Free Web Conferencing with Mikogo now on Your Mac
“The ideal cross-platform tool for free online group collaboration.”
With the new release, Mikogo provides an easy-to-use, secure, cross-platform online meeting tool available for use on both Windows® and Mac® computers. And the cost? It’s free and available for both commercial and private users.
Mikogo is a fast and secure solution suitable for anyone looking to organize web conferences, online meetings or remote support sessions, with many valuable features enhancing the user’s desktop sharing. Share your screen with up to 10 participants and conduct presentations in true color quality live over the Web, while still sitting at your desk.
Available at anytime, anywhere and for everyone, Mikogo is a breeze for any user regardless of technical ability.
When to use Mikogo
Mikogo eliminates the need to make on-site visits for tasks that can easily be achieved via screen sharing over the Internet. As Mikogo is free for everyone, it can be employed for a range of professional, academic, or personal uses:
- Remote support – grant or request remote keyboard & mouse control to assist clients and colleagues. Easy remote support between both Mac and PC computers.
- Online meetings – meet with colleagues online to discuss and edit your team projects.
- Product demonstrations – conduct product demos or make sales pitches to prospects.
- Web presentations – present any screen content in real time without uploading documents beforehand.
- Online learning – Teach and train your pupils regardless of distance.
- Keeping in Touch – share anything you wish and invite your friends and relatives to view your screen and join in on the action.
Features
Now with the new Mac version of Mikogo, users can start and join Mikogo sessions from the Mac computer and enjoy the following features:
- Screen Sharing – with up to 10 participants in real-time
- Remote Keyboard & Mouse Control – cross-platform remote control allows you to remotely support PC or Mac computers
- Switch Presenter – allow a participant to become presenter and share their screen
- Participant Pointer – participants can click in their viewer window to display their colored mouse cursor on the current presenter’s screen, aiding discussion and demonstrations.
- Pause Transmission – simply pause screen transmission and place the session on hold
- Copy/Paste/Email Meeting Info – quickly send you participants the required session info
- Voice Conferencing Service – If you require a conference calling service, feel free to use the provided Mikogo numbers. Participants call an appropriate number (based on location) and enter the current session ID. All participants will then be connected in a conference call.
- 256-Bit AES Encryption – All transmitted information during a session is encrypted via 256-Bit AES end-to-end encryption.
- Cross-Platform Functionality – both PC and Mac users can participate in Mikogo sessions, regardless of whether the session was started on a PC or Mac.
Using Mikogo on Mac Computers
You’ll find it a breeze to get started and use the new Mikogo version on your Mac computer. Check out the video or browse through the information and screenshots below:
For those who would like to embed the video into their own website or blog, please feel free to help yourself to the following YouTube embed code:
Downloading Mikogo on a Mac
The Mac version of Mikogo is free to download and use by clicking here.
Once you have downloaded it, copy the file to your location of choice e.g. the program folder. To start Mikogo, double click on the file. At this point the Mikogo splashscreen will appear in the center of your screen, as well as the M icon in both the dock and the menu bar:
Starting a session
To start a meeting, click on the M icon in your menu bar to open the Mikogo menu and select “Start Meeting”:
Upon your first time starting a meeting you will be prompted to enter your Mikogo username and password. You can receive your details by signing up on the Free Mikogo Account page.
Click Ok, the meeting will begin and the Mikogo Meeting Info window will then appear:
This will contain the unique 9-digit meeting ID, that your meeting participants will need in order to join the meeting. Also within this window, you’ll notice three buttons: Email Meeting Information, Copy Meeting Information & Copy Meeting ID. These provide a quick easy way to notify your participants of the details for the upcoming meeting.
Joining a meeting
Participants can download the Mac version by clicking here. Upon opening and starting the Mikogo file, they will receive the M icon in the dock and menu bar (just like the meeting organizer). To join the meeting, click on the M icon in the menu bar and select “Join Meeting”:
The Join Meeting window will appear for the participant to enter the 9-digit meeting ID:
When the participant enters the ID and then clicks “Join Meeting”, the connection is established and the participant can view the organizer’s screen in real time.
Below you see an example of a participant, on a Windows PC, who has joined the meeting of a Mac computer, and can now see the Mac desktop in real-time in the viewer window:
Please note that up to 10 people can participate in any one Mikogo meeting, by repeating the process above. Also, meetings can be held for as long and as often as you wish.
Using the Features
During the meeting you can click on the M icon in your menu bar to access the Mikogo menu and included features:
Pause Transmission:
Select “Pause Transmission” to pause the screen transmission and place the meeting on hold, at which point your meeting participants are unable to see any action you make on your computer.
Switch Presenter:
At any point during the meeting, you can select “Switch presenter”, click on a participant’s name and send them an invitation to become the presenter. The chosen participant then accepts the invitation, becomes the presenter, and the participants will then view the new presenter’s screen in real-time. You may switch between presenters as often as you wish. Below you can see that the Mac computer has now switched to view a participant’s screen, and it is now the PC that is the presenter:
Remote Keyboard & Mouse Control:
Not only does the Mikogo Mac Version provide an easy to use web conferencing tool, it also provides a fast solution to remotely support any other Mac or PC computer. Regardless of whether you are the organizer or the participant of a meeting, you can grant remote control of your screen to another person in the meeting.
As the organizer and current presenter, click on the M icon in your menu bar, scroll down to “Remote Control” and then click on the name of the participant who you wish to grant remote keyboard and mouse control of your screen. The participant will then receive a notification window informing them that they have control of the presenter’s screen:
Alternatively, if you have joined the meeting as a participant and you wish for the organizer to take remote control of your computer, the organizer will first switch presenting rights so you are then presenting your screen. You can then click on the M icon in your menu bar and select remote control. You will then receive a notification informing you that the organizer has remote control of your desktop:
For security reasons, at any point during times when your participant or organizer has remote control of your screen, you can regain full control by pressing CTRL+F12:
Lock Meeting:
To join a Mikogo meeting, a participant requires the unique 9-digit ID from the meeting organizer. However, for security reasons, if the meeting organizer locks the meeting, even those with the ID are unable to enter the meeting.
Meeting Info:
You can access the Meeting Info window at any time to again, which will contain the current meeting ID.
Participant List:
Within the Meeting Info window, you can select the Participant Tab to see a list of all the participants that are connected to your meeting.
End Meeting:
When you are ready to end the meeting, again click on the M icon in your menu bar and select “End Meeting”. The participants will automatically be disconnected and the screen sharing ceases.
