How to Connect to Windows and Linux Servers from macOS, Windows, Linux, and the AWS Console

Introduction#

Connecting to a remote Windows or Linux server can be done in several ways depending on the client operating system, the server operating system, the network design, and the security requirements. This guide explains the most common and practical methods for connecting from macOS, Windows, Linux, and directly from the AWS Management Console.

The main connection methods are:

• SSH for Linux command-line access
• RDP for Windows graphical desktop access
• AWS Systems Manager Session Manager for browser or CLI access without opening inbound ports
• AWS Fleet Manager Remote Desktop for Windows desktop access in a browser
• SSM port forwarding for secure RDP, database, and internal application access
• EC2 Instance Connect for browser-based or short-lived SSH access to Linux
• Bastion or jump hosts for traditional private-network access
• VPN or Direct Connect for private enterprise connectivity

Quick decision table#

1. Connect from macOS to a Linux EC2 instance#

Option A: AWS Systems Manager Session Manager#

Session Manager is usually the safest option because it does not require a public IP address, an inbound SSH rule, or a private SSH key. The EC2 instance must have SSM Agent running, an IAM role with AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore , and network connectivity to Systems Manager.

You can also connect from the AWS Console:

Option B: Traditional SSH#

Use SSH when the instance has a reachable IP address or when you are connected through a VPN, bastion, or private network.

For Ubuntu:

2. Connect from macOS to a Windows EC2 instance#

Option A: Fleet Manager Remote Desktop#

Nothing needs to be installed on macOS. Open a browser and navigate to:

Fleet Manager opens the Windows desktop in the browser. It avoids exposing RDP port 3389 directly to the internet.

Option B: Windows App or Microsoft Remote Desktop through SSM#

For a native desktop experience, install the Microsoft Windows App on macOS, then create an SSM tunnel:

Keep the terminal open and connect the RDP client to:

Option C: Traditional RDP#

This requires a public IP or private network path and an inbound security group rule for TCP 3389 from a restricted source IP.

This method is simple but less desirable when RDP is exposed directly to the internet.

3. Connect from Windows to a Linux EC2 instance#

Option A: Session Manager#

Install AWS CLI v2 and the Session Manager plugin, then run:

Option B: PowerShell SSH#

Recent Windows versions include the OpenSSH client:

Option C: PuTTY#

PuTTY can be used for SSH access. If the private key is in PEM format, convert it to PPK using PuTTYgen before connecting.

4. Connect from Windows to a Windows EC2 instance#

Option A: Fleet Manager#

Open Fleet Manager from a browser and launch the Windows desktop without opening RDP to the internet.

Option B: Remote Desktop Connection#

Open mstsc and enter the EC2 public IP, private IP over VPN, or an SSM-forwarded localhost port.

5. Connect from Linux to a Linux EC2 instance#

Option A: Session Manager#

Option B: SSH#

6. Connect from Linux to a Windows EC2 instance#

Option A: Fleet Manager#

Use any supported browser to open the Windows desktop from Fleet Manager.

Option B: Remmina or FreeRDP#

Create the SSM tunnel:

Then connect Remmina or FreeRDP to localhost:13389 .

7. Connect from the AWS Console#

Linux: Session Manager#