does with a Windows PC.
- Out of your way. Oriel lives in the menu bar with no Dock icon, can start when you log in, and keeps the Mac from idle-sleeping while it runs.
Hardware-accelerated streaming on Apple silicon
Oriel captures the screen with ScreenCaptureKit, encodes it as H.264 in hardware through VideoToolbox in a low-latency mode, and streams it over standard RDP (AVC420). The Remote Desktop client on your PC already decodes that stream, so there are no add-ons to install. A new frame goes out only when the client has room for it, so you always see the latest image rather than a backlog.
| What |
Oriel |
| Frame rate |
Up to 60 frames per second |
| Average bitrate at 1080p |
About 7.5 Mbit/s, low enough for a typical home connection |
| Largest H.264 session |
4096 × 2304; larger sessions are sent as lossless frames |
| Lossless mode |
Optional, for when text has to be as sharp as possible |
| Fallback |
Software H.264 if the low-latency hardware encoder cannot run |
Under the hood, Oriel is a native Swift app built on FreeRDP 3.32 and OpenSSL 3.5.
You decide who can connect
Oriel signs in the way Windows expects: Network Level Authentication with a password you set in Oriel. On the first connection, compare the certificate thumbprint shown in Windows with the one shown in Oriel. Tick "Don't ask me again" and Windows will not ask about it on later connections.
You can also choose which networks may connect, for example only Tailscale. Connections coming through any other network are refused before TLS starts, and a change applies at once, without dropping your current session.
What Oriel needs, and where it stops for now
| Requirement |
Details |
| Mac |
Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later |
| On the Mac |
You are logged in, Oriel is running, and it has Screen Recording and Accessibility permission |
| Client |
Nothing to install on Windows. Remote Desktop Connection, Windows App, FreeRDP and Alcedo RDP all work |
| Network |
Your local network. From outside, a VPN such as Tailscale |
We would rather you know the current limits before you plan around Oriel:
- One session at a time, like a Windows PC. A new login takes over.
- One monitor per session.
- No drive, USB, smart card or microphone redirection.
- A sleeping Mac does not wake for Remote Desktop.
- After a restart, the Mac has to be unlocked and logged in before you can connect. Oriel cannot unlock FileVault for you.
From disk image to first connection
- Drag Oriel to Applications. Open the disk image, drag Oriel across and open it from Applications. The setup checklist opens, and from then on Oriel lives in your menu bar.
- Follow the setup checklist. Set a password and allow Screen Recording and Accessibility. Each item turns green only after Oriel has confirmed it actually works, not just when you click Allow.
- Connect from Windows. Open Remote Desktop Connection and enter the Mac's address, your macOS user name and your Oriel password.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oriel free?
Yes. Oriel will be free to use on your Mac.
Do I need to install anything on my Windows PC?
No. Remote Desktop Connection comes with Windows, and Windows App works too. Oriel uses standard RDP, so the client you already have is enough.
Does Oriel work on Intel Macs?
No. Oriel needs a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14 or later.
Can I connect to my Mac from outside my network?
Oriel is meant for your local network. To reach the Mac from outside, use a VPN such as Tailscale, and you can set Oriel to accept connections only through it.
Can several people use the same Mac at once?
Not for now. Oriel runs one session at a time, like a Windows PC, and a new login takes over the current one.
When does Oriel launch?
We have not announced a date yet. Leave your email on the Oriel page and we will let you know the day it is out.
Get one email when Oriel launches
Oriel is coming soon, and it will be free. Leave your address on the Oriel page and we will write to you once, when it launches.
