Help › At the device › F2

See that someone is watching right now

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.

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: Person at the device
Applies to: Free · Cloud · Own relay
Controlled device: Windows · macOS · Linux
Control from: Program (Windows, macOS, Linux) · Browser · Phone/tablet/Fire TV
from version: 20261009.23

What it is for

You want to know: is someone seeing my screen right now? Who is it? And which screen does he see? BrowserDesk shows you this in several ways. This page tells you where to look.

What you need

BrowserDesk on your computer (Windows, Mac or Linux).
For the coloured frame: Windows. You switch the frame on once yourself (see step 3).

How to do it

1. The small window at the top right

As soon as someone connects, a small window appears.

Windows: it appears at the top right of the screen. At the top it shows the helper's name, below it "Verbunden" (connected) and for how long. After 5 seconds it becomes small and sits in the taskbar at the bottom. One click there brings it back.
Mac and Linux: the BrowserDesk window itself turns into this small card while someone is connected. Afterwards it looks as before.

The window only disappears when nobody is connected any more. The cross at the top only makes it small. The bottom of the window says so: "Schließen (×) minimiert nur, die Sitzung läuft weiter." (closing only minimises, the session keeps running).

2. What the small window shows

Who: the helper's name. If several people are connected, it shows their number and "Rechte gelten für alle Betrachter" (permissions apply to all viewers).
Nur Ansicht (view only): the helper may only watch, not control.
REC (red): the session is being recorded.
Under "DER BETRACHTER DARF" (the viewer may) you see what the helper may do: Steuern (Control), Ablage (Clipboard), Datei (File). A highlighted tile with a tick means: allowed.

3. Which screen is shown (coloured frame, Windows only)

Do you have two or three screens? Then you can have BrowserDesk show you which one the helper sees. That screen then gets a coloured frame with the label "Bildschirm wird geteilt" (screen is being shared).

Open BrowserDesk.
Choose EinstellungenFernzugriff (Settings > Remote access).
In the card Übertragung (Transfer), switch on Geteilten Bildschirm markieren (Mark shared screen).

The frame is off by default. You can click through the frame. The helper does not see it.

4. The list in the BrowserDesk window

Open BrowserDesk and choose Fernzugriff (Remote access) on the left. The card Aktive Verbindungen (Active connections) shows everyone who is connected right now:

"steuert" (controls) or "sieht zu" (watches) — whether he is using mouse and keyboard right now,
"Browser" if he is connected through an internet browser,
"seit …" (since …) — for how long,
next to it the button Trennen (Disconnect).

If nobody is connected, it says "keine" (none).

5. The BrowserDesk icon next to the clock

Click the BrowserDesk icon next to the clock. The top of the menu shows the state. While someone is connected, it says Wird gesteuert (being controlled).

How you know it worked

You find the small window (top right, or at the bottom in the taskbar).
Under Fernzugriff → Aktive Verbindungen you see the helper's name.
With the frame switched on: one of your screens has the frame "Bildschirm wird geteilt".

What the other side sees

The helper sees your screen as it is.
He does not see the coloured frame. It is only for you.
If you switch off Steuern in the small window, he sees "Nur Ansicht — nicht steuerbar" (view only — cannot be controlled).

Good to know

You can end the session yourself at any time: in the small window with Verbindung trennen (Disconnect). More in F1.
If the helper shows you his own screen, a window titled "Techniker zeigt seinen Bildschirm" (technician is showing his screen) opens. More in F11.
Microphone and sound: after "Verbunden" the window is meant to say whether your microphone is open or your computer's sound is being transmitted. This addition is currently often cut off in the small window. Your microphone only switches on if you allow it anyway (F5).
A screenshot does not show the coloured frame. That is on purpose: it also keeps the frame out of the helper's picture.
Linux with Wayland: there the small card may not always stay on top.
The frame exists only on Windows so far.

If it does not work

You see	What it means
The small window is gone	It only became small. Click it in the taskbar at the bottom. Or look under Fernzugriff → Aktive Verbindungen.
No frame although someone is watching	Check the switch Geteilten Bildschirm markieren (step 3). The frame exists on Windows only.
The card Übertragung is missing	You are on a Mac or Linux computer. The frame does not exist there yet.
You do not know who is connected	Look under Fernzugriff → Aktive Verbindungen. If you do not know the name: click Verbindung trennen at once.

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