The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes
If you’re a person on the go, you’ll probably get stuck at some point needing something from your computer. Maybe it’s a website you left open, maybe it’s a project you were working on at your office, perhaps it’s a bookmark of a favorite page, maybe it’s a tweet you were reading. Chrome Remote Desktop lets you access your computer remotely from other computers, your mobile devices and from a Chromebook.
In addition to getting remote access to your desktop you can also use Chrome Remote Desktop to access others’ computers. You can screen share with someone for troubleshooting, sharing information, websites or images.
About Chrome Remote Desktop
Many screen sharing software programs are available but often expensive to use. Chrome Remote Desktop is a free tool from Google that has been around since April as an Android app and since earlier this month as an iOS app. Now you can access your desktop from your Android devices as well as your iPhone, iPad, and/or iPod Touch.
Chrome Remote Desktop not only lets you see the screen, but control it as well, as if you were sitting in front of your computer. You can use a keyboard to enter text and your touch screen like a mouse to navigate around the screen, click links, open windows, etc.
In spite of its name, Chrome Remote Desktop doesn’t just let you access Chrome remotely, you can access your entire desktop. For example, you can use it to access other software programs, such as Microsoft Office, or use other browsers, such as Firefox or Safari.
You can also use Chrome Remote Desktop to turn your mobile device into a true remote. For example, you can use your phone to pause a Netflix movie you’re watching on your computer.
Chrome Remote Desktop works on both PC/Windows and Mac computers.
How to Use Chrome Remote Desktop
To use Chrome Remote Desktop you’ll need to add the Chrome Remote Desktop extension to your Chrome browser. You can get the extension free from the Chrome Webstore:
When you add the extension you’ll have to sign into your Google account, including two-step verification if you have that set up. You’ll need to give permission to access your computer remotely and download software to enable it to work.
Next, set a PIN of at least six digits to protect your computer from being accessed by anyone else. You’ll need to both enter the PIN and be logged into your Google account to access your computer remotely.
Next, get the app from Google Play for Android devices and iTunes for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
Log into your Google account in the Chrome Remote Desktop app on your mobile device to see a list of computers you’ve enabled sharing from. Choose the computer you want access to and enter your PIN number.
The screen on your mobile device will mirror your computer’s screen:
When your computer is being accessed, you’ll see a window at the bottom of the screen alerting you that your desktop is being shared. You can stop sharing at any time by clicking the Stop Sharing button.
Remote Assistance
You can screen share with others using Chrome Remote Desktop to get help troubleshooting an issue. This feature is computer-to-computer only, not for mobile apps.
With Remote Assistance, both computers have to have the Chrome Remote Desktop installed. When you grant access to someone else, a unique access code will be generated for that session. Google suggests that you read the access code to the person you’re sharing your computer instead of writing it down.
When you share your desktop with someone else you’ll see the box at the bottom of your screen. You can stop sharing at any time by clicking the Stop Sharing button.
[note] Note that when you share your computer with someone else, they will have full access to your email, files, photos and anything else you have on your computer so share cautiously. [/note]
More Information
You can get more information on Chrome Remote Desktop from the Chrome Help page.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever wished you could access your computer remotely? Did you ever use a screen sharing program? Have you ever used screen sharing to troubleshoot a computer? Have you tried Chrome Remote Desktop? What would you use Chrome Remote Desktop for? Let us know in the Comments section below!
_________________
Computer image (edited) courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hi Carolyn,
Interesting tutorial indeed 🙂
No, never heard of Chrome Remote Desktop till now, and it surely seems a wonderful app, especially for those who like to use Chrome. I know I’d be using it, when and if I get onto the mobile…lol…which you know I personally haven’t yet started doing. Just prefer my laptop – the larger screen!
I loved the fact that we can see the screen and control it as well, just as if we were sitting in front of our computer. I wouldn’t mind sharing it with people I trust, and as both my husband and myself work as a team, it would be a good fit. We did try another desktop free version, on the similar lines, but it made the browser slow, so we removed it. But this sounds interesting and worth bookmarking to come back to later.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, Chrome Remote Desktop is a very powerful tool and so cool that it’s free! Even people who don’t use Chrome as their primary browser can use Chrome Remote Desktop, so long as they have Chrome and add the extension. They can use this tool with other browsers too, such as Firefox and Safari.
I hope you give this a try, Harleena, and that it comes in handy for you!
Wow, it’s something new for me Carolyn. I’m using Teamviewer 9 to access all 18 laptops of my office.
I think now it’s time to use this Chrome remote desktop extension. But before installing it I’ve a question, as you know Teamviewer and other apps aren’t free, can I use Chrome remote desktop on 20 different computers with same ID?
You’ve used it, I expect that you would have answer of my question.
Hi Hammad, Great question. Yes, I have used Chrome Remote Desktop, but I haven’t used it with 20 different computers. I haven’t seen a limit on the number of computers you can use with it, so I don’t see why not.
The good news is that Chrome Remote Desktop is free. You can try it out to see if it works with all 20 of the computers in your office that are using the same Google ID. If you do try it, please come back and let us know whether it worked, Hammad!
ok Carolyn I’ll setup on 5 PCs for testing and will let you know soon. Thankyou
Thanks, Hammad. That would be very helpful to Wonder of Tech readers if you checked that out and reported back.
Hi Carolyn,
I haven’t heard of this yet, but it looks fantastic. I work from home and am mostly there but when I travel, this sue can come in handy. I use Chrome all the time, especially doing lots of connecting on Google+ because I find it works best.
The best part is there are so many times when I’m away from home and really need something that is on my computer and can use this with my phone! It looks very safe to me also.
Thanks for introducing me to this and for explaining how it works.
-Donna
Hi Donna, I’m so glad this article was helpful to you. Yes, many people need to access their computer remotely but software programs can be expensive. Google Remote Desktop is free so why not use it or at least check it out?
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us, Donna. I hope you enjoy using Chrome Remote Desktop.
Hi Carolyn,
Happy New Year!
I’ve never heard of this awesome Remote Desktop option…and the great part is that it’s priced great: completely free.
However, I’ve got a quick question: is there anyway a desktop that is shut down could be remotely accessed? (That’s what I do right before I leave the house).
Do make the day great!
Always,
Akaahan Terungwa
Hi Terungwa, Great question! The computer needs to be turned on and connected to the Internet for Chrome Remote Desktop to work. It’s as if you’re sitting in front of the computer. If the computer is turned off when you’re sitting in front of it, then you can’t use it. That’s the same when you use Chrome Remote Desktop. The only difference is that you can’t turn the computer on remotely as you could if you were sitting in front of it.
Thanks for your insightful comment, Terungwa!
I sincerely appreciate your response, Carolyn – I can now make a more informed decision, courtesy of your knowledge!
Do make the weekend great.
Always,
Akaahan Terungwa
Always happy to help, Terungwa!
Hey Carolyn,
Now that’s pretty cool. As you know, I’m rarely on my mobile device when I’m out and about but I’ve had a lot of doctor’s appointments with Mom this week and I have more next week. So I’ve been reading blog posts while I’m out but to know I can access my computer with this feature, well that’s kind of cool.
I’m going to look into this more when I have some time because I have to finish my painting project this weekend as you know and spare time right now is not something I have a lot of. But this will come in very handy for me I’m sure.
As always, thanks for letting us know about the latest scoop. You’re the best and have a good weekend.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, you may want to set up Chrome Remote Desktop to have it handy in case you need it. You’re right, many of us don’t think we need it but then get stuck away from our computers when we don’t expect to. How great to have the capability of accessing the computer remotely.
Good luck with your painting, Adrienne. And don’t overdo it this weekend. Please? 🙂
I like the idea of Chrome remote desktop but it works only in Chrome which is sad. Also I had problems in WIndows with UAC so it’s unusable. This app is great for Chrome users, because it works out of the browser. As I know Teamviewer or similliar apps need its own client software. I heard about Guacamole and Deskroll but the first one is open source, and second one is a paid software when Chrome remote desktop is free.
Hi Marjun, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, you do need Chrome for Remote Desktop to work, but it operates for your entire desktop, not just Chrome. There are ways to turn off UAC if you really want to use Chrome Remote Desktop. Yes, I have used Teamviewer, but Chrome Remote Desktop is a handy alternative for those who use Chrome.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Marjun!
Hi Carolyn,
I have tried Chrome Remote. I’ll be sticking with TeamViewer. It’s much smoother than Chrome Remote. And maybe it’s because I was not familiar with the Chrome Remote, and hopefully this will change once I get used to using Chrome desktop.