CoRD is a free, open-source RDP client for macOS that lets you connect to Windows machines and other Remote Desktop Protocol servers directly from your Mac.
What is CoRD?
CoRD is a macOS application that speaks Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol, giving you a native Mac window into any Windows PC, Windows Server, or RDP-capable machine on your network or across the internet. It has been a quiet staple of sysadmins and developers who need to reach Windows environments without leaving their Mac workflow — long before Microsoft shipped its own official RDP client for macOS.
The project is open-source and lives on SourceForge, which tells you something about its vintage. It predates a lot of the polished remote-access tools we have today, but that age also means it is lean, dependency-free, and does not require a Microsoft account to run.
What does CoRD do best?
CoRD shines at managing multiple simultaneous RDP sessions from a single, drawer-style server list — something that feels more natural on macOS than the tab-heavy approach Microsoft Remote Desktop uses.
You can store a whole roster of servers — each with its own credentials, resolution, color depth, and drive-forwarding settings — and connect to several at once, each opening in its own scalable window. The server drawer keeps everything tidy without forcing you to hunt through a grid of thumbnails. For someone who routinely jumps between a dev VM, a staging server, and a client's Windows box, that muscle-memory workflow is genuinely faster than alternatives.
Drive forwarding works reliably for basic file transfers, and you can forward local printers and the clipboard. CoRD also scales the remote desktop to fit your window, which matters when you are on a Retina display connecting to a server set to a 1024 × 768 resolution.
Is CoRD free?
Yes — CoRD is completely free to download and use, with no trial period, no subscription, and no feature gates. It is released under the MIT licence, so you can inspect the source code yourself.
The trade-off for that zero cost is that active development has slowed considerably. The project is not abandoned, but update cadence is slow. For most stable RDP scenarios — connecting to Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server — it works fine, but bleeding-edge protocol features like RemoteFX or RDP 10 enhancements may not be supported.
Who should use CoRD?
CoRD suits Mac users who need lightweight, no-fuss access to one or more Windows machines and want something that feels like a proper macOS citizen rather than a ported Windows application.
- Sysadmins who manage a handful of Windows servers and want all their saved connections in one sidebar.
- Developers running Windows VMs locally or on a corporate VPN who need a quick, low-overhead RDP window.
- Power users who find Microsoft Remote Desktop's launcher interface slower to navigate than CoRD's drawer paradigm.
If you need NLA (Network Level Authentication) with modern Active Directory, smart-card passthrough, or RemoteApp support, you will likely need to look elsewhere. CoRD is best for straightforward point-to-point RDP — not enterprise feature parity.
What are the best CoRD alternatives?
The most direct replacement is Microsoft Remote Desktop (free on the Mac App Store), which is actively maintained, supports NLA, RemoteApp, and Azure Virtual Desktop, and has a polished macOS UI. It is the right call for most users today.
Royal TSX steps up for teams and power users who need credential management, tabbed sessions, and support for SSH, VNC, and web connections alongside RDP — though it carries a licensing cost. Screens 5 is worth a look if you also connect to Macs over VNC. For pure open-source fans, FreeRDP provides a command-line RDP client that CoRD actually builds on under the hood.
Where CoRD still edges out Microsoft Remote Desktop is in its drawer-based multi-server UI and its willingness to run without a Microsoft account — small things that matter when you are in a hurry.
How does CoRD compare to Microsoft Remote Desktop?
Microsoft Remote Desktop wins on protocol depth, security compliance, and ongoing support; CoRD wins on simplicity, zero-account-required setup, and the classic drawer UI that veterans prefer.
If your environment enforces NLA or modern certificate policies, Microsoft Remote Desktop is non-negotiable. But if you are connecting to a home lab or a legacy server where you control the settings, CoRD's lighter footprint and quicker connection flow can make it a more pleasant daily driver. I keep both installed: CoRD for my personal Windows VM, Microsoft Remote Desktop for anything corporate.
