Awesome Tools to Perform Remote Tech Support Easily

Do you usually hear the phrase "Help, my computer is broken!" over your phone? If you're stuck being the tech support of your family members or friends, there are various free tools that enables you to remotely access someone else's computer and fix it without leaving your home.

Below are some of the most common and reliable remote access tools that are currently available. Let's take a quick look at each of them and find out which tool is perfect for your tech support needs.

TeamViewer

TeamViewer is the remote support tool preferred by most techsupport people because it can be used in several different ways. You can instruct your partner to download the TeamViewer QuickSupport application, which can be run without administrator access or any system configuration. The tool will give them a session ID and password and they need to give it to you, allowing you to remotely connect from your TeamViewer program easily. There's no setup process required with this tool -- you only need to download the program, then double-click it to launch it.

You can also choose to set up unattended access, which means you can remotely access the PC anytime after installing the full TeamViewer client, as long as the computer is turned on. This will give you permanent remote access to the computer without having your remote partner give you any passwords or confirm anything. If you want to do preventive maintenance or fix their computer while they're not around, this is a convenient option.

TeamViwer is also cross-platform in nature, so you can troubleshoot a Mac or troubleshoot a Windows computer from your Linux PC. You can even remotely connect from an Android or iOS device.

Windows Remote Assistance

Remote Assistance is a built-in Windows feature designed for situations like this. While only Professional editions of Windows can use the remote desktop server software, every version of Windows can send a remote assistance invitation and invite someone else to assist with their computers. This can be a convenient option since it's already installed on the remote Windows computer, which means you saved the hassle of walking through the person of installing anything on his/her PC.

To use this feature, instruct your partner to launch Windows Remote Assistance either by opening the Start menu, typing "Windows Remote," and then hit [Enter], or by navigating to Start, then All Programs, then Maintenance, and then go to Windows Remote Assistance. They'll need to use the Invite someone you trust to help you option, and then select Easy Connect, which will give them a password.

Take note that Easy Connect will not always be available -- if in case it isn't, the remote user will have to create an invitation file using the Windows Remote app, then send it to you. With this, you will need to open the Windows Remote Assistance application on your computer, choose Help someone who has invited you, then select Easy Connect, and then enter the password. If Easy Connect is not available, you'll have to provide the invitation file.

After they approve your connection, you'll be able to view and control their desktop remotely so you can begin it of viruses, removing toolbars, or dealing with whatever other problems are there. The only issue with this tool is that you may find yourself needing to connect regularly, and there's no way to connect without having your remote partner open the Windows Remote Assistance app and tell you the password. If you prefer to remotely log in without pestering the other person, you may want to consider opting for TeamViewer or a similar program instead.

Chrome Remote Desktop

There's a great possibility that you and your remote partner already have Google's Chrome browser installed on your PCs. If you do, you can use Chrome Remote Desktop app to connect to them remotely.

To achieve this, both you and your remote partner must have the Chrome Remote Desktop app installed. The other person will need to open the Chrome Remote Desktop app from their new tab page and click Enable remote connections.

Next, they'll need to click the Share button to share their computer with someone, which will give them access code.

Once they provide you with the access code, you'll be able to open the Chrome Remote Desktop app, click the Access button, and enter the access code. You'll then be connected to their computer.

You could also try setting up a PIN for permanent remote access. Like TeamViewer, this tool is cross-platform and also works on Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS. It will also likely be more robust than Windows Remote Assistance, as it shouldn't fail -- unlike the Easy Connect option in Windows Remote Assistance.