AnyDesk

Remote desktop applications make it much easier to help with computer issues over a distance, but setting up a connection can be tedious with some applications. Usually, the operation involves specifying IPs, ports and if you get one number wrong, nothing will work. Fortunately, there are many alternatives nowadays. One of the best examples is AnyDesk. This simple and lightweight application gives you the possibility of taking control over other computers almost instantly. The best part is that you don't have to make any kind of configurations along the way.

The application works straight out of the box. All you have to do is download its executable and run it. There is no installation process to go through and you don't have to meet any special requirements. AnyDesk comes in Lite, Professional and Enterprise versions and you can also find a fully functional free version.

The user interface resembles a web browser. You can establish multiple connections, on separate tabs and bring up a pop-up menu, by clicking an icon, in the upper right area of the window. The revealed options can be selected to take screenshots, send Ctrl+Alt+Del commands and more.

If you wish to control a computer remotely, you have to run AnyDesk on both machines. When launched, it will generate a unique ID for the computer on which it is running. The ID is displayed directly on the main user interface, along with an input field where you can type the ID of a remote computer. Specifying a computer's ID and clicking a button is sufficient to establish a connection. By default, you have to wait for the user on the other end to accept your connection, but you can set the application, on the host computer, to require a password, instead of user intervention.

Once you connect to a computer, the remote user can tick a few options, to allow you to take control over the computer, to hear sounds, access and use the clipboard or to allow you to block the keyboard and mouse on that computer. After connecting to a computer for the first time, the application will save its settings.

Additional settings can be made on the main interface, on a different tab. You can make one or more of the aforementioned permissions, balance the connection's quality and performance, enable hardware acceleration and more.