Help: Installing ShareDesk on a Mac
Download, install, the first start, older Macs, Windows and updates.
Download
Download ShareDesk from the download page. It runs on every Mac with macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, with Apple silicon or an Intel processor; the download picks the right build for the Mac by itself. Your customer uses the same app: send them the same link.
Install it
- Open the downloaded file in your Downloads folder. (Safari usually unpacks it by itself; then you'll find ShareDesk there right away.)
- Drag ShareDesk into the Applications folder.
- Open ShareDesk. If macOS asks whether you want to open an app downloaded from the internet, click Open: ShareDesk is signed and notarized by Apple.
The first start
ShareDesk opens its main window with your 9-digit ID. If Screen Recording or Accessibility is not allowed yet, the window Set Up Permissions opens by itself: see the permissions. On a Mac you only use to help others, you can click Later.
ShareDesk also lives in the menu bar: there you find your ID, New Connection…, recent computers, the session log and the settings.
So that your Mac is always reachable, open ShareDesk › Settings… › General and turn on, under Background:
- Keep running in the menu bar when the window is closed
- Start ShareDesk at login
- Start in background (menu bar only)
If ShareDesk says that macOS needs your approval under Login Items, click Open Login Items… and turn ShareDesk on there.
Macs with macOS 10.15 to 12.2
Macs with macOS 10.15 Catalina to 12.2 Monterey get a build of ShareDesk of their own. The download page picks it by itself; if it can't tell, the link below its button gets the other Mac version. It is the complete ShareDesk, for technicians and customers alike: give help to other computers with your account and address book, and receive help with screen, control, files, chat and unattended access.
- It has its own updates.
- The sound of the older Mac's apps can't be sent (that needs macOS 13).
- After an update of the Mac to macOS 12.3 or later, it moves on to the current app by itself and keeps its settings.
- Its settings are under ShareDesk › Preferences…, with the same pages as in the current app.
Windows
The Windows app runs on Windows 10 and 11, on Intel and AMD and, as a separate download, on ARM PCs. Open the downloaded file: it runs straight away for a one-off session. To keep it, choose Install; no administrator rights are needed.
Updates
ShareDesk looks for updates by itself and installs them as soon as it isn't in use. To check now, choose ShareDesk › Check for Updates…. The settings are in Settings… › General › Updates. Every version's changes: What's new.
Rolling ShareDesk out to many Macs? There is an installer package for MDM: ShareDesk for IT departments.