On the PC, open Settings › System › Remote Desktop and turn it on.
Write down the PC name shown on that page. That's the address to use in Pane (the IP address works too).
Leave Require devices to use Network Level Authentication turned on.
Windows Home doesn't have Remote Desktop. You need Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education.
Signing in
If you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, use that email address and its password. Your PIN won't work.
If you always sign in with a PIN or Windows Hello, sign in on the PC with your password once. Still failing? Turn off only allow Windows Hello sign-in in Settings › Accounts › Sign-in options.
On a work PC, use DOMAIN\name or [email protected], or put the domain in its own field.
By default only admin accounts can connect. To let other accounts in, add them under Remote Desktop users on the same Settings page.
If it can't connect
The PC has to be awake. Stop it from sleeping while it's plugged in, or set up Wake-on-LAN for it in Pane.
If the PC thinks it's on a Public network, the firewall may block Remote Desktop. Switching it to Private in Settings › Network & internet usually fixes that.
Mac
On the Mac, open System Settings › General › Sharing and turn on Screen Sharing.
Click the ⓘ button next to it and allow your account, or choose All users.
Use the Local hostname shown at the bottom of the Sharing page (something like my-macbook.local), or the Mac's IP address. Macs also show up under Nearby in Pane.
If Remote Management is on instead, that works too.
Signing in
Use your Mac account's short user name (type whoami in Terminal if you're not sure) and your login password.
You can also turn on VNC viewers may control screen with password in the same ⓘ panel. Then leave the user name blank in Pane and use that password.
Good to know
Pane can't change a Mac's resolution, so it scales the screen down to fit. Pinch to zoom in. If the Mac has no monitor, an HDMI dummy plug gives it a decent resolution.
Copy and paste with a Mac doesn't work over Screen Sharing. Use Type Text instead, or Paste in the Shortcuts panel, which types out your clipboard.
For a terminal on your Mac, turn on Remote Login in the same Sharing settings and add it in Pane with SSH too.
Linux
GNOME (Ubuntu, Fedora)
Open Settings › System › Remote Desktop (on older versions, Settings › Sharing) and turn on Desktop Sharing.
Turn on Remote Control too, or you'll only be able to watch.
Use the user name and password under Login Details on that page. They're separate from your Linux login.
Add it in Pane as a Remote Desktop computer.
KDE Plasma
Plasma 6.1 and later have a Remote Desktop page in System Settings. Turn it on, add a user name and password there, and add the computer in Pane as Remote Desktop.
Other desktops
Install xrdp (on Debian and Ubuntu: sudo apt install xrdp) and add the computer as Remote Desktop. It starts a separate session and signs in with your Linux user name and password.
Or run a VNC server such as TigerVNC or x11vnc and add the computer as VNC. x11vnc only works on X11, not Wayland.
Servers
Anything running an SSH server works. Add it with SSH, and Pane can make a key and install it on the server for you, so you don't type the password each time.
Good to know
On Wayland, remote control only works through the desktop's own Remote Desktop setting (GNOME or KDE above) or xrdp's separate session.
The firewall has to allow port 3389 for Remote Desktop, 5900 for VNC, or 22 for SSH. On Ubuntu: sudo ufw allow 3389.
Questions
Can I connect when I'm away from home?
Yes, through a VPN like Tailscale or WireGuard. Once your phone is on the VPN, Pane reaches your computers the same way it does at home. Please don't open Remote Desktop or VNC ports on your router; they aren't safe facing the internet.
My mouse doesn't do anything on my iPhone
On iPhone, iOS only passes a mouse to apps when AssistiveTouch is on, in Settings › Accessibility › Touch › AssistiveTouch. Pane shows a note when it sees a mouse it can't use. On iPad, mice work without it.
I bought the unlock but Pane still says it's free
Open Pane's Settings, tap Unlock, and choose Restore Purchase. It works on any iPhone or iPad signed in to the same Apple Account, and for people in your Family Sharing group.
Is there a subscription?
No. Pane is free with one computer, and a single purchase adds as many as you want, for good.
Where are my passwords kept?
In the iOS Keychain on your device, and in iCloud Keychain only if you turn on password sync. Pane has no servers that see them. The privacy policy has the details.
Still stuck?
The fastest way is Settings › Help › Send Feedback in Pane. It can include a log of what Pane did recently, which usually shows what went wrong.
You can also use the contact form or email [email protected]. Say what kind of computer you're connecting to and what you see on the screen.