Let us look at it from where we are.
Nothing to sign up for and nothing left behind. Download the file, open it, and read us two numbers. You watch the whole thing and you can cut us off at any point.
How it works
On Windows it runs straight away, with nothing to install. On a Mac it goes into your Applications folder first.
It shows a nine digit ID and a password. Read both to us on the phone or over WhatsApp. Without them nobody can connect.
Your screen stays on in front of you the whole time. Close the window and we are disconnected immediately.
Pick your computer
Not sure which Mac you have? Click the Apple menu in the top left corner, then About This Mac. If it mentions an Apple M1, M2, M3 or M4 chip, choose Apple Silicon. If it says Intel, choose Intel. Ring us if it is not obvious and we will tell you which one.
One extra step on a Mac
Apple will not let any program see or control your screen until you switch it on yourself. It takes about a minute and you only do it once. Windows does not ask for any of this.
- Open the app. It will tell you it needs permission.
- Go to System Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Screen Recording, and switch RustDesk on.
- In the same place, open Accessibility and switch RustDesk on as well.
- Quit the app and open it again. It will now show your ID and password.
If you get stuck, stop and ring us. We cannot see your screen until this is done, so it is quicker to talk it through than to guess.
Those two switches are the only way anything on a Mac can share a screen or move a mouse. Video calls ask for the same permission.
Turning it back offSwitch them off in the same place whenever you like, or drag the app to the Bin. It keeps no access once it is gone.
Got the numbers? Give us a ring.
Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm. Remote support is charged at £45 an hour and most software faults are sorted the same day. We tell you what is wrong before you pay to fix it. See pricing.
What the tool actually is. RustDesk, an open source remote support program. The Mac version is signed and notarised by Apple, so it will not be blocked or flagged as coming from an unknown developer. We can only connect while you are giving us the ID and password it shows, and those change every time you open it. There is no permanent access on your machine unless you ask us to set that up, and we would tell you plainly if we had.