Can you connect to my computer without me knowing?
No. You have to type in the security code we give you and select Allow before anything is shared, and allow control separately.
Fabulous computer support, when IT really matters
Fabulous computer support, when IT really matters
In short: yes, when you started the contact yourself. In a Quick Assist session you type in a code we give you, choose whether to allow screen sharing, and decide separately whether we can take control. You can end the session at any time. Never let in someone who contacted you out of the blue.
Remote support only ever starts with you. Call us on 07963 065354 to book a time. When we’re ready, open Quick Assist by holding Ctrl + Windows + Q, or by searching for Quick Assist on your taskbar. We read you a security code, which only works for a short time. Type it into the Security code from assistant box and select Submit.
Windows then asks whether you want to allow screen sharing. Nothing is shared until you select Allow. The steps are also on our remote support page.
Once you allow screen sharing, we see your screen exactly as you see it, as if we were looking over your shoulder. To fix something ourselves, we ask for control, and Windows asks you to Allow or Deny that separately. With control, we can do what you could do at the keyboard. If a change needs administrator permission, Windows asks you to approve it on your own screen.
Microsoft says it cannot see what happens in a Quick Assist session. It keeps only basic information, such as when a session started and ended, and holds it for no more than three days.
You can watch everything that happens, and you can end the session at any moment by closing Quick Assist. If anything worries you, close it first and ask questions afterwards: we can always start again.
Microsoft’s own advice is plain: it never contacts you out of the blue, by phone, email or anything else, to ask for access to your computer. It only asks after you have contacted it. Scammers use the same tools as real support teams, so the rule is about who started the contact:
If someone has already got onto your computer, read what to do after a scam call straight away.
No. You have to type in the security code we give you and select Allow before anything is shared, and allow control separately.
We see your screen as you see it. With control, we can open what you could open at the keyboard, which is why you should only let in someone you contacted yourself.
Close Quick Assist. The session ends straight away.
No. Microsoft says it never contacts people unprompted to ask for access to their device. A call like that is a scam: see what to do.
Call us on 07963 065354 to arrange a time, then follow the three steps on our remote support page. Keep your PC protected between sessions with Avast antivirus.
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