How to set up remote access on a Lenovo PC

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   Step 1: Install RemoteAccessApp on the PC

   Run the free installer from the download page. It installs without administrator rights. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning, here's what to do.

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   Step 2: Choose Set up this PC

   Sign in, or type the 6-digit setup code from Add a PC on your dashboard. Leave Start RemoteAccessApp with Windows ticked so it's running whenever someone is signed in.

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   Step 3: Keep the PC awake

   In Settings > System > Power & battery, set the screen and sleep times to Never when plugged in. Lenovo Vantage's battery settings (Battery Charge Threshold on ThinkPads, Conservation Mode on IdeaPads) only limit charging, so they're fine to leave on for a laptop that stays plugged in. MyASUS's Battery Care Mode works the same way; see remote access on an ASUS PC. Dell's Peak Shift is different, because it can run a plugged-in laptop on battery at set times; see set up remote access on a Dell PC.

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   Step 4: Stop it locking itself

   Turn off anything that locks the PC on its own while you're away, such as Windows' Dynamic lock, so it stays unlocked for remote sessions. RemoteAccessApp can't unlock the lock screen. HP PCs add a walk-away lock of their own; see remote access on an HP PC.

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   Step 5: Turn on unattended access if nobody will be there

   Right-click the RemoteAccessApp icon in the taskbar tray and choose Unattended access. It can only be switched on at the PC itself. How to do it safely.

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   Step 6: Test it from another device

   Sign in to the RemoteAccessApp Console on another PC, or at remoteaccessapp.com in any browser, including your phone, and open the PC.

Open the BIOS with F1 at the logo on ThinkPads and ThinkCentres, or F2 (Fn+F2) or the Novo button on IdeaPads. If none of these works, Windows can open the firmware settings for you, as setting up remote access on an Acer PC shows.

ThinkPad: Config > Network > Wake On LAN, set to AC Only (the default) or AC and Battery. It applies to ThinkPads with built-in Ethernet. ThinkPads without an Ethernet port have Wake On LAN from Dock, which needs a ThinkPad USB-C or Thunderbolt dock and Secure Boot on. A Microsoft Surface also wakes from the network only through a wired adapter or dock; see remote access on a Microsoft Surface.

ThinkCentre: turn Wake on LAN on, and make sure Enhanced Power Saving Mode (ErP LPS) is off; Lenovo says that with it on, only Wake Up on Alarm works. Motherboards in custom-built PCs have ErP settings too; see remote access on a custom-built or gaming PC.

Windows only wakes a PC with Wake-on-LAN from sleep, or from hibernate you chose yourself. With Fast startup on, which is the default, Microsoft says network adapters aren't armed for Wake-on-LAN from shutdown, so to wake a PC that's shut down, turn off Fast startup (Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do) and turn Wake-on-LAN on in the firmware.

Once the PC can wake from the network, press Wake up on the PC's tile in the Console or on the website: another of your PCs that's online on the same network, with an up-to-date RemoteAccessApp, sends it the wake-up packet. With no other PC of yours on that network, the packet has to come from another device there, such as a router with a wake feature. Once the PC is awake and signed in, it shows as online in RemoteAccessApp.

ThinkCentre desktops have After Power Loss in the BIOS: Last State (the default), Power Off or Power On.

When the PC starts, Windows still needs someone to sign in before RemoteAccessApp is online. Keeping a PC reachable after a restart.

• McAfee: many Lenovo PCs come with a McAfee LiveSafe trial. If its firewall asks about RemoteAccessApp, allow it, or add it to the allowed apps.
• Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time you run a new download. What to do.

RemoteAccessApp reaches a PC that's on, online and signed in to Windows, with the app running. If yours shows as offline, check it hasn't gone to sleep, restarted for updates, or lost its network. The can't connect to a PC help article walks through the rest.