How to Tell If Someone Has Remote Access to Your Computer

Can you tell if someone is remotely accessing your computer?

“Sometimes I use Remote Desktop to remotely access my office computer and complete my work, and sometimes I let my friends or technicians remotely access my computer to troubleshoot my computer problem. I wonder if they can access my computer without my permission since they’ve already had the credentials. If they can, then how to tell if someone has remote access to your computer?”

How to detect remote access to my computer

The Windows built-in Remote Desktop has been widely used by many users. Some users may have the above-mentioned concern. Remote Desktop has been considered unsafe for 1) the client computer can remotely access the host computer even Remote Desktop is not running on the host computer; 2) the client computer can save the credential and achieve remote access without the permission of the host computer.

Here the good news is that you can always tell if someone has remote access to your computer. Because if a computer is remotely accessing your computer, then the screen of your computer will be locked, which means no one can remotely access your computer without letting you know it. This is what happens when someone remote access your computer.

When you unlock the computer, the remote connection automatically gets disconnected. So basically, no one can remotely access your computer without you knowing it. But if you need to leave your computer alone and don’t let anyone access it, you can disable the remote connection and enable it when you need it later. Here is how to disable remote connections.

Step 1. Press WIN + R and then type in “sysdm.cpl” to open the System Property.

Step 2. Switch to the Remote tab. Under the Remote Assistance section, clear the Don't allow remote connections to this computer option. Then click Apply and OK.

AnyViewer: Safe & secure remote desktop software

AnyViewer is the free and fast third-party remote desktop software for Windows and iOS devices. The advantage of AnyViewer over Remote Desktop is that the client computer can’t remotely access the host computer if AnyViewer is not running on the host computer. You can set AnyViewer to not start with Windows, then no one can remotely access your computer unless you open the program.

AnyViewer provides you with two connection methods. The first is to send a control request, which means the controller needs to ask for permission from the recipient to achieve remote access. The second is to input the security code, which is set by the recipient in advance and then given to the controller to achieve unattended remote access. If the controller is not very trustworthy, you can also give him the temporary security code.

Part 1. For unattended remote access with one-click

Step 1. Download, install and launch AnyViewer on both computers. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)

Step 2. Fill in the signup information.

Step 3. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.

Note: If you have logged in to the same AnyViewer account on the two devices, then you can achieve a direct connection by clicking Remote control. You can also upgrade your account to a Professional or Enterprise plan, then you can assign more devices.

If the two devices are not logged in to the same account, you can read the following steps to learn two more connection methods.

Part 2. Two connection methods of AnyViewer

If you don't want to log in to the same account on the two computers, you can also use the following two methods to achieve remote connections. But we should note that you're not allowed to use certain features like file transfer using these two methods, as some features are designed for logged-in users.

Connection method 1. Send a control request

Step 1. On the client computer, input the device ID of the host computer and then click Connect.

Step 2. Click Send a control request to your partner.

Step 3. On the host computer, click Allow to make the connection successful.

Connection method 2. Input security code

Step 1. On the host computer, go to Settings > Recipient. Tick the third option and then set the permanent security code.

Step 2. On the client computer, input the device ID of the host computer and then click Connect. Choose Input security code and enter the code. Click OK to achieve remote access.

If someone is connected to your computer, there will always be a chatbox on the right side of your screen. You can detect whether someone is accessing your computer.

Note: To protect the safety of your computer, you’d better not leak your security code to anyone that you’re not very trusting, and remember to change your security code regularly.

Conclusion

This post mainly introduces how to tell if someone has remote access to your computer. Actually, no one can remotely access your computer without letting you know it. Because if a computer is remotely accessing your computer, then the screen of your computer will be locked. If you are still concerned about the security of your computer, you can stop the remote connection and re-enable it when you need it.