The little-known app that comes with Home windows 10, Quick Assist is really a remote-access tool that links two PCs over the internet to ensure that a person at one PERSONAL COMPUTER can remotely control another. In this way, the person controlling the particular remote PC can detect or fix a problem from it — for example , by operating an anti-malware program or even uninstalling a troublesome equipment driver.

Under Quick Aid, users at both Personal computers see the desktop of the COMPUTER being controlled. That furthermore makes this app a great training tool: The person remote-controlling the particular PC can demonstrate to each other how to use an application or execute a particular task.

So if you have to provide tech help to get a co-worker, family member or other people and you can’ t achieve this in person (sound familiar? ), here’ s how to rapidly get their Windows 10 COMPUTER connected to yours through Fast Assist.

Five items to know before starting

1. Both computers have to be running Windows 10 edition 1607 or later. (That update came out in 2016, so it’ s improbable that either PC will be using an earlier version. ) To make sure, type Quick Assist into the Windows Search container next to the Start menu on your computer, and have the person at the additional computer do the same. When the Quick Assist app commences on both machines, you’ lso are good to go.

In case either of the PCs doesn’ t have Quick Help, you’ ll have to revise that PC to the most recent version of Windows ten. Go to Configurations > Update & Protection > Windows Update and download plus install the update.

1. The person who needs help with their Windows 10 PERSONAL COMPUTER must be sitting in front of it — at least initially, in order to give permission for Quick Help to connect their PC towards the computer controlled by the individual who will help them.
2. If you’ re one who will provide assistance to another person’ s PC, you’ll want an user account with a Ms service. (This can be an Workplace 365 or Microsoft 365 account or a free e-mail account with Outlook or even Hotmail. ) If you don’ t have one, the Fast Assist tool will let you subscribe to free.
3. Quick Assist is most effective if each Windows ten PC has fast plus reliable internet access. If you as well as the other person can hold a chat session with great image and sound high quality (especially at your end), after that Quick Assist will probably work nicely.
4. Quick Assist won’ to stream sound from the remote control PC. This shouldn’ capital t matter unless you’ lso are trying to fix an sound issue with the other PC.

Associated with connection

Let’s assume that you’ ll be the individual who controls the other person’ h PC over the internet:

1. Launch the Quick Aid tool. Click the Start key, and you’ll find that it’s detailed under the Windows Accessories file, or you can type Quick Assist into the Windows Search container next to the Start menu.
2. Under “ Provide assistance” toward the bottom from the screen, click the Assist another person button.
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   To help one more Windows 10 user distantly, launch the Quick Aid app and click “ Assist another person. ”
3. Register with your Microsoft account.
4. Fast Assist generates a 6-digit security code. Give this particular code (by email, talk, text or voice call) to the person whose PERSONAL COMPUTER you need to connect to.
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   A 6-digit protection code is generated for your person you are supporting in order to enter on their PC.
5. The one who needs your help with their own PC launches Quick Aid on their Windows 10 pc. Under “ Get support, ” they enter the 6-digit security code you provided them and click the Share screen button.
6. At your finish, Quick Assist presents 2 options: “ Take complete control” and “ Watch screen. ” The latter choice lets you see their PC’ s screen without managing it. For the purposes of this particular how-to guide, choose Take full manage and click on Continue .
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   You can decide to control the other person’ s i9000 PC or just view what’ s on their PC’ ersus screen.
7. Next, the person on the other PC clicks the particular Allow button, granting authorization for you to access their COMPUTER.
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   The person you might be assisting must give you authorization to access their PC.

Whatever you see and what they notice

If you’ re the one remote-controlling another person’ s PC, Fast Assist displays the Home windows 10 desktop of the other person’ s PC inside an app window.
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When you’ re assisting someone else, you’ ll see their Home windows 10 desktop inside a yellowish frame. (Click image in order to enlarge it. )

You are able to minimize, maximize and resize this application window. Nevertheless , Quick Assist doesn’ capital t let you enlarge it in order to fill your PC’ ersus display.

To control the other PERSONAL COMPUTER, move your mouse tip over the image of the other PC’ s desktop. You’ lmost all then be moving another PC’ s mouse tip. As long as you leave your own tip over the image of the other PC’ s desktop, whatever you kind on your keyboard appears at the remote PC.

You can (mostly) do whatever you need to for the other person’ s COMPUTER: interact with its Start menus, run programs, do document searches, poke around within the system settings, etc .

The individual sitting in front of the other PC might find you moving their computer mouse pointer, as well as the text a person type, the applications a person open, and so on.
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The individual you’ re assisting might find their own desktop inside a yellow-colored frame. As you move your own mouse or enter textual content, they will see those activities on their desktop. (Click picture to enlarge it. )

Note that they can still make use of their PC’ s key pad and mouse or trackpad, which can interfere with what you’ re doing. If you’ re using Quick Help to teach the other person how to take action (for example, you execute an action on their desktop computer, then watch as they replicate your action), it may be better to be on a phone call collectively. You can explain to them exactly what you’ re doing plus let them know when it’ h their turn to take control of their own PC. (I wouldn’ big t advise using Skype yet another online video or tone of voice chat, because the connection involving the two PCs could reduce Quick Assist. )

Your partner can pause your control of their PC: In the alexa plugin that appears at the top-center of their screen, they can click on the double-line icon to the correct of “ Screen spreading on. ” This temporarily stop icon will change to a triangle (for “ resume” ), which they can click later on, letting you resume control over their particular PC.
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The person on the remote PC can stop or end screen revealing at any time. (Click image in order to enlarge it. )

They could also revoke your manage by clicking the X to the right of “ Quick Assist. ” This can end the connection between the 2 PCs.

Tools you may use

If you’ lso are the one controlling the other COMPUTER, you’ ll see an alexa plugin with several useful choices at the upper-right of the Fast Assist window.
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The particular Quick Assist toolbar offers additional tools for you to assist the other user. (Click picture to enlarge it. )

Select Monitor lets you view what’ s on another keep track of that’ s connected to the remote control PC. In other words, if the COMPUTER that you’ re linked to is displaying information on an additional monitor that’ s mounted on it, you can click Choose Monitor and then choose to notice what’ s displayed upon that monitor.

Annotate lets you pull on the other PC’ ersus screen. This helps you stress things to the other person at that will PC. Your doodles disappear when you click Exit Observation in the upper-right corner of the screen, or when the link between the two PCs finishes.
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You can use the Annotate tool to highlight a specific button or menu product as you teach an user distantly. (Click image to expand it. )

Real Size shows the other PC’ s display screen in its native resolution, yet this does not enlarge this to fill your PC’ s entire screen. You’ ll have to scroll flat and vertically to see all of the areas of the other PC’ h screen.

Toggle Teaching Channel is really a simple messaging tool for you personally and the person at the various other PC to chat via. Click this button, kind a brief message in the talk window that opens, plus click Send.
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You are able to chat with the person at the remote control PC through the Toggle Teaching Channel tool. (Click picture to enlarge it. )

The person at the other COMPUTER will see a notification display on the clipboard icon for the toolbar at the top-center of the screen. They click that will to open a chat windowpane to see your message, and they also can reply if they want.
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The person ahead of the PC you’ re linked to can read and reply to your own message by clicking the particular clipboard icon.

Reboot ends the bond between the two PCs plus restarts the remote PERSONAL COMPUTER. After the remote PC begins, a prompt appears for your other person to offer you permission again for connecting to their PC. This is helpful when you need to reboot the particular remote PC and then reunite to it, because the Restart switch bypasses the need to generate plus enter a new security program code.

Task Manager launches the Home windows Task Manager tool, that is useful for troubleshooting issues with apps that are running on the remote control PC.
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The Task Supervisor button on the Quick Help toolbar provides a quick method into the remote PC’ ersus Windows Task Manager. (Click image to enlarge this. )

Pause and End act as you’ d expect, pausing or ending the connection between PC and the remote PERSONAL COMPUTER. When you click Pause , a Resume button appears in its location; click it to continue the connection. When you click End , the Reconnect button appears. In case you click it, the person ahead of the other PC gets the prompt window asking these to let you connect to their PERSONAL COMPUTER again.

This article had been originally published in Sept 2016 and updated within April 2020.