Switching from another tool

Most people switch in an afternoon, and a single PC takes a few minutes. Keep your old tool installed while you try RemoteAccessApp, then remove it once everything works.

To see what changes for the tool you use now, find it on the comparisons page. The RemoteAccessApp docs put the setup steps, help articles and guides in one place.

Why people switch

• The free plan covers 5 PCs for personal and work use, with no session time limit and no card.
• Your PCs and your servers are in one app: remote desktop, SSH, SFTP, FTP, RDP and VNC.
• No port forwarding or VPN. PCs connect out, so they work behind any router.
• The person at the PC clicks Allow unless unattended access is on, and a banner shows while anyone is connected.
• Your PCs open in a web browser too, on a Mac, a Chromebook, a phone or a tablet.

What carries over

• Saved sessions from other terminal apps, a CSV file or your SSH config, with a preview before anything is added. See import saved sessions and hosts.
• SSH keys: OpenSSH, PEM and .ppk keys, passphrase-protected ones included. See SSH keys.
• Remote Desktop connections: your saved .rdp files and Windows' list of recent Remote Desktop connections.

What doesn't carry over:

• Passwords. They're never imported. You're asked the first time you connect, and can save them then.
• PCs set up in another remote desktop app. Install RemoteAccessApp on each one instead. It takes a minute or two per PC.
• Chat history and settings from the other app.

Step by step

1. Download RemoteAccessApp and install it on your own PC. It needs no administrator rights.
2. Sign in, or create a free account. Just helping someone once? Skip the account and connect with their code: see one-time codes.
3. Add each PC you want to reach: click Add a PC for a 6-digit setup code, then type it on that PC during setup. See connect to your first PC.
4. On your own PCs that nobody sits at, turn on unattended access at the PC.
5. Bring your servers across: on the Connections page, open Hosts, click Import and import your saved sessions.
6. Try each PC and server while the old tool is still there. When everything works, uninstall the old tool.

Tips for each kind of tool

Remote desktop and remote support apps

• Install RemoteAccessApp next to the old app first, and keep both while you try it.
• For family and friends, set their PC up once with a setup code. After that you connect from your Devices page, and they click Allow unless you've both agreed to unattended access.
• Helping a customer once? They read you the 8-digit code on their Home screen. Nothing to set up.

IT support and management tools

• Start with a few PCs on the free plan, then move the rest.
• Tag your PCs to run scripts, restarts and Windows updates on many at once, free. Schedules and app installs on many PCs come with Pro.
• Share chosen PCs with your team, each with a role: see teams and roles.

SSH clients and terminals

• Import your saved sessions and keys first, then check each server's key the first time you connect. See server keys.
• Your host list follows your account, so it's on every PC you sign in on and on the website.
• Type a command once to send it to every open SSH tab.

File transfer apps

• Open a host in an SFTP or FTP tab: your PC on one side, the server on the other. See SFTP and FTP.
• Copy from one server to another in one step: the files stream through your PC, with no copy left behind. See server-to-server copies.

Still stuck on something? Email [email protected] and tell us which tool you're moving from.