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Set up unattended access#

Unattended access is a remote access method for connecting to a host when no one is present to accept the connection. Instead of waiting for approval, you sign in with an account on the host. With attended access, a user at the host approves a temporary screen sharing request instead. Use unattended access to reach an office computer from home, or any host with no user present.

Access Who approves it Set up with
Attended A user at the host accepts a Screen Sharing Request. Sharing is temporary. Ask to Share Screen when you connect, or the Share your screen link in Connect.
Unattended No one. You sign in with an account on the host. A remote access user added to Connect (this page).

Applies to#

  • Hosts running Jump Desktop Connect on Windows, macOS, or Linux Alpha.

Steps#

  1. On the host, install Jump Desktop Connect.
  2. On a Mac, grant Connect the Screen Recording, Accessibility, and Remote Desktop permissions. The Remote Desktop permission applies to macOS 14 and later.
  3. In Connect, add a remote access user with your Jump Desktop account.
  4. On the device you connect from, sign in to Jump Desktop with the same account. The host appears in your computer list.
  5. Connect to the host. When prompted, enter the username and password of an account on the host.

In a team, administrators can also grant access from the Teams dashboard; see Control access with Access Groups.

To skip the password prompt (Enterprise plan, Windows, macOS, and Linux Alpha), see Sign in to hosts without a password.

Result#

The Connect service starts with the host. When the Connect setting Start Jump Desktop when my computer starts is on (the default), Connect also goes online at startup, so you can connect before any user signs in. When the setting is off, Connect is online only while a user has Connect open. To check the setting, open Connect and go to Settings (gear) > General.

Keep the computer reachable#

  • Configure the host not to sleep; a sleeping host cannot accept connections. On Windows and Mac hosts in a team, an administrator can keep the hosts awake with Sleep Override (Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise).
  • On Windows and macOS, Connect keeps the host awake while a session is active. On Linux, Connect does not.
  • On a Mac with FileVault, a user at the Mac must unlock the disk after a restart. See Computer shows as offline.

When no one is signed in#

Host What you get
Windows The sign-in screen.
macOS The login window.
Linux If the host's display shows a Wayland login screen, that login screen; sign in there to reach your desktop. Otherwise, a new X11 desktop session for the account you sign in with, even if the account normally uses Wayland. If no X11 desktop is installed, the connection fails. The X11 session closes about 30 seconds after the last user disconnects, so save your work before you disconnect.