Who can see your remote desktop?
When a friend helps you with your computer, what can they see? Find out what appears on their screen, what stays private in transit and how to end the session.
The short version
The person you let in can see your desktop. Remoqa encrypts the connection between your devices, so the relay that carries the picture cannot view it.
You have a photo of a jug for your shop, but cropping it keeps cutting off the handle. A friend offers to show you how. Before you invite them onto your computer, it helps to know what they’ll see when you open the photo, switch windows or receive a message.
Invite someone you know
For occasional help, you can approve one visit at a time.
- Agree on the task
Call your friend on a number you know and ask them to help with the photo. If an unexpected caller asks to connect, hang up and call your friend directly.
- Give access for this visit
Your nine-digit Remoqa ID tells your friend which computer to connect to. Approve the request you were expecting or share the current one-time password privately. For this kind of visit, you can leave unattended access off. If Remoqa shows a four-digit security code, compare it with your friend over the call. If the digits match, confirm. If they differ, cancel.
- Stay at the computer
Follow what your friend opens and try cropping the photo yourself. If you want to move on to something private, disconnect first.
Can the relay see the photo?
When you drag the crop handle, your computer encrypts the updated picture before it leaves your device. Your friend’s device decrypts it to display the result. Mouse and keyboard input travel in the opposite direction with the same protection. The devices also check incoming messages for changes made along the way.
This works over a direct connection and when a relay forwards the encrypted traffic. The relay has no key to open the picture. Clipboard contents, audio and files sent using supported session features are encrypted too.
The service does process connection details such as device IDs, session times and traffic volume. Those records can show that two devices connected and how much data they exchanged. The photo itself stays encrypted on its way between them.
What happens when you disconnect?
End the session once the handle fits in the frame and you’ve saved the photo. The live view and remote control stop. If you also sent your friend a copy of the photo, that file stays on their device.
For another one-off visit, approve a new request or share the current one-time password. If you previously set a permanent password for unattended access, review who has it. You can change it or turn off unattended access when you no longer need it.