Add your computer to NoMachine Network

• After installing, open NoMachine and navigate to 'Settings > Network > Machine'. (Fig 1).
• To connect to any NoMachine computer over Network, you need its Machine Id. A computer gets a unique Machine Id when it gets published, or "added", to NoMachine Network. Generating a Machine Id and adding a computer to Network is completely free to do for all users and can be done without being logged in to the Network service.

Fig. 1 – Settings -> Network -> Machine

• Click 'Add' (Fig. 2). This generates the Machine Id and an Access Id for your machine. The Access Id is an additional layer of security and is enabled by default. For more details about these take a look at the section Security Requirements to connect to your computer below.
• Make a note of the Machine Id (including the dashes '-') and Access Id. You will need them in the next stages.
• Click 'OK' (Fig. 3). For this tutorial, the computer will be available to 'Everybody'. To limit access now, you can also manually add the User Ids in the available space.
• Alternatively, you can add users from your own personal "Users book". To do that you need to have already created a NoMachine account and be logged in on the Player. See the section Configure who has access to your machine for more details.

Fig. 2 – Click Add to configure the computer's availability on Network

Fig. 3 – Click OK to publish the computer on Network

Create your NoMachine account

• Create a NoMachine account on the website or directly from within the NoMachine Player by clicking on 'Create a new account'.
• This is your User Id and you use it to log in to the Network service from any Player.
• Even though you don't need an account to publish computers on Network, you will need it to be able to connect to your Network computer.
• Your User Id also gives you access to your own Machines and Users books which are stored on Network. Whichever device you login from, you will find your computers and contacts right there.

Fig. 4 – Create an account by following the steps

Get your Network Subscription

• In order to connect to a NoMachine Network-enabled computer using its Machine Id, you need to purchase a Network subscription.
• Remember that if you don't want to connect using the Network service, you can still reach your NoMachine computer on LAN or via a simple Internet connection using your computer’s IP address. Check out our other tutorial to know more about that.
• Acquiring a subscription is easy and can be done by proceeding to the store and logging in with your NoMachine account.

Connect to the remote computer from another device

• Now go to the device you want to connect from.
• Install NoMachine for the appropriate operating system.
• Login to Network with your NoMachine User Id and password. You can login bottom left in the NoMachine Player or go to Settings, select Network, then Login.

Fig. 5 – Login panel

• The Machine Id you noted down earlier is required now because you will use it to start your first Network connection.
• You can start your connection in two ways: i) insert the Machine Id of the machine you'd like to connect to in the Search field and click on 'Connect to new Machine Id', or ii) click 'Add' and insert the Machine Id in the Host field of the Add panel.
• The name of the connection is up to you to configure. If you don't insert a name, NoMachine provides one for you based on what was inserted in the host field.
• If the Access Id has been enabled on the remote machine, insert it when prompted.

Fig. 6 – Insert your Machine Id in the search field and click the 'Connect to ...' link

Fig. 7 – Type in the Access Id

• Provided the Access Id is correct, you can now log in with your system account (Fig. 8) by typing in your username and password.
• If you don't have a system account because you are connecting to someone else's computer, choose to connect as a guest using Guest Desktop Sharing. You will require authorization from the desktop owner in order to successfully connect.

Fig. 8 – After inserting the Access Id, the Login panel asks for system credentials

• Approve and verify the host identification as a last step.
• Congratulations! You're now connected!

Fig. 9 – You're in!

Security requirements to connect to your computer

• The user that wants to access a remote computer published on Network must meet a number of security conditions to be able to connect to a remote machine via Network: i) they must know the Machine Id of the machine they want to access, ii) they must know its Access Id if it is enabled, and iii) they must have a system account (username and password) on that computer.
• A system account is not necessary when logging in as a guest to someone else’s computer using Guest Desktop Sharing. In that case, authorization from the desktop owner is required in order to connect.
• The Machine Id is the unique identifier of any PC or Mac on Network. Without it you won't be able to connect to that computer over Network or even find it. If you want other Network users to connect to your computer they need to know your Machine Id. This can be reset whenever you want. Generating a new Machine Id invalidates remote access using the old one.
• The Access Id is a random identifier that you can use as an optional extra layer of security. It is enabled by default during installation and it is good practice to keep it enabled. Anyone connecting to your computer, even if they have the Machine Id, will not be able to connect without the Access Id. Like the Machine Id, this can be reset whenever you want (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10 – Network machine panel showing Machine Id and Access Id

• You can also enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA) in this panel. 2FA is a free and optional feature introduced in NoMachine 9. You can use it to add a layer of protection to logins to your computer (via Network and traditional IP) and to your Network account. If you are interested in setting it up, read our tutorial about Activating Two-Factor Authentication.

Configure who has access to your machine

• As we mentioned earlier, you don’t need a NoMachine account (User Id) to add a computer to Network. You can insert User Ids manually in the available field to configure access for specific users.
• Is there a quicker way to do this? Yes – you can leverage your very own Users book. The Users book is where you store your Network contacts and to access it all you have to do is be logged in on any Player with your own User Id. Add all the User Ids and names to your Users book from any device and these records follow you wherever you login.
• So, by logging in to Network first, you can access your Users book from within the 'Change availability' panel. If access to the computer is for you only, login and navigate to Network > Machines > Change availability and select the radio button that indicates your User Id. Click 'Apply'.
• If you want specific Network users to be able to access the machine, select the User Ids of each user from your NoMachine Users book. Click 'Apply'.
• To remove a user from the 'Change machine availability' panel, right click on the User Id and select 'Remove user'.
• Information about who is authorized to connect to that computer is available in 'Machine' in the Network Settings (Fig. 12) along with the Machine Id and the Access Id for that machine.

Fig. 11 – Select which users can access your computer

Fig. 12 – Network machine settings panel showing access details

Disconnect and remove your machine

• It's simple to disconnect your computer from Network. Just click on the 'Disconnect' button (Fig. 13).
• Remove it completely from Network by clicking on 'Remove this machine from NoMachine Network' on the bottom (Fig. 14).

Fig. 13 – You can disconnect or remove your machine from Network

Fig. 14 – This panel will show up once you click on 'Remove this machine from NoMachine Network'