BrowserDeskHelp › Add devices › C5
Give a Mac the permissions for screen and control
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.
Preview this guide has not yet been clicked through on a real device. Button names and steps come from the program but may differ in details.
- For
- Private helper · Account administrator · Employee working from home
- Applies to
- Free · Cloud · Own relay
- Controlled device
- macOS
- Control from
- Program (Windows, macOS, Linux) · Browser · Phone/tablet/Fire TV
What it is for
If a Mac is to be controlled, BrowserDesk needs two permissions from macOS: Screen Recording (so the helper sees the picture) and Accessibility (so they may guide mouse and keyboard). Only the owner of the Mac can grant them — no installer, script or administration can do this for you. Without these permissions there is no error message on the Mac; the picture is missing or clicks come to nothing.
What you need
- A Mac with an Apple chip (Apple silicon) and macOS 12.3 or later. Intel Macs can control other devices but cannot be controlled.
- BrowserDesk on the Mac (C1).
How to do it
- Open BrowserDesk → EinstellungenFernzugriff (Settings > Remote access). The card macOS-Berechtigungen (macOS permissions) is also on the page Fernzugriff (Remote access).
- At Bildschirmaufnahme (Screen Recording) click Anfragen (Request) and agree in the macOS dialog.
- At Bedienungshilfen (Accessibility) click Anfragen (Request) and agree.
- If no dialog appears (macOS shows it only once per app): click Systemeinstellungen (System Settings) next to the permission. The matching page under “Privacy & Security” opens; turn BrowserDesk on there.
- If macOS asks you to restart the app after granting Bildschirmaufnahme (Screen Recording), quit BrowserDesk and open it again.
- In the card Ihr Desktop (Your desktop) turn on Eingehende Verbindungen zulassen (Allow incoming connections).
How you know it worked
- The card macOS-Berechtigungen (macOS permissions) shows „vollständig“ (complete), and both permissions say „erteilt“ (granted).
- A helper sees the Mac's picture, and their clicks and keystrokes arrive.
What the other side sees
If a permission is missing, the helper gets a notice:
- without Screen Recording: „Auf diesem Mac ist „Bildschirmaufnahme“ für BrowserDesk nicht erteilt. Der Besitzer muss sie freigeben: Systemeinstellungen → Datenschutz & Sicherheit → Bildschirmaufnahme.“ (Screen Recording not granted — the owner has to allow it). The connection is then not established.
- without Accessibility: „Auf diesem Mac ist „Bedienungshilfen“ für BrowserDesk nicht erteilt — Maus und Tastatur werden vom System verworfen. …“ (Accessibility not granted — mouse and keyboard are discarded). The picture is visible, control does not work.
Good to know
- macOS asks again from time to time — even when the permissions are already granted, for example with a dialog saying BrowserDesk wants to bypass the system's picker for private windows. That is not a lost permission: agree. While the dialog is open, it can block the program.
- Password fields: if a password field on the Mac has the focus (“Secure Input”), macOS discards keystrokes from outside — even with all permissions. The mouse keeps working. The card shows this as a yellow box, and the helper gets a notice.
- Without a signed-in user a Mac cannot be reached. There is no service for the Mac like on Windows (C4).
- Mac as viewer: if you control other devices from the Mac, you do not need these permissions.
- Blocking input on the Mac also needs Accessibility (E16).
If it does not work
| You see | Meaning and fix |
|---|---|
| At the helper: „Auf diesem Mac ist „Bildschirmaufnahme“ für BrowserDesk nicht erteilt. …“ | Grant Bildschirmaufnahme (Screen Recording) on the Mac, then restart BrowserDesk. |
| At the helper: „Auf diesem Mac ist „Bedienungshilfen“ für BrowserDesk nicht erteilt — …“ | Grant Bedienungshilfen (Accessibility) on the Mac. |
| At the helper: „Auf dem Mac ist gerade ein Passwortfeld aktiv (Secure Input) — …“ (a password field is active) | Leave the password field on the Mac, or let the person there type the password themselves. |
| Anfragen (Request) opens no dialog | macOS shows it only once per app. Use Systemeinstellungen (System Settings) and turn BrowserDesk on there. |
| The card says „erteilt“ (granted), still no picture | A macOS dialog is waiting for an answer on the Mac. Agree there. Otherwise quit BrowserDesk and open it again. |