# Recommend some PC remote access software **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604 "2023-11-24T05:20:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/1 "2023-11-24T05:20:35Z")
I got my not-too-tech-savvy mother a PC last year, which she absolutely loves because she hadn’t had a desktop for a long time and likes being able to play games on it and watch Youtube. Of course, she occasionally runs into tech problems that I either can’t diagnose or can’t talk her through fixing over the phone, and I have to find time to make it over to her place so I can do whatever 10-second fix is causing her problems. For example, she’s recently been having problems with Youtube’s war on adblockers and had to turn her adblocker off, but since she uses white noise videos as a sleep aid, it was messing her up late at night when it’d abruptly cut to a PSA about gun control, and while updating uBlock Origin is easy enough I wasn’t able to get her to understand what to do over the phone so I had to go to her apartment and do it for her. It’d be a lot easier if I could install some remote access software on her PC, the kind that tech support in big businesses use to log into physically distant computers and fix problems with them, so that when she has a problem I can just log into her PC from home, do the fix, and sign back out. Can anyone recommend such a program that’s user-friendly, easy to install and access, and affordable? ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/2 "2023-11-24T05:28:53Z")
My goto would be a Chrome plugin, Chrome Remote Desktop [https://remotedesktop.google.com/](https://remotedesktop.google.com/) Free, easy etc ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/3 "2023-11-24T05:29:09Z")
I’ve used Teamviewer for this sort of thing. Free for non-commercial users. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/4 "2023-11-24T06:46:13Z")
I use Teamviewer to connect to my mother’s computer to help her out. It requires her to read the passcode to me to permit the connection and it can take a minute for her to understand that bit. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/5 "2023-11-24T07:14:23Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > My goto would be a Chrome plugin, Chrome Remote Desktop > > [https://remotedesktop.google.com/](https://remotedesktop.google.com/) > > Free, easy etc Second this, I use it often. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/6 "2023-11-24T12:29:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I use Teamviewer to connect to my mother’s computer to help her out. It requires her to read the passcode to me to permit the connection and it can take a minute for her to understand that bit. I asked this same question for the same reason 3 years ago and got some excellent replies that the OP might get value from. Note who answered first last time too: > [@Recommend Remote Control Software for Windows 7/10 PCs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-remote-control-software-for-windows-7-10-pcs/923209): > > Hi folks - I’m a former IT guy. But it’s been a few years. I run Win10 Home on all my gear. I am the tech support for my 95yo MIL. She has a PC with Win7Pro that she gets along with OK. Her fading memory / mental capacity is such that she could never adapt to a newer OS; it would simply be all new and totally unusable every day. But she can get along OK with what she’s got; emailing, buying stuff at a couple familiar websites, checking the weather, playing her games, etc. Until she does so… The consensus then was Teamviewer, and it worked very well for me. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/7 "2023-11-24T13:43:23Z")
Thanks, @LSLGuy, for saving me the trouble of finding that previous thread, so I can repost my cautionary tale about TeamViewer here. > [@Recommend Remote Control Software for Windows 7/10 PCs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-remote-control-software-for-windows-7-10-pcs/923209/16): > > Too late for the OP, but here’s why I recommend _against_ using TeamViewer. > > I used TeamViewer for years to help my aged parents, because the company says it’s free for non-commercial use, which mine decidedly was. > > Then last summer TeamViewer suddenly sent me a message saying they had detected that I was using it for commercial purposes (I wasn’t) and shut my account down unless I bought a license for (I think) $50 a month. I tried several times to appeal, or even get an explanation, but got no response at all from them. On Googling, I found that they had done the same to many people. > > So you may find at some time in the future that you’re shut out of it unless you pay lots of money. > > I have since switched to [Remote Utilities](https://www.remoteutilities.com/), which I find quite satisfactory and is really free. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/8 "2023-11-24T13:56:24Z")
Has anyone tried MS Quick Assist which comes with windows ? I was going to use it with a friend, but he stopped using his computer. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/9 "2023-11-24T13:58:59Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Thanks, @LSLGuy, for saving me the trouble of finding that previous thread, so I can repost my cautionary tale about TeamViewer here. I had been using Teamviewer professionally and privately for years before I also fell into this trap a few months ago. I installed AnyDesk instead on my and my mother’s laptop, and it works as well as Teamviewer for me, though it’s not quite as user-friendly as TV. But I can deal with that, and I configured it on my mother’s side so that it’s always running, with a fixed password that I know and have saved in my AnyDesk app, so if I want to connect she doesn’t have to do anything. > **[The Fast Remote Desktop Application – AnyDesk](https://anydesk.com/en)** > > Discover AnyDesk, the secure & intuitive remote desktop software, and take advantage of the application's innovative features! ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/10 "2023-11-24T15:23:44Z")
I’ve been using TeamViewer for several years to support my wife’s machine when I travel (well, I haven’t traveled since 2/28/2020, but I had been. And I guess that means more than “several” years!) They shut me down a couple of times, despite having it on a total of three machines _and not having used it at all recently when they did so_. I went thorugh the appeals process and they reinstated it each time. That hasn’t happened lately; I’m guessing they got wiser, but who knows. I used to use LogMeIn, which I liked better, but it went non-free and given that I needed it about once a year (and not at all since 2020, obviously) I switched. VNC is of course the other choice, if you can make it secure enough for your needs. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/11 "2023-11-24T15:26:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I use Teamviewer to connect to my mother’s computer to help her out. It requires her to read the passcode to me to permit the connection and it can take a minute for her to understand that bit. Seconded or thirded the recommendation for TeamViewer. But it can be set up with a ‘remembered’ username/password, which can then be embedded in your computer, so you can seamlessly connect to her desktop. That’s how I supported my then 99-year-old Mom during the pandemic. ETA: I think you actually have to set up a (free) account on the TeamViewer host site, so it can be validated. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/12 "2023-11-24T17:21:02Z")
You can simply use the already built-in Windows Remote Desktop: > **[Enable Remote Desktop on your PC](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/remote-desktop-allow-access)** > > Learn about your options for remotely accessing your PC ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/13 "2023-11-24T18:10:53Z")
Remote Desktop only works on Windows Pro versions, though, not on Home which most private users have. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/14 "2023-11-25T01:32:08Z")
RDC also doesn’t do mirroring of the desktop so the person being helped can see what is being done on their behalf & learn from it. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/15 "2023-11-25T01:45:39Z")
I haven’t used it outside my home network but I have been using NoMachine with success to manage a laptop I have set up as a gaming server. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/16 "2023-11-25T06:12:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > RDC also doesn’t do mirroring of the desktop so the person being helped can see what is being done on their behalf & learn from it. Generally, the people you are helping via Remote Desktop are very non-technical types, who have no interest in learning about it. Like his 99-year-old mother. So this isn’t a weakness in Remote Desktop. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/17 "2023-11-25T15:06:06Z")
True if you’re fixing something broken. But not if you’re teaching them something they want to know how to do. Like operate the updated version of some website they frequent. Or add bold text to their email writing repertoire. I probably did about as much teaching as fixing. A lot of the teaching was repetitive because it didn’t stick real well. Old folks are like that. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/18 "2023-11-25T15:13:52Z")
I’m sorry, what did you just say? ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/19 "2023-11-25T16:41:01Z")
RDC also has the issue of operating under the context of the remote logged in user, instead of working “over the shoulder” RDC will take over/replace the local user’s session assuming the remote user is using the same credentials. Depending on what you are trying to help with, this may or may not be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![green\_griffon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@green\_griffon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_griffon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604/20 "2023-11-26T03:25:38Z")
I use RemotePC, which I think is $30/year (but they often have discounts) and works fine. You set it up once on the other computer and then it just is available when you need to come in remotely. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-pc-remote-access-software/993604.md?page=2)