Check connection details, your environment and billing before submitting a reproducible issue. These steps apply to dedicated physical Macs. Use the signed-in portal as the source of truth for instance IPs, connection credentials and order status.
Still need help? Use a portal support ticket or email us using the details at the bottom of the page.
Still choosing a machine? Check the memory, storage and billing period before placing your order.
Use the instance details in the portal as your source of truth. Don't copy an IP from an old log or store passwords or private keys in a public repository.
Sign in to the portal and open the relevant order or instance details. Check the model, location, IP address, username and connection port, then confirm the instance has been delivered before connecting. If your team has several machines, use the instance ID to tell them apart.
Connection details are sensitive. When reporting an issue to an engineer, provide the instance ID only. Don't include full credentials in an email.
Prepare to connectUse the address and port shown in your instance details to start an SSH session. When you see a host key fingerprint for the first time, verify where it came from. If the system was reinstalled, the old fingerprint may no longer match. Don't dismiss the warning until you know why.
Once connected, check your current user and working directory before setting up key-based login. Keep your current session open until you've confirmed that a new session works, so you don't lock yourself out.
SSH connection stepsEnter the VNC connection details from your instance in a compatible client. Start with a lower resolution to confirm the connection, then increase the image quality as needed. A laggy desktop doesn't necessarily mean builds are slow.
On a slow network, lower the colour depth and turn off dynamic wallpapers. For tests or log checks, use SSH where possible to avoid waiting for desktop images to transfer.
Desktop connection and tuningKnow the difference between physical resources, remote access protocols and development tools. Identifying where an issue occurs helps you troubleshoot faster.
These answers cover setup, macOS, development tools and data. Back up your files and check the terms that apply to your order before reinstalling, changing plans or dealing with an expired instance.
Check the payment and order status in the portal first, then see whether the instance has been delivered. Once it's ready, connection details will appear in the instance page. A payment confirmation page is not a substitute for connection credentials.
Check the portal for the latest setup status; we don't promise a fixed number of minutes here. If your payment is confirmed but the instance hasn't been delivered, submit the order ID and a screenshot of its status so an engineer can investigate.
Export your source code, build artefacts and any required configuration, and make sure you can restore the backup elsewhere. Reinstallation may affect system disk contents, connection credentials, host fingerprints and installed tools. It's not the first step for a routine connection issue.
Open a support ticket in the portal with the instance ID, reason for reinstalling and required development environment. Confirm which macOS options are supported, how data will be handled and how the work will be scheduled before proceeding. This page does not promise a reinstall button or a fixed completion time.
Check the selected developer directory and tool version, then confirm which SDK and simulator runtime your project needs. If you have multiple versions installed, you can specify a developer directory for a single build without changing other running tasks.
xcode-select -p
xcodebuild -version
DEVELOPER_DIR="/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer" xcodebuild -versionThe final path is an example. Replace it with the path to an Xcode installation that exists on your Mac. Changing the developer directory doesn't install missing SDKs or runtimes. Run a small test before starting a production pipeline.
Available add-ons are a +1TB SSD and a +2TB SSD. The +1TB SSD costs $2.4/day, $6.5/week, $12.1/month or $32.9/quarter. The +2TB SSD costs $4.8/day, $13/week, $24.2/month or $65.8/quarter.
These are add-on prices and don't include the machine rental. Choose an add-on on the configuration page when placing a new order. For an instance that's already been delivered, submit a support ticket to confirm the available option, mount path and data migration steps. Adding capacity won't automatically move your existing working directory, so back up your data first.
Don't rely on post-expiry data retention as a backup. Renew or export your data before expiry, especially unpushed source code, test results and configuration stored only on the remote machine.
Retention and deletion periods are governed by the terms that apply to your order and notices in the portal; this page does not set a separate number of days. If your instance has expired, open a ticket under the original order right away to confirm its status. Don't assume the data can still be recovered.
Start by checking the billing record for the order in the portal. If you need to confirm the document format or billing details, include the order ID, required fields and purpose in a support ticket. Never send your full card number.
Check before paying whether we can provide documents that meet your local tax requirements. A USD billing record is not necessarily an invoice for local tax purposes, and the two should not be treated as equivalent.
Our nodes operate year-round, 365 days a year. This page describes our service commitment; it doesn't present monitoring data that isn't available as a historical track record.
Monthly availability target
99.9%
If monthly availability falls below 99.9%, we'll credit service time at 10 times the duration of the outage.
Calculated monthly. This is not a build success rate or a measure of VNC desktop performance. Exclusions such as force majeure and user actions are assessed under the applicable service terms.
Public monitoring data is not yet available, so we don't show uptime days, historical availability rates or day-by-day status. The notice below describes the data status; it does not indicate a node outage.
If you suspect an outage, record the start time and time zone, connection method and error details as soon as possible, then submit a support ticket through the portal. A one-off issue with your local network isn't enough to calculate monthly node availability; our engineers need to check the instance-side records as well.
Report an outageAll charges are in US dollars (USD). Payment gateway availability is determined by the response from the checkout service.
Use only the TRC20 network, payment address and amount shown at checkout. Don't reuse payment details from another order or assume a transfer screenshot means your order has been paid.
Payment confirmation depends on on-chain confirmations and a response from the payment gateway. Processing time varies with network and payment service conditions; there's no fixed number of minutes. If you've sent payment but the status hasn't updated, save the transaction hash and submit the order ID and network in a support ticket. Don't pay again until you've checked.
Confirmation: order payment statusCard payments are processed by Stripe. The amount and payment status shown at checkout are the source of truth. If your card issuer asks you to verify the payment, complete the steps and then check the billing status in the portal.
If a payment fails, note the error message and order ID. Don't make repeated attempts in quick succession. In a support ticket, tell us the card type and where the payment failed; never send your full card number, security code or verification details.
Currency: USDConfirm you're renewing the right instance, then check the billing period and any add-ons. You can pay by the day, week, month or quarter, but prices for different periods aren't directly comparable. Check the updated expiry time in the portal after payment.
For an issue with an existing instance, submit a ticket through the portal so we can link it to your order. For pre-sales questions or if you can't sign in, email support@metalvnc.com.
Include the order or instance ID, location and connection method. Don't share passwords, private keys or full payment credentials. Redact sensitive details in screenshots.
Note the time and time zone, the last action that worked and the current impact. Be specific: “VNC is lagging”, “SSH won't connect” or “the build command returns an error”.
List the commands you ran in order, the expected result and a summary of any errors. Mention if you changed your local network, modified a port or switched toolchains. You don't need to upload the whole project.
| Issue type | What to include | Response expectations |
|---|---|---|
| General question | Plan selection, billing details or toolchain configuration; tell us what you're trying to do. | We'll confirm the expected response time in your ticket. This page does not promise a fixed number of hours. |
| Instance issue | Connection problems or unusual behaviour; include when it started, what's affected and what you've checked. | We'll prioritise based on business impact and our findings on the instance. An initial reply doesn't mean the issue is resolved; follow progress in the original ticket. |
For plan questions, tell us what you need the Mac for. For connection issues, include the error message. If you've already opened a ticket, reply in the same thread so we have the full context.