Download AnyDesk remote PC/Mac control for PC

AnyDesk is remote desktop software from AnyDesk Software GmbH: one machine shows its screen and hands over mouse and keyboard, another machine drives it, and the two find each other through a numeric AnyDesk ID instead of network setup. The Android app in this listing is the pocket-sized half of that pair. On a computer you do not need it at all. AnyDesk Software GmbH ships native clients for Windows, macOS and Linux, and those clients are the ones that can accept incoming sessions, transfer files and stay reachable while nobody is sitting at the keyboard.

Reasons to keep AnyDesk installed on the computer itself

The desktop client is the end of the connection that does the work. A Windows or macOS machine running AnyDesk can be controlled, not just do the controlling, which is the entire point of the product. Three things follow from that.

First, unattended access. On the remote Windows or macOS device you open AnyDesk, go to Settings > Access, and under Unattended Access click Set password; AnyDesk requires at least eight characters. After that you can connect and manage the device at any time without anyone on the far end approving the request. AnyDesk notes that installing the client is optional, but that it helps the device stay connected after a restart or a sign-out, which is exactly what an office PC you are reaching from home needs to survive.

Second, file work. AnyDesk carries File Transfer inside the session, so files move between the two desks directly rather than through a storage service. On macOS this is the reason the client asks for Full Disk Access: that permission is what lets the connecting user reach files and folders for File Transfer.

Third, administration at scale. Paid clients are tied to a license through my.anydesk, where a license key is issued under the Clients tab and pasted into the client via Change License Key. With Central Management active, client settings can be changed from that portal in real time, with no reinstall. The same portal lists active sessions from other devices on the license, and a session can be ended there from the Sessions tab.

Native client, browser session, or the Android package in an emulator

AnyDesk publishes desktop downloads for Windows and macOS on its own site, at anydesk.com/en/downloads/windows and anydesk.com/en/downloads/mac-os, and Linux users get Debian-style .deb and Red Hat-style .rpm packages plus DEB and RPM repositories for managed updates. Pick by the job:

• The installed desktop client suits anyone who wants a computer to be reachable later, wants File Transfer, or supports other people regularly. It is the only option that accepts incoming sessions on a Windows or Mac desktop.
• The browser-based client is for the borrowed machine. AnyDesk states that it offers a browser client for starting remote sessions without installing anything, which is useful when you are on a locked-down computer. It changes nothing about the far end: the device you want to reach still needs a client running on it.
• The Android package inside an emulator is the route to skip. The Android build exists so a phone or tablet can control desktops with touch; loaded onto a PC through an emulator it still behaves as a guest Android device, so it cannot expose the host Windows desktop for incoming sessions, and a native Windows or macOS client is a free download from the vendor. There is no capability you gain by the detour.

What moves when you switch from the phone app to a desktop client

Gains are mostly about permanence and privileges. Unattended Access on a desktop client, once installed, keeps working across reboots and logouts. Settings such as permission profiles, the Address Book on licensed clients, and custom clients built in my.anydesk with a fixed feature set all belong to the desktop and portal side. Two-factor authentication can be added on top of the unattended password.

What the phone app keeps is portability, and on Android the ability to be controlled as well as to control; AnyDesk supports full remote control of Android devices and view-only sessions on iOS. Its Android agent has its own conditions: the control plugin may need enabling under Android's Accessibility settings, some devices want a reboot before it works, and on ChromeOS only remote viewing is available because input control is blocked by the vendor of the platform.

Account behaviour is worth understanding before you install on several machines. Each client carries its own AnyDesk ID, so a laptop, a desktop and a phone are three separate addresses that can all sit on one license. AnyDesk's free version is for private, non-professional use only; when its checks decide a usage pattern looks professional it shows a commercial use message, and a license is then required. AnyDesk also says free users without a user account meet more feature limits, and that creating a free user account extends connection time and helps avoid timeouts.

What AnyDesk needs from Windows, macOS and Linux

AnyDesk keeps its own compatibility list, at support.anydesk.com/docs/supported-operating-systems, covering desktop, mobile and embedded platforms, and its commercial terms point customers to that page as the definition of minimum technical requirements. Check it there rather than trusting a copied figure, because the supported range shifts as old releases fall away.

macOS has a hard prerequisite that is not about hardware. AnyDesk needs Screen Recording so a remote user can see the Mac, Accessibility so they can move its mouse and type, and Full Disk Access for File Transfer. Without them the client will not accept incoming sessions at all. The client offers a Configure button that jumps straight to the matching panes in Security and Privacy, and granting Screen Recording requires restarting AnyDesk afterwards.

On Windows, the installed client brings along the AnyDesk service, which is what supports the full feature set and unattended reachability. For very old Windows releases AnyDesk still documents help for weak screen capture: a Mirror Driver for Windows XP and 7, and turning the Aero theme off on Windows 7 and earlier to make rendering cheaper. Linux is offered as both portable and installed builds, the installed package adding the AnyDesk service.

Storage and memory demands are modest by the vendor's own description, and in practice the limiting factor is the network between the two desks, not the CPU on either.

When the session will not behave

The Mac connects but shows nothing, or ignores the mouse. This is the macOS permission set. Grant Screen Recording and Accessibility in Security and Privacy, add Full Disk Access if file transfer is needed, then quit and reopen AnyDesk so the screen permission takes effect.

"Commercial use detected", or sessions cutting out. The free client is licensed for private use. If the classification is wrong, AnyDesk takes whitelist requests for your AnyDesk address; if the use really is work, a license is the fix. Signing in with a free AnyDesk user account is the documented way to reduce timeouts on the free version.

The picture lags or smears. AnyDesk attributes this to slow connections, firewall restrictions and high latency, and points to switching the session to its Best Performance mode, which trades image quality for responsiveness.

Nobody is there to accept the request. Without an unattended password, incoming sessions wait for a human click. Set the password under Settings > Access on current Windows builds; on macOS, Linux and older Windows versions of AnyDesk the same option lives under Settings > Security. Install the client so the setting survives a reboot.

A Windows Server connects to the wrong desk, or to a blank one. AnyDesk can target the console session or a named user session on Windows Server, but a non-console user must already be logged in for that session to be shown, which usually means an RDP session has to be open first. Some servers also have limited graphics hardware, which shows up as a poor or empty image.

A session seems stuck open on another machine. On a licensed setup, sign in to my.anydesk, open the Sessions tab, select the session and close it from the Session Details page.

FAQ

Do I need the Android version of AnyDesk on my PC?

No. AnyDesk Software GmbH publishes clients for Windows, macOS and Linux, and only those can accept an incoming session on a computer. The Android build is for phones, tablets and Android TV-style devices.

Is AnyDesk free on a computer?

The free version is licensed for private, non-professional use. AnyDesk watches usage patterns and shows a commercial use message when it judges the activity to be work-related, at which point a paid license is needed. Creating a free user account is also the vendor's advice for extending connection time on the free client.

Can I reach my PC when nobody is sitting at it?

Yes, with an unattended access password set on that machine and the client installed rather than just run once. The computer still has to be powered on, signed in to the network and running AnyDesk.

Why does the person connecting to my Mac see a black screen?

macOS has not granted AnyDesk Screen Recording. Enable it in Security and Privacy, then quit and reopen AnyDesk, since that permission only applies after the app restarts. Accessibility covers mouse and keyboard control separately.

Can I control a phone from my desktop?

Android devices can be fully controlled, though the control plugin may have to be switched on in the device's Accessibility settings and some hardware needs a reboot first. iOS devices can be viewed but not controlled.