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System requirements

• Operating system: 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 / 8 / 8.1 (using the compatibility installer), or macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and later.
• Processor: any dual-core x64 CPU or better. On a Mac it runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 and M4).
• Memory: 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended if you drive several machines at once).
• Disk space: around 250 MB on Windows (around 210 MB for the Windows 7 build), around 500 MB on a Mac (the app ships both architectures).
• Connection: internet at both ends. No port forwarding and no router changes.

How to install on Windows, step by step

1. Download the .zip using the button above: LineDesk-Setup-0.7.4.zip.
2. Unpack it. Right-click the .zip → Extract All. Inside is the installer, LineDesk-Setup-0.7.4.exe. Extract it before running it rather than opening it from inside the .zip.
3. Run the installer and pick where to install. The default location is fine.
4. Open LineDesk. On first launch it generates that machine's 9-digit ID — that is the number you give to whoever wants to connect.
5. Install it on the other PC too and repeat. Both sides run the same program: either machine can control or be controlled.
6. Connect: type the remote ID and wait for the other end to accept the prompt.

Why the download comes as a .zip

Chrome, Edge and Firefox hold back .exe installers that not many people have downloaded yet: you get a "needs permission to continue" message and have to hunt for the option to keep the file. This is not antivirus software detecting something, it is a reputation filter, and every new program starts with no reputation.

That filter does not apply to .zip files. So the download button hands you the installer inside a .zip: it is exactly the same LineDesk-Setup-0.7.4.exe, byte for byte, but it comes down in one go without the browser stepping in. You just have to unpack it before running it.

If you would rather have the bare .exe and it gets blocked, here is how to clear it per browser:

• Microsoft Edge: open the downloads panel (the arrow icon, top right), hover over the file and click the three dots ··· → Keep. Then confirm with Show more → Keep anyway.
• Google Chrome: the downloads panel offers Keep or Keep dangerous file. Choose it and you are done.
• Firefox: right-click the blocked download → Allow download.

Both routes end at the same installer. When you run it, either way, the SmartScreen dialog will appear: More info → Run anyway.

Verifying the file arrived intact

If you want to be sure you downloaded the original file and not an altered copy, compare its SHA-256 checksum with the ones published here. On Windows, open PowerShell in your downloads folder and run:

Get-FileHash .\LineDesk-Setup-0.7.4.exe -Algorithm SHA256

On a Mac, open Terminal and run shasum -a 256 LineDesk-0.7.4-macOS-universal.zip. The result has to match this table character for character:

How to install on a Mac, step by step

1. Download the .zip using the button above: LineDesk-0.7.4-macOS-universal.zip.
2. Double-click the .zip to unpack it and drag LineDesk into your Applications folder.
3. Right-click the app → Open and confirm Open in the dialog. Only needed the first time: a plain double-click gets blocked, because the app is not signed with an Apple Developer account.
4. Grant the two permissions. The app shows a notice with a button that opens the right System Settings panel: tick LineDesk under Screen Recording and under Accessibility. After ticking Screen Recording, quit and reopen the app — macOS only applies that one from the next launch onwards.
5. Note the 9-digit ID and connect exactly as on Windows. You can drive a PC from the Mac or the other way round, in any combination.

What is different on Windows 7 (and what is not)

The Windows 7 build is not a stripped-down LineDesk put together by hand: it is the same code compiled against Chromium 108 instead of the current engine. That is the last one Microsoft and Google still let start on Windows 7, and it is where the only two differences you will notice come from.

• You cannot hide the screen from the client. That feature relies on a Windows flag added in Windows 10 version 2004, which does not exist on Windows 7. LineDesk detects this and simply does not offer it, rather than drawing a curtain the client can still see straight through. If the operator tries to switch it on, they are told why.
• 64-bit only. The module that drives the mouse and keyboard on the controlled machine is not published for 32-bit, and without it the PC could connect but not be driven. We would rather not ship an installer that delivers half of what it promises.

Everything else is identical: live video, mouse and keyboard control, file transfer, chat, shared clipboard, multiple monitors, unattended access and automatic reconnection. And it connects to Windows 10, Windows 11 and Mac machines with no difference at all.

One honest warning, though: Microsoft stopped shipping security updates for Windows 7 in January 2020, and this build's engine no longer gets patches either. If you can move that machine to Windows 10 or 11, use the regular installer. This build exists for the machines that cannot be moved.

Older versions

We recommend always running the latest release, which carries the most recent stability and reconnection fixes. If you need an older build for compatibility reasons, get in touch and we will send it over.

Can I mix Windows and Mac?

Yes, and in both directions: you can control a Mac from a Windows PC and a Windows PC from a Mac. It is the same program on both ends, so either machine can control or be controlled with nothing extra to configure.

What about Linux? And phones?

A Linux build is in development. There is no app for iPhone, iPad or Android: LineDesk needs full access to the desktop and to the system keyboard, which iOS and Android do not grant to apps. If you ever see a "LineDesk for iOS", it is not ours.