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How to set up unattended remote access safely

To set up unattended remote access, install RemoteAccessApp on the PC, switch on unattended access at that PC, and trust your own consoles once. It takes about 10 minutes, it's free for up to 5 PCs, and it works on Windows 10 and 11 and on Linux.

Unattended access lets you reach your own PC when nobody is sitting at it: your home PC from work, an office PC over the weekend, or a machine in another room. This guide sets it up in a way that lets you in without opening the door to anyone else.

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  • Free
  • Switched on at the PC
  • Trusted consoles only

Updated · Works on Windows 10 and 11

How unattended access works in RemoteAccessApp

Normally a PC with RemoteAccessApp asks the person at it to allow each connection. Unattended access changes that for chosen consoles only. If you're not sure you need it, read attended or unattended: which one do you need first. Three rules keep it safe:

  • It's switched on at the PC itself. Nobody can turn it on from another PC. If someone is connected at the moment it's switched on, the PC shows a protected prompt that has to be confirmed by the person there.
  • Only trusted consoles get in without a click. Each console has to be allowed once, in person, with "Let this console connect without asking next time" ticked. Any other console is still asked about, except one signed in to the account that owns the PC, while "Let my own account in without asking" is on at the PC.
  • The trust list lives on the PC. It's kept only on that PC, protected for its Windows user, and never on our server. So even a compromised server couldn't add a console to it.

The session banner still shows during every unattended session, and anyone at the PC can switch off remote control or quit RemoteAccessApp at any time. For what's included and how it compares with other ways in, see free unattended remote access.

Before you start

  • RemoteAccessApp is installed on the PC and added to your account. If not, follow how to access your PC remotely for free first.
  • You're at that PC (or someone you trust is, with your guidance).
  • The console you'll connect from is ready: the RemoteAccessApp Console on your other PC, or the website in a browser.
  • It's your PC, or you have the clear agreement of the person who uses it. For a work PC, check your employer's rules first: how to reach your office PC from home, the right way covers that.

Setting up a Linux PC? The steps are the same, except that unattended access is switched on in the Agent's window rather than a tray menu, and on Wayland the desktop asks once to approve screen sharing. See unattended access on a Linux PC.

Step-by-step setup

  1. Step 1: Turn on unattended access at the PC

    Right-click the RemoteAccessApp icon in the PC's taskbar tray and choose Unattended access. A tick shows it's on.

  2. Step 2: Connect once from your console

    From your other PC or a browser, open this PC. Signed in to the account that owns it, you're in straight away and your console is added to the PC's trusted list, so you can skip to step 4. Otherwise the PC asks first, because your console isn't trusted yet.

  3. Step 3: Allow it, with the box ticked

    At the PC, tick Let this console connect without asking next time (unattended) and click Allow. Check the console's name and Console ID in the prompt match the console you're using.

  4. Step 4: Test it

    Disconnect, then connect again. This time it should open straight away. Repeat step 3 for each console you use, such as your laptop and your work PC. Before a trip, make sure you can get back into your PC from your phone too.

You can also start from your console: on the Devices page, open a PC's menu and choose Unattended access. That only asks. The person at the PC has to agree there before it turns on, so it can never be switched on from somewhere else alone.

Lock down your account

With unattended access on, anyone who could sign in to your account from one of your trusted consoles could reach the PC. Protect the account accordingly (how to keep your remote access safe has a longer checklist):

  1. Step 1: Use a strong, unique password

    One you don't use anywhere else. A password manager makes this easy.

  2. Step 2: Turn on two-factor sign-in

    Under Security on your dashboard (or in the app's settings), add an authenticator app. Keep the backup codes somewhere safe and offline.

  3. Step 3: Consider trusted networks

    If you always connect from the same places, list their IP addresses or ranges. Signing in, using your account and connecting to your PCs then only work from those networks. Leave the list empty to allow any network. If you travel, read remote access from hotel, campus and public Wi-Fi before you set a list.

  4. Step 4: Lock the consoles themselves

    Trusted consoles are only as safe as the PCs they run on, so keep those PCs locked with a Windows password.

Review and remove consoles

Every so often, look at who's trusted. On the PC, right-click the RemoteAccessApp tray icon and choose Trusted consoles and browsers. Each entry shows the console's name, its Console ID and when it was last used. Click Remove for any you no longer use, like an old laptop. If that console is connected right now, it's disconnected at once, and next time someone at the PC has to click Allow.

To stop unattended access completely, untick Unattended access in the same menu. Everyone is then asked first again. Turning it off never needs confirmation, because it only makes access stricter.

Good to know

While unattended access is on, your consoles can also show a small, low-resolution preview of that PC's screen in your device list. The PC still has to be on and online to connect: a PC that's asleep or shut down shows as offline. If you want a PC that's always ready, you can turn a spare PC into an always-on PC.

If it doesn't work

  • You're still asked to Allow. Check you're signed in to the account that owns the PC, that "Let my own account in without asking" is on there, and that the PC's app is up to date. A console removed at the PC, a team member's or a LAN connection is asked; repeat step 3 at the PC with the box ticked. For a browser, someone at the PC ticks Remember this browser for in its prompt and picks how long.
  • It worked, then everyone is asked again. Check the tray menu: Unattended access may be off. Switching off remote control at the PC switches unattended access off too.
  • The PC shows as offline. It's asleep, shut down or not signed in to Windows. Set it not to sleep while it's plugged in, and after a restart sign in at the PC once. See remote PC login for keeping it ready.
  • You see the lock screen. Remote tools can't unlock Windows, so someone has to sign in at the PC. Don't lock a Windows PC you'll need while nobody is there. On Linux, type the user's password in the session to unlock it.
  • A console you don't recognize is on the list. Remove it at once, then change your account password and check that two-step verification is on.

When not to use unattended access

Unattended access is meant for your own PCs, or PCs you look after with the clear agreement of the people who use them. When you're helping someone who's at their PC anyway, leaving it off and having them click Allow is simpler and keeps them in charge. See how to help a family member remotely for that approach, attended vs unattended remote access for the difference, and how RemoteAccessApp is secured for the bigger picture.

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