Getting started¶
You need a SomeDesk server that both computers can reach, and the app on each computer. If nobody has set up a server for you yet, see Self-hosting. It takes one command with Docker Compose.
Install the app¶
Download the package for your system from the releases.
Any distribution: the AppImage runs without installing. It needs glibc 2.35 or newer (for example Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12 and later) and PipeWire, which current desktops include.
If it doesn't start because FUSE is missing (as in some containers), run it with
--appimage-extract-and-run.
Debian and Ubuntu: the .deb adds SomeDesk to your application menu.
Arch Linux: from the AUR, built from source (somedesk)
or prebuilt (somedesk-bin).
On X11 it works out of the box. On Wayland, the desktop asks for permission the first time someone connects: choose Share and switch on Allow Remote Interaction. See Linux desktops.
Unzip SomeDesk-<version>-windows-x64.zip anywhere and run somedesk.exe.
Unzip SomeDesk-<version>-macos.zip and move SomeDesk to Applications. The app isn't
signed yet, so open it the first time with right-click › Open. To be controlled remotely,
allow it under System Settings › Privacy & Security:
- Screen Recording is required to share the screen.
- Accessibility is needed for remote control. Without it, the screen is shared view-only.
Install SomeDesk-<version>.apk (Android 8 or newer): open it on the phone and allow
installing apps from that source when asked. The phone connects to your computers; it doesn't
share its own screen.
In a session, tap to click, long-press for a right click and drag to drag. The scroll button turns dragging into scrolling, and the keyboard button opens the keyboard, with a row for Esc, Tab, Ctrl, Alt and the arrow keys. Turn the phone sideways for a bigger picture.
Create an account¶
- Open SomeDesk and choose Create an account.
- Enter your server's address, a username, a password and a name for this device.
- Save the recovery key that appears, in a password manager or on paper. It's the only way back into your account if you forget the password. Nobody else can reset it for you, not even the server's administrator.
Keep that key safe! Desi's welcome tour starts right after you sign in. It shows where everything is, and you can take it again from Settings.
On another computer, sign in with the same account to add it to Devices.
Check the server's identity
The app pins the server's certificate the first time it connects, and from then on only trusts that certificate.
Connect to a computer¶
Every computer has a nine-digit ID, shown on the home screen. Enter the other computer's ID under Connect to a computer.
The person at the other computer sees who is calling, with their identity fingerprint, and accepts or declines. To rule out interception, you can compare the fingerprint they see with the one on your home screen.
While connected you can:
- Control the computer with your mouse and keyboard.
- Share the clipboard: copy on one side and paste on the other.
- Send files in either direction. Files you receive land in
Downloads/SomeDesk, and files from the computer you're viewing are only saved once you accept them. - Pick a monitor when the other computer has several.
The toolbar shows whether the session is direct or relayed, along with latency and frame rate.
Connect without asking¶
- Your own devices: turn on Settings › Unattended access on the computer you want to reach. Your other devices can then connect without anyone accepting, which is useful for your home or office machine.
- Someone else's device: when they call, tick Let … connect without asking next time before accepting. You can revoke it any time under Contacts.
Forgot your password?¶
On the sign-in screen, choose Forgot? and enter your username, your recovery key and a new password. Your identity and contacts are kept, and you get a new recovery key. The old one stops working.