Overview
AnyDesk exists because the other remote desktop tools were built for a local network and then stretched over the internet. This one was written the other way round. The codec was designed for a connection with real latency, which is why a session over a domestic upload link still feels close to live instead of arriving as a slideshow half a second behind the mouse. For anyone doing support work across households or maintaining machines in a building they do not sit in, that difference is the whole product.
This build carries the professional feature set: unlimited concurrent sessions, the address book, unattended access with a stored password, file transfer in both directions, remote printing and session recording. The commercial use detection that normally cuts a free session short after a few minutes has been removed, so a long support call does not get dropped in the middle of an install.
How a session actually connects
Each installation gets a numeric address. Type the address of the far machine, the person there accepts, and the session opens. There is no port forwarding to configure and no fixed server address to enter, because the connection negotiates a direct path first and falls back to a relay only when the network at one end refuses to cooperate. On a direct path the latency is whatever the line gives you. On a relayed path expect a small penalty and slightly lower peak sharpness during fast motion.
For machines you own, unattended access is the better arrangement. Set a password on the far end once and it will accept a session without anyone present to click the prompt. That is what makes this usable for a machine in a cupboard or a relative's computer that nobody is sitting at when you need to fix it.
What you can do inside a session
The obvious things work: full control of the far desktop, multiple monitors selectable individually or tiled, clipboard shared in both directions including files on the clipboard. Beyond that, the file transfer panel gives a two sided browser that queues transfers and survives a brief network drop without restarting the queue. Remote printing sends a document from the far machine to a printer attached to yours, which is the sort of thing that sounds niche until the day you need it.
Session recording writes the whole connection to a local file, useful when you are documenting a fix rather than performing one. Whiteboard drawing over the remote screen is there for the moments when telling somebody where to click is not working. There is also a straightforward text chat that persists in the session window, which beats dictating a long path over a phone call.
Display quality has three modes and the automatic one is usually right. If the far machine is on a poor line, forcing the speed preference over the quality preference makes the difference between a session you can work in and one you fight.
Security and the unattended case
Every session is encrypted end to end and the far machine has to either accept the prompt or hold a matching unattended password. The access control list can be set to only accept connections from specific addresses, which is worth doing on any machine that sits unattended with a password set. Permissions inside a session are also granular, so you can allow viewing without control, or control without file transfer, depending on what the situation actually needs.
If the machine is one you administer and nobody else should be reaching, disable the interactive access path entirely and leave only the access list. That closes the case where somebody guesses or is given the numeric address and sends a connection request to a screen that has no one in front of it.
What you get
- Low latency codec built for connections with real internet latency
- Unlimited concurrent sessions with no commercial use cut off
- Unattended access with a stored password per machine
- Two way file transfer with a resumable queue
- Remote printing from the far machine to a local printer
- Session recording to a local file
- Multi monitor handling, individually selectable or tiled
- Address book with grouping and connection notes
- Access control list with per session permission granularity
- Portable mode that runs without installing
Inside the archive
- AnyDesk client installer for 32-bit and 64-bit
- Portable executable that runs without an install
- Preconfigured professional feature state
- Notes on setting unattended access safely
- Language files for the interface list shown above
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 10, Windows 11, 32-bit or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any dual core processor from the last decade |
| Memory | 2 GB, 4 GB recommended for high resolution sessions |
| Network | 1 Mbit upload on the controlled machine for a comfortable session |
| Storage | 200 MB free |
| Display | Any resolution, scaling handled per session |
Installing it
- Unpack the archive to any folder.
- Run the installer as administrator, or run the portable executable if you do not want it installed.
- Note the numeric address shown in the main window, that is what the other side types.
- For a machine you will reach later, set an unattended password under security before you leave it.
- Restrict the access list to the addresses you use, then test a connection from another machine.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Small file, direct is usually faster | Online |
Release history
- Fixed a stall when a session moved from a direct path to a relayed one mid connection
- File transfer queue now survives a network drop without restarting
- Reduced processor use on the controlled machine during static screens
- Multi monitor tiling redrawn for mixed resolution setups
- Fixed clipboard file transfer failing on paths with accented characters
- Access control list rules can now be exported and imported
- Session recording no longer drops frames on long connections
Questions about this release
Does the session get cut off after a few minutes?
No. The commercial use detection that ends a free session early is removed in this build, so a long support call runs to its end.
Do I need to open ports on the router?
No. The connection negotiates a direct path where it can and falls back to a relay where it cannot. Neither case needs manual port forwarding.
Can I reach a machine when nobody is sitting at it?
Yes, set an unattended password on that machine first. Pair it with an access list so only your addresses can connect.
Does it work between different Windows versions?
Yes, any combination of the supported versions connects. Mixed 32-bit and 64-bit machines are fine.
Why is the picture soft when the far side scrolls?
That is the codec trading sharpness for smoothness on a limited line. Switch the display preference from balanced to quality if the connection can carry it.
Comments
Set unattended on the machine at my parents place. Works every time, even on their awful upload.
Portable version is the one I keep on a stick. No install, connects straight away.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Sessions no longer get chopped off mid install. That was the only thing stopping me using it properly.