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Browser and phone access

Access your PC from a browser, on any computer or phone

Your Windows PCs are a sign-in away, from whatever you have in your hand. Open remoteaccessapp.com on a Mac, a Chromebook, a Linux laptop, a borrowed PC, a phone or a tablet, pick a PC from your dashboard, and control it right in the browser. That's web access to your PC, free, with nothing to install on the device you're using.

Download freeCreate a free account
  • Nothing to install
  • Touch controls on phones
  • Free

Your PC, in any web browser

The RemoteAccessApp apps run on Windows, but you won't always be at a Windows PC when you need one of yours. That's what browser access is for. Sign in to the website with your account and your dashboard lists your PCs with who's online. Choose one, and its screen opens in the browser tab, with the mouse and keyboard yours to use.

The PC you're reaching still needs the free RemoteAccessApp Agent, set up with your account. It follows the same rules as a session from the app: the PC asks the person there to allow it unless unattended access is on, and the banner shows on its screen for as long as you're connected.

Browser access is part of the free plan, for up to 5 PCs with 3 open at once, and there's no session timer. If you switch apps on your phone and come back, the session reconnects by itself. A phone is handy for family calls too: here's how to help family with their PC from your phone, whether their PC is in your account or they read you a one-time code.

Works on the devices you carry

  • Mac, Linux and Chromebook

    Use a normal mouse and keyboard in the browser to control your Windows PC.

  • iPhone and Android phones

    Touch controls built for small screens. On iPhone, add it to your home screen and it opens like an app.

  • Tablets

    A bigger screen for longer sessions, with the same touch gestures and pinch to zoom.

  • Someone else's computer

    Nothing to install. Sign in, do what you need, and sign out when you're done.

Each device has its own small quirks. On a Mac, the guide to controlling a Windows PC from a Mac explains which Mac keys do what and how to go full screen. On a Chromebook, see how to use your Windows PC from a Chromebook, including what to do about the missing Windows key. And if the device in your hand belongs to your employer, read how to access your home PC from a work laptop and what to check with your IT policy first.

Touch controls that make sense

Trackpad mode (the default)

  • One finger moves the pointer, like a laptop touchpad
  • Tap to click; double-tap and slide to drag
  • Tap with two fingers to right-click
  • Slide two fingers to scroll; pinch to zoom, and the view follows the pointer

Touch mode

  • Tap exactly where you want to click
  • Double-tap (or tap with two fingers) to right-click
  • Press and hold, or slide, to drag or select
  • Two fingers to scroll or zoom

Switch between the two from the top bar; the browser remembers your choice. A key row fills in what a phone keyboard is missing: Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Win are sticky, so tapping Ctrl and then C sends Ctrl+C, and holding one locks it on. The More menu adds arrows and navigation keys, F1 to F12, and shortcuts like Task Manager, the Start menu, Alt+Tab and Win+R.

More in the browser

  • Quality to match your connection

    Choose Saves data on mobile data, Balanced for everyday use, or Sharpest for crisp text on a fast link.

  • An SSH terminal, too

    Your saved SSH hosts open in a terminal in the browser with Open terminal, with a key row for Esc, Tab, Ctrl and the arrows.
    Remote console access

  • Reconnects by itself

    Leave the browser to answer a message; when you come back, the session picks up again.

How it works

  1. Step 1: Set up the PC once

    On the Windows PC, install RemoteAccessApp and choose Set up this PC. It joins your free account.

  2. Step 2: Sign in on your device

    Open remoteaccessapp.com in any browser and sign in. Your PCs are listed on the dashboard.

  3. Step 3: Open the PC

    Pick it. Someone there clicks Allow, or it opens straight away if unattended access is on and your console is trusted.

Browser or app: which should you use?

Both are free, and many people use both. The browser is the quickest way in from a device that isn't a Windows PC. The RemoteAccessApp Console for Windows does more, and it's more private. Our post on whether to connect with the browser or the Windows app goes through what each one does well and when it makes sense to use both.

How private is a browser session?

A browser session is encrypted, but not end to end. In a browser, our website acts as your console: it decodes the picture in memory so your browser can show it, and it never records or stores it. In the Windows app, sessions are end-to-end encrypted between your console and the PC, so our servers can't see them at all. Use the app when that matters. See security and your data, in plain English.
  • Use the browser for a quick fix from your phone, a Mac or a computer you don't own.
  • Use the Windows app for end-to-end encryption, several PCs side by side, the remote command prompt, Windows tools, and SFTP, RDP and VNC connections. Download it free.

Before you rely on it

  • The PC must be on

    A PC that's asleep or shut down shows as offline. Keep the PCs you need to reach powered on.

  • Someone may need to click Allow

    Without unattended access, a person at the PC has to allow each session. Set it up ahead of time for your own PCs.
    Set up unattended access

  • Try it once at home

    Open your PC from your phone before you're away, so you know it works when you need it.
    Step-by-step guide

Questions, answered

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