The Connect knowledge base

A clearer path to your next connection.

Setup, platform support, session controls and the latest development improvements, in one place.

Connect in either direction

Choose the machine you want to see, then connect from the browser or desktop app.

Sign in and enroll each device with its own identity. The host is the device whose screen you share; the viewer is the device you use to connect.
Install the desktop host for system-wide mouse and keyboard control. A browser can view a compatible desktop host without a desktop installation on the viewer.
To reverse direction, end the session and select the other enrolled host. Browser-only sharing needs the host's local display chooser; it does not enable system-wide input.

The desktop host requires its administrator service from installation onward.

Run setup and approve the normal Windows administrator prompt. Windows installs the protected host service; updates maintain that service and its separate device identity.
An active session must show its local indicator before screen capture or remote input starts. The service is designed to attach to the current supported Windows desktop, including UAC and sign-in.
Local development tests exercised UAC cancellation and continued transport through lock and normal unlock. Remote password entry and secure-attention delivery have separate acceptance requirements. This is an unsigned development preview, not a signed production release.

A small, visible control that stays within reach.

The desktop session panel starts at the bottom-right of the screen. Drag its header to move it around the screen or onto another display.
Choose Collapse to reduce it, then Show to expand it. The panel keeps your chosen position during that session. Stop remains visible while collapsed.
Pause stops remote input and releases held keys and buttons. Stop ends the session. The expanded panel shows the local emergency shortcut; unavailable shortcuts are never silently assumed.

The browser is the common viewer; host permissions depend on the operating system.

Windows: desktop host and browser/desktop viewer. The protected service is the administrator-control path. macOS: desktop capture requires Screen Recording; control requires Accessibility approval. macOS hardware acceptance and signed/notarized distribution remain pending.
Linux: desktop capture and input depend on the display server. X11 and Wayland have different capabilities; Wayland portals and compositor permissions must be detected. Windows testing does not establish Linux device support.
Android: viewer/controller and development MediaProjection sharing use the system's visible permissions and notification. iPhone and iPad: browser viewing/control of a supported remote host; arbitrary control of the iOS/iPadOS system itself is unavailable through public APIs. Mobile host and signing results are listed separately from browser support.

Network round-trip time measures only one part of a remote session.

Check the host is awake, Connect is running, and the host is available. A closed or crashed application cannot supply a screen even with a fast network.
Video also depends on capture, encoding, bandwidth, decoding and the selected display size. Reduce resolution or frame rate while diagnosing a slow picture.
Development changes address non-monotonic capture timestamps, hardware-encoder failure recovery and protected-desktop capture selection. A decoded-picture test measures smoothness; connected status or packet arrival alone does not prove it.

Service installation, visible controls and clearer platform behavior.

The Windows development update adds mandatory protected service installation, desktop transition handling, bounded input cleanup and host availability controls.
Desktop session controls use the Connect logo and palette, a draggable header, bottom-right placement and collapse/show controls. The web, desktop and mobile surfaces share the same product identity.
Use the download page's version and checksum to identify the published package. Local candidates are not automatically public releases. Approve Windows' standard administrator prompt when an installation or migration requires it; no update bypasses operating-system approval.