Andrew O'Hara
Back to My Mac will be no more once macOS Mojave is released this fall. Apple on Tuesday made the discontinuation official by notifying customers of the removal, and sharing a support document outlining the changes.
A new support document outlines ways users can transition to other Apple services to replace the retired iCloud feature including iCloud Drive, screen sharing, and the Apple Remote Desktop app.
"Back to My Mac will not be available on macOS Mojave," reads the document in part. "You can get ready now by learning about alternatives for file access, screen sharing, and remote desktop access."
Back to My Mac debuted back in 2007 with Mac OS X Leopard as part of what was then known as .Mac. Later, .Mac turned into MobileMe before eventually becoming iCloud with Back to My Mac coming along for the ride. It was an easy and convenient way for users to access files on another machine remotely.
For users who had both a desktop and a laptop, it was a great way to share the screen and access files while at home or away. With the release of iCloud Drive and Apple's own Remote Desktop app, there is less of a need for this niche service that is replicating other features.
When the first beta of macOS Mojave was released, Back to My Mac was removed, though the news of it went a bit below the radar, perhaps highlighting how few people were currently using the aging service.
macOS Mojave will be shipping this fall as a free update for those on compatible machines, bringing many new features.
For those who rely on Back to MY Mac, AppleInsider has collected a few quick and easy alternatives that will take users well into the macOS Mojave era.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
51 Comments
Waiting for the “Apple is dead to me, Mojave is useless” comments. But I would like to know the reasoning behind the removal of the feature. Security? More likely redundancy like the article surmises. I never used it personally but that’s just me.
That's just great. The only good feature (aside from sharing calendar) is being removed. That just means not upgrading to Mojave (as I need none of the 90+ new 'features') or switching to other platforms. :-(
THAT'S what Back to My Mac was? I toyed around with setting up a VPN so I can access files on my home network remotely. I hadn't realized this was available out of the box.
Hmm, I'll be curious to see the feature AppleInsider is working on. I use Back to My Mac all the time. With it gone, not sure how my home computer's IP address will be made known to my laptop or work computer to allow connection.