How to help a family member with their PC remotely

Your mother cannot print, a friend’s email will not open: instead of going over, you help them from your own computer. It takes ten minutes the first time, then one.

What you need

• You: a computer with Chrome, Edge or Firefox, or a tablet, and a Walkie Desk account. For personal use there is the free Personal plan.
• Your family member: a PC with 64-bit Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11, connected to the Internet. They do not need an account.
• A phone to talk to each other while you guide them.

Step by step

1. Create your free account

   At walkiedesk.app choose «Sign up» and then «Personal use»: email, password and second factor (an authenticator app, a security key or a passkey).

2. Have them download QuickSupport

   Over the phone, give your family member the address walkiedesk.app/help and ask them to press «Download QuickSupport» and open the downloaded file. Nothing gets installed.

3. Get the ID and password

   The QuickSupport window shows a 9-digit ID and a 6-character password: ask them to read them to you.

4. Connect from your browser

   Sign in at walkiedesk.app, open «Quick support», choose «Give support» and enter the ID and password.

5. Have them press «Allow»

   Your name appears on their screen: when they recognise it, they press «Allow» and you see their desktop.

6. Help them and close

   During the session a red frame surrounds their screen and they can stop you with «End». At the end they close the QuickSupport window, which deletes what it had prepared.

Tips

• Next time they just download QuickSupport again from walkiedesk.app/help: it is always the latest version, with a new ID and password.
• If you help them often you can install Walkie Desk on their PC and pair it with your account: with the Personal plan up to 3 paired PCs, reachable even with nobody in front of them (unattended access).
• Files and chat: during the session you can copy files and folders between your computer and theirs from the “Files” panel, and write to them in the chat when you are not on the phone.
• Mac or Linux: QuickSupport is Windows-only today; on Linux and on Mac (in beta) you install Walkie Desk from the Download page.
• Personal plan limits: 1 PC open at a time, with QuickSupport or with ID and password up to 5 different PCs in the last 30 days, up to 10 hours a month of sessions through the relay server (direct sessions have no time limit). The supported PC shows «free session for personal use». Details on the Pricing page.