How to access your PC remotely (free, step by step)

1. 1

   Step 1: Create a free account

   Sign up with your email address. No card is needed.

2. 2

   Step 2: Install RemoteAccessApp on the PC you want to reach

   Run the installer from the download page and pick the Agent. No administrator rights needed.

3. 3

   Step 3: Choose Set up this PC

   Sign in, or type the 6-digit setup code from Add a PC on your dashboard. The PC joins your account.

4. 4

   Step 4: Sign in from your other device

   Use the RemoteAccessApp Console on another Windows PC, or remoteaccessapp.com in any browser, including on a phone.

5. 5

   Step 5: Open the PC

   Click it in your list. Someone at the PC clicks Allow, or, with unattended access on, you get straight in. A banner shows on the PC while you're connected.

The sections below go through each step in detail, plus what to do if something doesn't work. The help article on how to connect to your first PC covers the same steps from inside the app.

• The PC you want to reach: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit, Home and Pro editions both work), or a 64-bit Linux desktop on X11 or Wayland.
• A way to open it from: another Windows PC with the RemoteAccessApp Console, or any device with a web browser.
• A free RemoteAccessApp account. You can create one here; it only needs an email address.
• A few minutes at the PC you want to reach, to install the app once.

You don't need administrator rights, a fixed IP address, a VPN or any changes on your router. RemoteAccessApp connects out from your PC, so it works behind ordinary home and office routers, and it doesn't matter if your public IP address changes. If you're curious why, see remote desktop without port forwarding.

RemoteAccessApp comes in two parts, both in one installer. The Agent runs on the PC you want to reach and keeps a connection open to your account. The Console is what you use to connect, on your own Windows PC. If you'd rather not install anything on the device you connect from, you can use the RemoteAccessApp website in a browser instead.

Every PC you set up appears in your account with whether it's online. You click one to open it, and you see its screen and can use its mouse and keyboard, just as if you were sitting in front of it.

1. 1

   Step 1: Download the installer

   On the PC you want to reach, open the download page and run RemoteAccessApp-Setup. It's about 55 MB and installs just for you, so Windows won't ask for an administrator password.

2. 2

   Step 2: Choose what to install

   Pick the Agent. If you'll also use this PC to reach others, pick both the Agent and the Console.

3. 3

   Step 3: Choose Set up this PC

   Sign in with your RemoteAccessApp account. Or choose Setup code and type the 6-digit code from Add a PC on your dashboard. The PC shows up in your account within seconds.

You have two ways to connect. Use whichever suits the device in front of you.

From another Windows PC

1. 1

   Step 1: Install the Console

   Run the same installer on the PC you'll connect from and pick the Console.

2. 2

   Step 2: Sign in with the same account

   Your PCs are listed on the Devices page, each marked online or offline.

3. 3

   Step 3: Open your PC

   Click it. The Console connection is end-to-end encrypted between the two PCs.

From a Mac, a Chromebook, a phone or any browser

Sign in at remoteaccessapp.com and open the PC from your dashboard. On a phone, touch works like a laptop trackpad by default, or you can switch to tapping where you want to click. On iPhone, you can add RemoteAccessApp to your home screen so it opens like an app. The browser connection is encrypted, but not end to end, because our website decodes the picture to show it to you. More in access your PC from a browser.

By default, the PC asks before anyone connects. A prompt titled Allow remote access? appears on it, and nothing is shown until someone there clicks Allow. That's perfect when someone is at the PC, but not when you want to reach your own PC while you're away.

For that, turn on unattended access on the PC: right-click the RemoteAccessApp icon in its taskbar tray and choose Unattended access. Your own consoles and browsers, signed in to the account that owns the PC, then get straight in. For anyone else, click Allow with Let this console connect without asking next time ticked, or they're asked each time. It's part of free unattended remote access, and the full walkthrough is in how to set up unattended access safely, and attended vs unattended remote access explains the two ways side by side.

Nothing has to be switched on in Windows itself: RemoteAccessApp has its own Agent and doesn't use the Remote Desktop feature built into Windows, so it works the same on Home and Pro editions of Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). More on that in free remote desktop for Windows 10 and 11. A few Windows settings decide whether the PC is there when you need it:

• Start with Windows. Leave Start RemoteAccessApp with Windows ticked in setup, so the Agent starts every time someone signs in to Windows.
• Sleep. In Windows Settings, under System and then Power, set the PC not to sleep while it's plugged in. A PC that's asleep or shut down shows as offline.
• Restarts for updates. In Windows Update, set your active hours to the times you're likely to connect, so Windows doesn't restart then. After any restart, someone has to sign in to Windows before the PC is back online.
• Remote control. Setup asks whether to Allow mouse & keyboard control. Leave it on to use the PC; off means its screen can be watched but not controlled.
• Router and firewall. Nothing to open: the PC connects out to RemoteAccessApp, so there's no port forwarding or VPN to set up.

A Linux PC joins the same account and shows up next to your Windows PCs. Install RemoteAccessApp for Linux on it: the .deb on Ubuntu, Debian and Mint, or the .tar.gz on other 64-bit distributions. Open the Agent and add the PC with the 6-digit code from Add a PC, or sign in. It works on X11 and Wayland; on Wayland the desktop asks once at the PC to approve screen sharing, and remembers it. Every step is in how to install RemoteAccessApp on Linux.

• See the screen and use the mouse and keyboard, with quality and speed controls for slow connections.
• Open PowerShell or Command Prompt on the PC from the Console (Windows 10 version 1809 or later). More in remote console access.
• Chat with whoever is at the PC, and share pictures and files in the chat.
• Open up to 3 PCs at once on the free plan, side by side or in tabs.
• Stay connected as long as you like: there's no session timer, and it reconnects by itself if the network drops.

Sending and browsing files and clipboard sync work on the free plan too, with an account. The PC's sound and switching between monitors are part of Pro. Everything above works on the free plan today.

A remote access app with a relay is the simplest option for most people, but it isn't the only one. Here's how the common approaches compare:

The Remote Desktop feature built into Windows

Windows can accept remote desktop connections, but only on Pro, Enterprise and Education editions, not Home. To reach it from outside your home or office you also need port forwarding on your router or a VPN, and remote desktop ports open to the internet are a common target for attacks. Our open port checker shows whether a port like 3389 is reachable from the internet on your connection. It works well inside a company network that's already set up for it.

A VPN to your home or office network

A VPN puts your device on the same network as your PC, so local tools work as if you were there. It's powerful, but you have to run and secure the VPN server yourself, usually on your router, and you still need a way to see the PC's screen once you're connected.

A remote access app (this guide)

An app like RemoteAccessApp runs on the PC and connects out to a relay, so it works on Home editions, behind ordinary routers, and from a browser or phone, with no ports to open. The trade-off is that the PC has to be on, online and signed in to Windows, with the app running. More in remote desktop without port forwarding.

• The PC shows as offline. Check it's on, awake, connected to the internet and signed in to Windows. RemoteAccessApp starts when you sign in, so after a restart someone has to sign in at the PC first. See remote PC login for keeping it ready.
• Nothing appears after you click the PC. It's waiting for someone there to click Allow. If nobody answers, the request is denied after a short wait. Turn on unattended access to connect without a click.
• The screen is slow or blurry. Lower the quality or frame rate in the session's controls; it helps a lot on mobile data or a weak Wi-Fi signal. A quick speed test for remote desktop shows your latency to our server.
• You locked the PC and lost the picture. Remote tools can't unlock Windows, so someone has to sign in at the PC again.

Your account is the key to your PCs, so give it a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor sign-in under Security on your dashboard. You can also limit your account to trusted networks. Read how RemoteAccessApp is secured for the details, including why our server never sees your account password, and remote desktop privacy for what anyone can see during a session.