Mac Hacks: Everyday Tailscale Uses for People Who Aren’t Network Administrators

During our Club MacStories Fall Membership Drive, I published my Mac Hacks column, an exclusive perk of Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Mac Hacks is about exploring new ways of using the Mac and integrating it with other devices and novel workflows.

My latest column is all about Tailscale. As I explain in the story:

I’m a big fan of Tailscale, but it has two big problems that can make it confusing. The first issue is also one of Tailscale’s greatest strengths: its flexibility. The service has several built-in features that are useful as standalone tools, which is a good place to start. However, the ability to connect a disparate collection of devices without regard for their operating systems opens up a vastly larger universe of possibilities that’s only limited by your imagination. That makes it incredibly powerful – but a lot to wrap your head around, too.

So, to make Tailscale a little more accessible, I walked readers through how I’m using it to:

Share large files across my home network

Provide an added layer of security when using an unfamiliar Wi-Fi network

Move files from the Mac, iPhone, and iPad to Windows and Android devices

Remotely log into Macs

Directly access files on multiple Macs from my iPhone and iPad

Plus I cover using Tailscale to manage an over-the-air TV DVR, Plex server, and more.

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