6 free remote desktop sharing and screen sharing solutions

Posted on October 23, 2007 at 9:48 am

Make sure to read other posts from the Free Collaboration Tools series!

6 free remote desktop sharing and screen sharing solutions
Yakkle- Free online collaboration tool
37signals.com - Project management, collaboration, and CRM tools

Working in IT for 5 years, I’ve learned that desktop sharing/screen sharing software applications make life a lot easier for both the users and for the Administrators. It’s not only a great way to supply technical support to users, but it’s also a fabulous way to share data and collaborate with others remotely quickly and easily.

I’ve been using remote desktop sharing software for a while now and it’s worked wonders for our team. Multiple people in different locations around the country can work on a presentation or a project plan simultaneously from their desktop computers! Here’s a list of a couple of my favorite screen sharing software over the last few years:

Probably my favorite because of it’s ease of use and the fact that you can use it to remotely access your PC or MAC also! Yuuguu is completely free and allows you to instantly share your screen with anyone. Works well through firewalls also and on MACs.

CroosLoop is also very easy to use, but requires that each party install the CrossLoop software onto their computers. Uses 128-bit encryption and allows for file-sharing also.

Another popular service for remote desktop sharing. Easily access remote PC’s by installing a client software onto each machine. Good for remote PC trouble-shooting, etc.

A good free tool for online collaboration, desktop sharing, and remote PC access. No registration required, no logins, very easy to use. Uses SSH to make connections to other PC’s.

SkyFex allows remote watching and remote control in real time. Does not require additional software installation and works transparently through NAT and Firewalls. Only for IE though.

TeamViewer has a couple of features, such as remote control of PCs, screen sharing, file transfer, chat ability, and is secure. Have to install the TeamViewer software for it to work.

A free software that lets others watch your screen in real time. No need to install any software, which is a plus. Works with Windows, Mac and Linux.

You can use all of the applications for all kind of activities, such as boardroom presentations, group lectures, remote PowerPoint presentations, computer helpdesk, whiteboard for telephone conferences, etc.

If you know of one that I missed or think is better, post a comment! Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: remote desktop sharing, screen sharing, desktop sharing, screen share, share desktop

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28 Responses to “6 free remote desktop sharing and screen sharing solutions”

ram said on : October 23rd, 2007 at 4:21 pm

i used showmypc its a good one, i haven’t tested other ones

Nelson said on : October 23rd, 2007 at 6:30 pm

a very good list of remote desktop software, as a computer techie myself I have used most of them and all of them work great..I never have tried team viewer though, is the first time I hear about it too, I will give it a try one of these days.

thanks for the info.

Nirmal said on : October 24th, 2007 at 4:07 am

Nice list, but I havent used any one other that Show my PC.

Madhur Kapoor said on : October 24th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

Nice list buddy . I havent used any of them so far but now i will.

Richard said on : October 25th, 2007 at 6:24 am

I use Gooer Remote Desktop Service and it works fine on my mobile phone and laptop. I am wondering if any of them support iPhone?

Luc Archambault said on : November 2nd, 2007 at 10:00 am

I use Crossloop and It works Perfect for Me.

Cameron said on : November 5th, 2007 at 1:29 pm

Also check out SharedView from Microsoft at sharedview.com(disclosure: I work on the team). It’s lightweight and free, it’s very easy to start or join, and stays out of your way at the top of your screen. If you try it, please post feedback from the Help menu as we’re interested in constantly improving it to meet your needs.

Ben said on : December 13th, 2007 at 9:13 am

Looking for a software that can perform the below:
When 3 peoples connect to my desktop, I can see 3 mouse pointer and plus my mouse is total 4 mouse pointer. Each user’s mouse pointer (besides your own) is labelled with that user’s name or colored mouse. Everyone can move their own pointer independently from the others.

Collaborative VNC (currently for Unix only) is the best choise but it is for Unix only.

I am using Windows XP

Pls help

raj said on : December 14th, 2007 at 9:37 am

hi , i was wondering can anybody will help me out !!! i try to connect with remote desktop, and also with vnc..it working fine in my home form my labtop toanother labtop. and also to desktop in my house but recetnly my parents brought a desktop backhome in india and also have an internt connection throught hathway cable. after trying for 2 days i still cannot login to remte desktop any suggesstion ideas greatly helpful
raj

Rich Baker said on : February 5th, 2008 at 11:11 am

For super-simple web demos and presentations to as many as 100 guests at a time, you might consider Glance, at http://glance.net. (I’m the CEO/Founder).

Glance lets you show anything on your PC or Mac screen. Your guests connect from any PC/Mac/Linux computer, using their favorite browser.

Glance is built for business users who need a screen sharing service that’s as reliable as their phone. It is a flat rate subscription service (not free), but you can grab a free trial anytime.

Pero said on : February 25th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

I use Crossloop and It works Perfect

Eric Schott said on : March 9th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

In one click, I’m sharing my desktop with any of my IM contacts. With one more click, I can give them mouse/keyboard control on my pc. I use Yakkle.

Ray Ellis said on : March 15th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

The shraring applications I’m familiar with allow one computer to be shared or viewed by others. Are there applications that allow each participants screen to be shared with each of the other participants?

I’m looking for something like a visual chat room but would also allow voice over IP. I’d like to have a virtual conference with four other people, each with a laptop hooked into the internet. We should each be able to talk and share each of our screens with each other. Ideally, each participant would have an iconic view of each of the other screens and could expand them with a click.

Is an application like this available?

Thanks.
Ray

akishore said on : March 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

Ray, if you want an application where anyone in the group can share out their screen at any time, then you’ll need to use a program like WebEX, however it’s not free and only one person can be sharing at a time (obviously).

Eric Schott said on : March 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Ray,

You need to try Yakkle. It has conferencing and built in voice over ip. Each participant in the meeting can share their own desktop and view each others desktops. Basically, when you join the meeting you bring your IM, Voice and Desktop with you.

As an example, let’s say you, me and Bob are conferencing together. We each have three tabs in the Yakkle UI, one for each of our desktops. You can jump to any desktop you want at any time, so you can look at me, while I’m looking at Bobs etc. You also can give and take away mouse/keyboard control to any of the participants.

Ray Ellis said on : March 16th, 2008 at 12:02 am

akishore and Eric,

Thank you for the advice. I’ll check out Yakkle for sure. WebEX is a bit expensive for my use, I expect.

Steve Victor said on : May 19th, 2008 at 4:57 am

Hi

I have used Showmypc and find it very good. Is there a free application that also has a “reboot and reconnect” feature?

I know that there are commercial programmes that support this, but not sure about free ones?

salam said on : May 21st, 2008 at 11:09 am

I used TeamViewer and I found it quite working and very enjoyable and easy to use. Me and my friends have praised it too much and v r now gathered anytime we want…..we play together….

Sandeep said on : May 21st, 2008 at 11:22 pm

Hi,

Try http://www.dimdim.com, it’s also a good one !! Doesn’t need any installation except a plugin which is hardly of 900 Kb.

Thanks,
Sandeep

Mohammad Elyas khan said on : June 10th, 2008 at 4:51 am

I’m using windows xp Professional and One Linux (Debian 4.0) Gateway. I want access all fill and hardware control from Windows Xp. please help details.

hottautau said on : August 23rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Hi

Anyone have the ShowMyPC free service software?
It’s now closed for download..

http://showmypc.com/service/

Can you send it to me by email on my hotmail?
Tanks in advance

jerry S. said on : August 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

thankyou, im downloading Yuuguu (US = Free) ty

Lutz said on : September 7th, 2008 at 4:39 am

Hi there.

Yesterday, I came cross DESKTRA freedom destop on download.com.

I have installed and tested the software. It’s totaly free, simple to use, really fast and remote Desktop screen color looks just fantastic. You don’t have to worry about the firewall settings, etc.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

http://www.desktra.com/freedom

FYI, no file share.

Cheers,
Lutz

Randy said on : September 16th, 2008 at 11:00 am

Thanks for the legwork in collecting options.

I use LogMeIn for remote PC support and it is a lifesaver, even with just the free version.

I am now looking for client viewing of my laptop demos, without their needing to install software. Since I prefer Linux, I’m definitely going to try Yuuguu, since they seem to have the strongest Linux support (Distribution-specific install files).

Thanks again.

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