Do you have a computer problem, but no one nearby to solve it? This free software will allow a friend to take control of your computer remotely to help you.
It’s a distressing situation that many people have probably experienced more than once, and which you may have experienced yourself. You are having problems with your computer, an application or a device and you don’t know how to fix it. So you call a friend, family member or relative who is “computer savvy” for help.
Unfortunately, it then asks you to carry out complicated manipulations, to check parameters whose existence you do not know and asks you questions that you do not really understand. You try as best you can to describe to him what is happening on the screen, but the communication is not very fluid and, in the end, you end up hanging up without having solved your problem, telling yourself that he we will have to wait for the next visit of the good Samaritan.
This is because remote computer troubleshooting is not an easy exercise, even with all the good will in the world. On one side or the other, it is very difficult to precisely describe what we see on the screen, the actions to perform or the checks to carry out, especially when we do not speak the same language. Fortunately, there are tools specially designed to help or get help remotely with a computer: this is the case of AnyDesk, Zoho Assist or even TeamViewer Remotethe best known.
Like its counterparts, this software allows you to create a temporary and secure connection between two computers, over the Internet, so that one can take control of the other remotely. Thus, the person who helps you can see live what is displayed on your screen, guide you more precisely and even carry out troubleshooting operations for you, by controlling the mouse and keyboard themselves. In short, they have control your computer on its own computer!.
Two important details. firstly, there is no need for both computers to run under the same operating system, because only images and commands pass through: you can use a Mac to troubleshoot a PC or vice versa. Next, TeamViewer is free for personal use, and therefore ideal for occasional troubleshooting!
For the person being cared for, using the software is very simple and does not even require installation: simply download the TeamViewer QuickSupport tool, double-click on the downloaded file and then enter the “session code” provided by the person offering help. The ideal is obviously to be on a telephone call at the same time to ask questions and exchange the famous code. To learn more, check out our full article on using TeamViewer.
However, be careful when using this tool. As it gives (almost) total access to your computer, it could obviously be misused by malicious people! Therefore, only use TeamViewer with people you know physically and in whom you trust completely, and never with an individual who has contacted you via the Internet or by telephone.