How to Set Up Unattended Remote Access on Windows

What is unattended remote access?

In a normal remote desktop session, someone at the remote computer has to approve your connection. That works for one-off support calls, but not for a machine you need to reach at 2 a.m. or while its owner is away. Unattended access replaces the manual approval with a password that only you know: when a connection request carries the correct password, the remote computer accepts it automatically.

What you need

• Olive Remote Desk installed on the computer you want to reach (the host) and on the device you connect from.
• A few minutes at the host computer to set it up once.
• An internet connection on both sides. No port forwarding, VPN or static IP is needed.

Step 1: Install Olive Remote Desk on the host computer

Download the Windows installer and run it. When the app opens, the This Desk screen shows the computer's 9-digit Olive Remote Desk ID. Write this ID down — it is the address you will connect to. If you prefer something easier to remember, give the computer an alias.

Step 2: Set an unattended password

Open Settings → Access and set an unattended password. Use a long, unique password that you do not use anywhere else. Olive Remote Desk stores only a salted hash of the password on the computer, never the password itself.

Step 3: Keep the app running in the background

An unattended computer must be reachable even after a restart. Under Settings → General, enable:

• Keep running in the tray — closing the window leaves Olive Remote Desk running.
• Start Olive Remote Desk when you sign in to Windows — the app starts automatically after a reboot.

The app keeps a heartbeat with the server and reconnects on its own if the network drops, so the computer stays reachable for incoming requests.

Step 4: Connect from anywhere

On the device you are connecting from, enter the host's ID (or alias) under Remote Desk, type the unattended password and press Connect. The session opens without anyone touching the host computer. The computer also appears in Recent Sessions with an online indicator, so next time it is one click away.

Optional: handle Windows admin prompts

If the remote screen turns black when a Windows administrator (UAC) prompt appears, the computer has switched to the secure desktop. Install the optional secure-desktop service on the host so you can see and answer those prompts remotely. See the documentation for details.

Security tips for unattended computers

• Use a strong unattended password and change it if you think it has been shared.
• Only share the computer's ID with people who should be able to request access.
• Keep Windows and Olive Remote Desk up to date.
• Sessions are encrypted between the two devices with DTLS-SRTP; the signaling server only introduces the devices and cannot read the session.

Troubleshooting

• The computer shows as offline — check that it is switched on, signed in, connected to the internet, and that the app is running in the tray.
• You are still asked for approval — the password was mistyped or has been changed on the host.
• The session ends after two minutes — the 30-day trial has ended on that computer; subscribe to remove the limit.

Related: How to access a computer remotely without port forwarding · All features · FAQ