What options do I have to access Mac Mini using MacBook Pro?

More research: Target Display Mode, provided both Macs are compatible with this, would enable you to view the screen of the Mini. However the Mini would have to be signed into a user account first, which might be difficult with no display.

https://support.apple.com/ht204592

mobeenshaik wrote:

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1. Screen share : Where both MacBook Pro and Mac Mini should be on same network

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Apple's own Screen Sharing works just fine over a LAN. I have

a Mini that I use as a server for iTunes, file server, and local

backups. It runs headless and through an admin account

set up on it I can log in and completely control it from any of

my Macs.

mobeenshaik wrote:

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2. Remote Control software: Something like TeamViewer, where both should be connected to Internet, almost same as option 1

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For this, you will need to consider mature than just a VPN for

external connection. Since you will be in effect opening up

the Mini to outside world access, you will need to make sure that

you have a very strong firewall in place, if you don't already.

Target disk mode will enable you to access the files on the Mini, and you can enable it with a startup keystroke so that you don't need a monitor. It won't enable you to view the Mini's screen or control it, only to use it as if it were an external disk. You won't be able to enable file or screen sharing because you won't be able to view and access the System Preferences.

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25318

Further research - if you have an older Mini (though I guess yours is more recent from your earlier post) these have a DVI output for a monitor: you should be able to get an adaptor (if these are still available) to composite video or VGA (but not HDMI). Some TVs will accept VGA; probably even now most have a composite input (may be on a 3-pin 3.5mm jack) - this will look poor quality but would enable you to set up screen sharing.

You may be able to boot from the Mini on the MBPro which would enable you to enable file and screen sharing. Failing that you may be able to connect it to a television as I described above and do the same thing.

Once enabled: Screen Sharing gives you the Mini's display as a window in the MBPro without your having to reboot it. You can carry out pretty well all functions that way: keystrokes work as long as the cursor is within that window (and of course it is frontmost).

File sharing gives you access to the files which you can copy over to the MBPro.

Both are slower than the 'real thing' but not by a large factor. Even quite large files will copy in a moderate time - I do this with audio files running to 250MB and more, and they take only a minute or so, and that over wifi.

Target Disk Mode isn't really necessary if you have file sharing set up. Its most useful application is when using Migration Assistant. File Sharing is pretty well seamless (the first time you mount a folder make an alias of it on the MBPro then you can mount it quickly).

You can access the screen of the Mini both on your Macbook Pro and using the Android app, and you can access the files on the Macbook Pro: but before you can do this you have to enable screen and file sharing on the Mini (in system preferences>Sharing - see picture, right). This means you need a monitor to get that far. Perhaps if you know someone with a separate monitor you could use that: or an Apple Store might be able to help you.

Indeed, I wouldn't recommend doing this through the internet - though it's possible, it's really intended for when you need to access your computer from another location, and as said there are security implications. I use both screen sharing and file sharing over my local network (a mixture of ethernet and wi-fi) and it works a treat.

I can also screen share onto my Android tablet on the local network using Mocha VNC (there is also a lite version). it's possible to access the file system of a tablet on a Mac but it's much more difficult the other way round.

As I said above, it's of course necessary to enable sharing on the source Mac first.

It may work - external booting can be touchy - but there's no harm in trying. If it works I should confine youself to enabling screen and file sharing, and then us that: booting from the Mini is likely to be very slow. Screen sharing is only slightly slower than the real thing.

That's correct: as far as mirroring to a TV is concerned it depends on your model. From what I can see of the specs, only the models from mid 2010 on can feed a television. The mid 2010 model has a HDMI socket which you should be able to connect directly to a modern television. The later models replaced that first with a DisplayPort, then with a Thunderbolt port (which is the same socket and can be used in this way).

The latter two require the addition of a displayport to HDM adaptor - such as this one. When you plug the adaptor into the Mini and the HDMI lead into the adaptor (or directly into the one model of Mini) and the other end into the television it should mirror the (non-existent) display immediately (this is not something i've been able to try as I have two iMacs and a Macbook Pro, so always with a display, but just plugging these in works). Older models of the Mini appear not to be able to do this. (It's always a good idea to post the exact model when you have a question.)

a vnc setup would likely be easier

Using Android smartphone as main display

as teamviewer tunnel across the internet so performance is worse