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Current stable version 3.7.7
Desktop app vs browser
What works where
One side hosts (shares its screen), the other views — and each side can be the desktop app or just a browser. What you get depends on both ends, so each column below is a combination. The browser needs nothing installed; the desktop app can do considerably more.
The one rule that explains most of the crosses: a browser cannot be remote-controlled. A browser is unable to inject keyboard or mouse input into the machine it is sharing, so hosting from a browser is always view-only — and anything that needs the host to act on its own machine (remote control, monitor switching, resolution changes, clipboard, Wake-on-LAN) needs a desktop host.
| Capability | Desktop app is hosting | Browser is hosting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop viewer | Browser viewer | Desktop viewer | Browser viewer | |
| Session basics | ||||
| See the shared screen, live | See the shared screen, live, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | See the shared screen, live, desktop host with browser viewer: available | See the shared screen, live, browser host with desktop viewer: available | See the shared screen, live, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Connect with a session code, or App ID and password | Connect with a session code, or App ID and password, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Connect with a session code, or App ID and password, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Connect with a session code, or App ID and password, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Connect with a session code, or App ID and password, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Host can disconnect a connected viewer | Host can disconnect a connected viewer, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Host can disconnect a connected viewer, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Host can disconnect a connected viewer, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Host can disconnect a connected viewer, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Send diagnostic logs to support | Send diagnostic logs to support, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Send diagnostic logs to support, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Send diagnostic logs to support, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Send diagnostic logs to support, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Saved hosts with stored passwords Desktop viewer only — the browser viewer remembers just your display name | Saved hosts with stored passwords, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Saved hosts with stored passwords, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Saved hosts with stored passwords, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Saved hosts with stored passwords, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Remote control | ||||
| Control the host's keyboard and mouse Needs a desktop host: a browser cannot inject input into the machine it is sharing, so browser hosting is always view-only | Control the host's keyboard and mouse, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Control the host's keyboard and mouse, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Control the host's keyboard and mouse, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Control the host's keyboard and mouse, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Host can allow or block keyboard and mouse separately | Host can allow or block keyboard and mouse separately, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Host can allow or block keyboard and mouse separately, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Host can allow or block keyboard and mouse separately, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Host can allow or block keyboard and mouse separately, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Send system keys such as Windows and Alt+Tab Needs the desktop app at both ends | Send system keys such as Windows and Alt+Tab, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Send system keys such as Windows and Alt+Tab, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Send system keys such as Windows and Alt+Tab, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Send system keys such as Windows and Alt+Tab, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Display | ||||
| Fit to window and fullscreen | Fit to window and fullscreen, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Fit to window and fullscreen, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Fit to window and fullscreen, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Fit to window and fullscreen, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Original size — one remote pixel to one local pixel Desktop viewer only | Original size — one remote pixel to one local pixel, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Original size — one remote pixel to one local pixel, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Original size — one remote pixel to one local pixel, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Original size — one remote pixel to one local pixel, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Switch between the host's monitors mid-session Needs the desktop app at both ends | Switch between the host's monitors mid-session, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Switch between the host's monitors mid-session, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Switch between the host's monitors mid-session, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Switch between the host's monitors mid-session, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Change the host's screen resolution from the viewer Needs the desktop app at both ends | Change the host's screen resolution from the viewer, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Change the host's screen resolution from the viewer, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Change the host's screen resolution from the viewer, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Change the host's screen resolution from the viewer, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Stream matched to your window size for a sharper picture Needs the desktop app at both ends. Applies when your window is materially smaller than the host's screen; close to full size you get the full-resolution stream instead, which looks better | Stream matched to your window size for a sharper picture, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Stream matched to your window size for a sharper picture, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Stream matched to your window size for a sharper picture, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Stream matched to your window size for a sharper picture, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Set the picture quality for one session New in 1.9.32 — available from either viewer, and needs a desktop host to act on. Applies to that session only and changes nothing the host has saved | Set the picture quality for one session, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Set the picture quality for one session, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Set the picture quality for one session, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Set the picture quality for one session, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Content and files | ||||
| Clipboard sync for text and images Needs the desktop app at both ends | Clipboard sync for text and images, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Clipboard sync for text and images, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Clipboard sync for text and images, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Clipboard sync for text and images, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Copy and paste files between the two machines Needs the desktop app at both ends | Copy and paste files between the two machines, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Copy and paste files between the two machines, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Copy and paste files between the two machines, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Copy and paste files between the two machines, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Recording | ||||
| Viewer records the session Desktop viewer saves .mp4; the browser viewer downloads .webm | Viewer records the session, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Viewer records the session, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Viewer records the session, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Viewer records the session, browser host with browser viewer: available |
| Host records what it shares Desktop host only | Host records what it shares, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Host records what it shares, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Host records what it shares, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Host records what it shares, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Choose the folder recordings are saved to Whichever end is the desktop app picks its own folder; the browser always uses its downloads folder | Choose the folder recordings are saved to, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Choose the folder recordings are saved to, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Choose the folder recordings are saved to, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Choose the folder recordings are saved to, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Per-session quality logs on disk Written by whichever end is the desktop app | Per-session quality logs on disk, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Per-session quality logs on disk, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Per-session quality logs on disk, browser host with desktop viewer: available | Per-session quality logs on disk, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Machine access | ||||
| Wake a sleeping host before connecting Needs the desktop app at both ends, the host's permission (off by default), and the same local network | Wake a sleeping host before connecting, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Wake a sleeping host before connecting, desktop host with browser viewer: not available | Wake a sleeping host before connecting, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Wake a sleeping host before connecting, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
| Unattended access and silent MSI deployment Desktop host only | Unattended access and silent MSI deployment, desktop host with desktop viewer: available | Unattended access and silent MSI deployment, desktop host with browser viewer: available | Unattended access and silent MSI deployment, browser host with desktop viewer: not available | Unattended access and silent MSI deployment, browser host with browser viewer: not available |
Available Not available Nothing needs installing on whichever side uses the browser.
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