FAQ
Short answers; the long ones are in Help and the documents.
Is it free?
Yes. No timer, no session limit, no account required. The source is published under a licence that lets you build and self-host it.
Can Utly see my screen?
No. The picture, input, clipboard, audio and files travel directly between the two PCs inside an encrypted connection whose keys the server never has. Our server sees which ID asked for which ID and when. The privacy page lists everything it stores.
What if someone gets my ID?
Nothing happens without your Accept, or without the unattended password if you set one. An ID is like a phone number: knowing it lets someone ring, not walk in. Five wrong password guesses lock that caller out for thirty minutes.
Someone on the phone told me to install this.
Hang up. Read safety. That call is a scam.
Why four words on both screens?
They are computed from both sides’ connection fingerprints. If a device in the middle terminated the encryption on each side, its words would differ from yours. Reading them aloud catches the one attack the first connection cannot catch by itself.
Does it need port forwarding?
No. The two PCs find each other through the broker and try a direct path; if none exists, a relay carries the encrypted traffic. Outbound access to broker.utly.dev (443) and turn.utly.dev (3478) is all a firewall needs to allow.
Does it work at the Windows logon screen?
With the host service installed, yes: logon screen, UAC prompts, Ctrl+Alt+Del and restarts. The installer sets the service up; the portable exe can install it with --install-service from an administrator prompt.
Do I need an account?
No. An account only adds one thing today: your address book follows you between devices. It requires an authenticator app and comes with recovery codes; there is no password reset, because the server holds nothing that could perform one.
Which Windows versions?
Windows 10 and 11 and Server 2019 and later with the installer or the portable exe. Windows 7 SP1, 8, 8.1 and Server 2008 R2 to 2012 R2 with the Windows 7 build. 64-bit only.
Mac, Linux, phone?
Not yet. The core is built for it; the shells come after the Windows release.
Why does Windows warn me when I run the installer?
The builds are signed, but with a development certificate until the public one is issued; SmartScreen calls that an unknown publisher. The signing page explains what the signature does prove and how to check it.
How do updates work?
The app fetches a small manifest, downloads the new build, checks a signature made with a key that lives with the developer, and installs it when you click Restart & update. A build that does not start is rolled back.
Can I use it in my company?
Yes, including silent installs (remote-setup.exe /S) and self-hosting the broker and relay from the source. The licence forbids one thing: offering it to others as a competing remote-desktop service.