BrowserDesk help: guides from purchase to session

Q Quick start

Your first goal in a few minutes — for each option.

Q1 Quick start Free — help privately in 15 minutes Preview Create a free access, add up to three of your own devices and connect for the first time. For private individuals, families and for trying it out.
Q2 Quick start cloud — remote support for your team, without your own server Preview Buy a cloud access, open the console, roll out devices, connect technicians. BrowserDesk runs the relay, you take care of your devices.
Q3 Quick start own relay — everything in-house Preview Install the relay on your own server (Docker, Linux or Windows), install the licence, point the devices to your relay, connect.

A Choose and buy

Which option, which licence, how to pay, renew.

A1 Which BrowserDesk plan do I need? Preview Free, cloud via browserdesk.de or your own relay — per device or per technician, with which add-ons, for how long and how to pay. Six questions to the right order.
A2 Set up BrowserDesk Free — your free access Preview Enter your name and e-mail, open the link from the e-mail, choose a username and password — and you have your own access for up to 3 devices.
A3 Buy cloud and pay online Preview Choose a name for your access, enter devices and technicians, pay with Stripe — the set-up link arrives by e-mail right after.
A4 Order on invoice Preview Order, wait for the order confirmation and invoice, pay in advance by bank transfer — once payment has arrived, the licence file or set-up link comes by e-mail.
A5 Buy and install a licence for your own relay Preview Order a licence at browserdesk.de, install the licence file from the e-mail in the console and activate it — online in seconds or without internet using a request code.
A6 Buy add-on modules and functions later — and understand seats per device Preview Start Center and remote console are bought once per device, control room and ticket system per access or relay and year. This page shows where to buy more and how a seat is tied to a device.
A7 More devices or technicians, renewal, reminder before expiry Preview A licence is paid in advance and does not renew by itself. This is how you renew, how you get more devices or technicians — and how you learn about the end in time.
A8 Switch from Free to cloud or from the cloud to your own relay Preview There is no dedicated end-to-end process for either switch yet. This page says what works today, what you do by hand — and what does not come along.
A9 Know what happens on expiry or non-payment Preview When the cloud licence expires, Free applies to your access — data stays, limits apply. When the relay licence expires, your relay works through the grace period and then accepts nothing more.
A10 Find your invoice, look up your order Preview There is no customer area with your invoices yet. Your invoice arrives by e-mail — this page says which e-mails these are and what to do if one is missing.
A11 Do not renew, cancel, have an access deleted Preview There is no subscription — if you do not renew, you pay nothing more. What then happens to the access and data, and how to have an access deleted completely.
A12 Evidence for purchasing and data protection Preview Data processing agreement, privacy notice, technical measures, sub-processors, third-party licences and software bill of materials — where to find what and what to request.

B Set up

Console, own relay, accounts, roles, security.

B1 Sign in to the console for the first time and find your way around The console is the administration in your browser. This is how you sign in, how it is laid out, and how Ctrl+K finds anything in seconds.
B2 Install your own relay — Docker, Linux or Windows Server Preview Which way fits, what you need beforehand (name, certificate, ports) and what to do after the installation. The commands are in the KB articles.
B3 Change your relay's settings in the form instead of relay.json Preview Port, certificate, TURN, updates, sign-in via SSO or LDAP — everything in relay.json can be changed in the console. Passwords stay hidden.
B4 Console accounts, roles and secure sign-in — second factor, SSO, LDAP and SCIM Preview Who signs in to the console, with which role, and how you secure the sign-in — from the second factor to company sign-in via OIDC, LDAP or SCIM.
B5 Create members of the access, set devices per member, require a second factor Preview Personal accounts for the people who control your devices — in the program and in the browser under “My devices”. With a device selection per person and a second-factor requirement.
B6 Keep customers cleanly apart and appear under your own brand Preview For IT service providers — one access per customer, accounts only for the right customers, control only from the device's own access, and your name, logo and support contact in the program.
B7 Allow access only from trusted networks Preview Console and device control only from the company network or via VPN — with lists of allowed networks for the relay and per access.
B8 Update, back up and move your own relay to a new server Preview Updates for each installation way, the daily backup including the keys, restoring with a click, and what matters when you move to another server.
B9 Secure your own relay — access, device certificates and keys Preview A checklist for operators of their own relay: a real certificate, few open ports, named accounts with a second factor, device certificates, control only from the device's own access, and backed-up keys.

C Add devices

Install, add to your account, make reachable unattended.

C1 Install BrowserDesk — Windows, Mac, Linux, phone and TV Preview Which file to get for which device, what happens on first start and when the background service is worth it.
C2 Add a device to your own access Preview By signing in, with a one-time code or right at installation — afterwards the device can be reached from your access and takes one place.
C3 Deploy many devices at once — MSI with access and deployment key Preview Install BrowserDesk through software distribution (GPO, Intune, script) and bring every device into your access on the way — without a click and without a password.
C4 Reach a device at any time, even when nobody is sitting at it Preview Set up the service, set a fixed device password and allow access without confirmation — then a computer is reachable after every restart and at the sign-in screen.
C5 Give a Mac the permissions for screen and control Preview macOS only allows screen recording and remote control if you explicitly allow BrowserDesk. This is how you grant both permissions — and how you recognise when one is missing.
C6 Enter another relay and use a proxy Preview Switch the program to your own relay instead of browserdesk.de — the background service follows by itself. And connect through an HTTP proxy in the company network.
C7 Remove or replace a device, or free up its place Preview Take an old device out of the administration, add a new computer, free up a place in the access — and what happens to the places of Free and of the add-on modules.
C8 Remove BrowserDesk again — program and service Preview Just turn off the service, uninstall the MSI or remove everything without a trace — and then delete the device from the administration.

D Connect

Help instantly, with an ID, in the browser, from a phone.

D1 Help someone right away who has nothing installed Preview The person downloads Quick Support, reads six digits to you and agrees — you see and control their screen without a password. Works for any computer — with Free, Cloud and your own relay.
D2 Connect with ID and password — even when nobody is at the device Preview The device has a fixed ID and a password. Whoever knows both connects — with or without consent at the device, depending on its settings.
D3 Connect from the device list or address book — organise with tags Preview Devices you control often are one click away in “Recently used”, the address book, your access's device list or the history. In the console, tags sort devices into groups.
D4 Connect from the browser without installing anything Preview At browserdesk.de/app you control a device right in the browser — with ID and password, with a quick code or from “My devices”. Every session runs in its own tab.
D5 Control from a phone, tablet or Fire TV Preview With the app on an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet you control a computer with finger gestures; on a Fire TV Stick with the remote. You connect as on a computer — with ID and password, a quick code or from the device list.
D6 From home to your own office computer — with “My devices” and a second factor Preview You sign in at browserdesk.de/app with your user account, see your office computer under “My devices” and connect in the browser. A second factor from an authenticator app protects the account.
D7 Connect directly in the company network — without a relay and without internet Preview If the device is in the same network, you connect directly by IP address or computer name — even when the internet is down. The administrator has to allow this in the console first.
D8 Many devices at a glance — the control room (Leitstand) Preview The control room shows up to nine computers at once as tiles. One click brings a computer up large for control, “Zurück zum Leitstand” takes you back to the overview. The tour cycles through them full screen.
D9 Understand why the connection does not work Preview Every refusal has a reason and a sentence. Here are all sentences from the program and the browser — what they mean and what you can do.

E In the session

Files, clipboard, sound, monitors, restart and more.

E1 Switch monitors or see all monitors at once Preview If the device has several screens, choose under "Ansicht" (View) which one you see — or all of them side by side.
E2 Adapt the device's resolution to my window Preview If the device runs at a tiny or unsuitable resolution, change it for the duration of the session — the old one comes back at the end.
E3 Picture stutters or is blurry — set the quality and read the analysis overlay Preview Three quality levels, the device's background switched off and a measurement panel in the picture help when the connection is weak.
E4 Use hardware encoding (H.264) and 60 frames per second Preview With H.264 the device's graphics card encodes the picture — that takes almost all the load off its processor. You choose it explicitly.
E5 Special keys, AltGr and the right keyboard layout Preview How shortcuts, the Windows key and characters such as @ { } \ reach the device — from a computer, from the browser and from a phone.
E6 Send Ctrl+Alt+Del, use the sign-in and lock screen and UAC prompts Preview With the BrowserDesk service you also see and use the Windows lock screen and User Account Control; Linux reaches its sign-in screen through a setting of its own.
E7 Scroll with the trackpad and use gestures on a phone or tablet Preview Two fingers on the laptop trackpad scroll on the device; on a phone you control with taps, drags, zoom and a mouse wheel at the edge.
E8 Transfer files in both directions Preview Send a file to the device quickly or copy back and forth between both computers in the file manager — in the browser also by dragging into the window.
E9 Collect files the person at the device has put out for you (drop ring) Preview The person at the Windows device drags files onto a round drop ring; you download them under "Bereitgestellte Dateien" (files provided).
E10 Exchange text via the clipboard Preview In the program copied text syncs by itself in both directions; in the browser and on a phone you send and fetch it with a button.
E11 Copy files and pictures with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V Preview Copy files or a screenshot at one end and paste them at the other — in both directions, up to 100 MB without asking.
E12 Chat with the person at the device Preview Short text messages during the session — the technician writes in the session window, the person at the device replies.
E13 Talk to each other and hear the device's sound Preview Talk during the session, hear the sound of the Windows device and — only with consent there — switch on the device's microphone.
E14 Draw on the device's screen or point with the laser pointer Preview Point instead of click — a red dot or red strokes appear on the screen of the person at the device.
E15 Show your own screen to the person at the device Preview The technician shows something on their own computer — after consent at the device, their screen appears there in a window of its own.
E16 Blank the screen on site and lock mouse and keyboard there Preview The person in front of the device sees nothing and cannot click in between — you keep seeing and controlling.
E17 Restart, sign out or shut down the device — and be connected again afterwards Preview Restart or sign out from within the session; your window waits and reconnects by itself as soon as the device is back.
E18 Restart in safe mode and keep working there Preview Start a Windows device remotely in safe mode with networking and keep working there — the start after that is normal again.
E19 Record the session — into the console or onto your own computer Preview Record at the push of a button: on the device with storage in the console, or locally as a video file at the technician. The device shows that it is being recorded.
E20 Take a screenshot from the session Preview Keep the device's current picture as a PNG file — without the bar and overlays.
E21 Print at the device and get the paper at the technician's side Preview One click creates the printer “BrowserDesk Drucker” at the device. Whatever is printed on it there comes to you as a PDF and can go to your own printer.
E22 Use your own USB stick or folder as a drive at the device Preview In the session you pick a folder or your USB stick — at the device it appears as the drive “BrowserDesk – <your name>” while the session runs. Nothing is copied; the device only reads what it opens.
E23 Open a drive of the device at the technician's side — with consent at the device Preview If the USB stick is at the customer's, you ask for it in the session. The person at the device chooses which folder to share — it appears as a drive on your side, read only by default.
E24 Use your own smart card at a Windows device Preview Your signature card or company ID card sits in the card reader on your side. In the session you pass the card on — at the Windows device it then sits in “BrowserDesk Kartenleser 0”, and every program there can use it.
E25 Give a computer without a screen a virtual monitor Preview If a computer without an attached monitor delivers no picture or only a small one, you switch on a virtual monitor in the session. You see and use it like a real one; at the end of the session it goes away again.
E26 Choose the right user session on a terminal server Preview If a Windows computer has several signed-in sessions, you choose which one you see and control.
E27 Be connected to several devices at the same time Preview Every further connection in a window of its own — without disconnecting the first one.
E28 Work on one device together — request and hand over control Preview Two technicians are connected at the same time; either both may control, or one controls and hands control over on request.
E29 Open a command line during the session Preview Run single commands (PowerShell, CMD, Bash) on the device without opening a window there — only if the device allows it.
E30 End the session and understand why it ended Preview How to disconnect yourself — and what the messages mean when the session ends from the other side, through a time limit or the network.
E31 Have the device locked automatically after the session Preview When a remote session ends, the user session is locked after 5 seconds — whoever sits at the device afterwards needs the password.
E32 End sessions after idle time or a maximum length Preview Forgotten remote sessions close by themselves — after a time without input or after a fixed maximum length.
E33 See whether the session is end-to-end encrypted Preview Which path your session takes and whether the relay could read along — shown in the analysis overlay.

F At the device

What the person at the computer sees and can do.

F1 Someone wants to access my computer — what happens? Preview What you see when someone wants access, how you can tell that someone is watching, and how you end it at any time.
F2 See that someone is watching right now Preview The small session window, the coloured frame around the shared screen and the list of connections show you whether and who is looking at your computer right now.
F3 Let them only watch — do not allow control Preview The helper should only see, not work with mouse and keyboard? One click in the small session window is enough. This is how you switch it off and on again.
F4 End the session yourself Preview You can end a remote session yourself at any time — with one click. Afterwards the helper does not come back in by himself.
F5 Allow the microphone — or not Preview The helper wants to talk to you. Your microphone only switches on if you allow it — every time anew. This is how you answer, and how it goes off again.
F6 Report a problem as a ticket with a screen snip Preview Draw a frame around what is wrong, add a sentence and click "Senden" (Send). Your IT gets the picture and knows which computer it is.
F7 Read and answer your own tickets Preview Under "Tickets" you see this computer's requests and what support has answered — and you can reply straight away.
F8 Use the Start Center Preview Your IT has set up buttons for common tasks — for example "reconnect printer". One click is enough, and BrowserDesk shows whether it worked.
F9 Report a bug or suggest an improvement Preview Right from BrowserDesk: briefly describe what does not work or what you would like, and send it. The report goes to your relay and from there, if wanted, to the maker.
F10 What BrowserDesk stores and who sees what Preview Your screen, your input and your voice are not stored. What is stored, for how long and who sees it — in plain words.
F11 View the technician's screen Preview The helper wants to show you something on his own screen. You allow it with one click and close the window whenever you like.
F12 Share a drive with the technician Preview The technician asks for a folder or USB stick from your computer. You choose yourself what he may see — or you refuse. The default is read only.
F13 Start Quick Support and read out the code Preview Your helper sends you a link. You start the file, read out six digits and click "Erlauben" (Allow). Nothing is installed.
F14 Share your phone's screen Preview Stuck on your phone? In the BrowserDesk app switch on "Für Support freigeben" (Share for support) and give the helper the ID and password. He sees your screen but cannot control it.
F15 Understand drawings and the laser pointer on your screen Preview Suddenly red lines or a red dot on your screen? That is the helper. He is showing you something without clicking. You can keep working as normal.

G Manage

Policies, updates, scripts, inventory, alerts, tickets.

G1 Find a device quickly: device list, filters, "Find anything" With Ctrl+K, the search in the device list, the tree and the column filters you find any device in seconds — also by computer name, user or IP address.
G2 Set a setting at the right level (relay → access → device) Device settings exist on three levels. What you set for the access applies to all its devices; a device can override it. This is how you find out where a value comes from.
G3 Rules for your access: consent, control, only from your own access, time limits, lock Preview Decide for all devices of your access whether consent is needed on the device, who may control, how long a session may last and whether the device is locked afterwards.
G4 See and switch which features your access has One tab shows per feature whether it is active, booked but off, not booked or not available — with reason, source and seats. You switch booked features on and off there yourself.
G5 Control the devices' updates (target version, automatic updates, force an update) Bring devices to a specific version, keep them there or lock updates — per device, for the whole access or for the whole relay.
G6 Run scripts on devices and release them Preview Run a script from the library on one or more devices — with release per access and device, a question on the device and the result in the console.
G7 Distribute software (packages, rollouts) Preview Describe software as a package, release it for an access and distribute it to one device or all devices — in waves, with a dry run and a result per device.
G8 Automate sequences (workflows) Preview Join several steps into one sequence — script, wait, condition, email, ticket, question — and start it on devices by hand, on a schedule or when something happens.
G9 Keep track of the devices' hardware, software and security (inventory) Preview With the extended inventory every device reports hardware, software, security and operating state with history. The console shows it per device and as reports across all devices, with baselines.
G10 View, end and start processes and services Preview See from the console what runs on a device, end a hanging process or restart a service — without a session and without a script.
G11 Open a command line on the device (remote console) Preview A live command line on the device straight from the console — without a session, without anyone at the device having to do anything. Add-on module with one seat per device.
G12 Get notified when a device goes offline or fills up (alerts) Preview Rules for CPU, memory, paging, disk and "offline" — with email, ticket, webhook or workflow when a device crosses a threshold or disappears.
G13 Set up start buttons for your devices (Start Center) Preview Users switch recurring tasks themselves — "allow USB", "repair printer", "info for IT". In the console you decide which buttons a device shows and what each one starts.
G14 Work on tickets — work queue, take over, reply Preview The "Tickets" view is your workplace: views with counts on the left, the list in the middle, the ticket on the right. Setting the status, taking over and replying need no detour.
G15 Accept tickets by email, business hours for deadlines, merge tickets Preview Emails to your support mailbox become tickets, replies go to the requester by email, deadlines count only in your business hours — and you merge duplicate tickets into one.
G16 Connect tickets to ServiceNow, Jira Service Management or Autotask Preview For every BrowserDesk ticket the relay creates the counterpart in your PSA, passes on status and notes, and adds every remote session as a work note.
G17 Prove who did what and when — audit log, session list, CSV Preview The audit log records every security-relevant action in a tamper-evident way, the session list every remote session. Both can be searched and exported as CSV.
G18 Find, download and delete session recordings in the console Preview Recordings a device uploaded after the session are kept with the device in the console. There you download them as a video file or delete them.
G19 Connect other programs — API tokens and webhooks Preview An API token lets a program such as your PSA or a script work with the console API. A webhook reports tickets and sessions to another system on its own.
G20 Understand why a device was rejected when signing in Preview If the relay rejects a device, the console shows it — with the reason and the next step. This is how you get the device back and acknowledge the message.
G21 Read the console overview — tiles, needs attention, cards Preview The console's start page shows at a glance how many devices are online, what is running and what you need to take care of. Every number takes you to the matching list with one click.
G22 Handle users' feedback and forward it to the vendor Preview Bugs and wishes that users report in BrowserDesk arrive at your relay. In the console you set the status, forward a report to the vendor or turn it into a GitHub issue.
G23 Delete an access completely Preview When a contract ends you delete an access with all its devices, sessions, tickets, recordings and its rows in the audit log — for good, and the deletion stays provable.
G24 Assign and free seats of the add-on modules (Start Center, remote console) Preview You buy the Start Center and the remote console per device. A device takes its seat on first use or by assignment — after that it stays with that device. This is how you see who has which seat, and how one becomes free.

H When something does not work

By symptom: black screen, key not arriving, offline …

H1 The picture stays black Preview The session is up, but you only see black or a notice instead of the screen. The most common reasons — from "wait a moment" to the setting for Remote Desktop.
H2 The Mac shows no picture or cannot be controlled Preview A Mac needs two permissions that only its owner can give. If one is missing, there is no picture or mouse and keyboard fizzle out. How to check and grant them.
H3 I see the picture, but clicks do not arrive Preview You see the screen, yet mouse and keyboard do nothing. Usually "Nur Ansicht" (view only) appears at the top — with a reason. Here is what each reason means and who can change it.
H4 Clicks land next to the spot Preview The pointer jumps away or a click hits the wrong thing — usually in a program running "as administrator" on a Windows device with enlarged display scaling. What helps.
H5 A key does not arrive or gives the wrong character Preview A character arrives wrong, a key does nothing on the device, or shortcuts land on your side instead of the device. The checks from the simple case to the report.
H6 The trackpad does not scroll Preview The device scrolls with the mouse, but not with two fingers on the laptop trackpad. Why that is and what helps.
H7 The device is offline or does not show up Preview The device is listed as offline, the program says "Gerät ist offline" (device is offline), or it is missing altogether. The checks on the device and in the console.
H8 The device is rejected Preview The device says "Dieser Rechner ist nicht angemeldet" (this computer is not signed in), the console says "Rejected". What each reason means — places full, no access, certificate, block, licence — and who can fix it.
H9 The password is not accepted Preview "Falsches Passwort" (wrong password) although you are sure, or the saved password will not work. The reasons from a typo to an old program on the device — and what exists for the console password.
H10 The connection does not come about (firewall, proxy, port 443) Preview "Der Relay ist nicht erreichbar" (relay not reachable) or "Zeitüberschreitung" (timeout) — usually in a corporate network. The network test shows where it gets stuck and what IT must allow.
H11 The update is stuck, or the device has the wrong version Preview A device stays on an old version, jumps back or does not install. Usually a target version, an update lock or a running session is behind it. The checks up to the forced update.
H12 After a relay update the picture freezes Preview In the middle of the session the picture freezes or a spinner appears: "Relay wird aktualisiert" (the relay is being updated). What BrowserDesk does by itself and when you need to step in.
H13 "The session ends by itself" Preview A running session drops or ends without you disconnecting. Here you find which sentence stands for which reason — time limit, person at the device, licence, plan, network — and what you can do.
H14 "No quick code appears" Preview Instead of six digits a notice appears, or nothing at all. Usually the device is not connected to the relay right now, or the quick code is switched off for the access. Here are all sentences and the ways around them.
H15 "The app does not run on my Fire TV Stick" Preview The BrowserDesk app cannot be installed or started on the Fire TV Stick. Usually it is a new stick with Vega OS — no Android app runs there. Here you find which sticks work and what you can do instead.
H16 "The iPhone app closes" or "my connections are gone" Preview The app is suddenly closed after disconnecting, tapping a device in the list reports "Bad state", or after a new version the remembered connections and the history are empty. Here are the causes and what helps.
H17 "I cannot reach the Windows sign-in or the lock screen" Preview At the lock screen, the Windows sign-in or an administrator confirmation the picture stays grey, black or shows a notice. This only works with the BrowserDesk service — and not with Free.
H18 "BrowserDesk does not start properly" — repair and reinstall Preview BrowserDesk does not start, vanishes at once, is stuck on an old version or the installation aborts. The repair cleans up and reinstalls — ID, password and access are kept.
H19 Collect logs and send them to support Preview Where BrowserDesk keeps its logs on Windows, macOS and Linux, which files support needs, which you should never send — and how to send everything to info@browserdesk.de.
H20 "The print does not arrive" or "only the second job arrived" Preview Someone printed to "BrowserDesk Drucker" on the device, but nothing appears on your side — or only one of two jobs. Here are the reasons in order and what helps.
H21 "The drive does not appear" Preview You share a folder or USB stick as a drive, but nothing shows up at the other end — or Windows reports error 67. Here are the reasons in order, from the licence to gvfs on Linux.
H22 "Feature not booked" or "not included in the plan" — what the refusal means Preview A feature is locked, and a sentence says "not included", "not booked", "switched off" or "only with an own relay". Each of these sentences has a different cause and a different way out.
H23 "After the new password all computers of the access were gone" Preview After a new password for a user account of the access, computers no longer sign in. Here you find why it happened, which computers it still affects today and how to get them back.
H24 "A device dropped out of the access" Preview A device that belonged to your access is no longer listed there or cannot be reached — often after a repair or reinstallation. Same ID, access gone. This is how you bring it back.