The project

Why FlashDesk exists

Your mum calls because her laptop won't start. You need to see her screen. Every mainstream tool makes her solve a harder problem before you can help. FlashDesk was built to remove that obstacle — and to do it without asking either of you to give up control.

You stay in control throughout. You see the connection request. You press Accept. You see a permanent session indicator that cannot be dismissed. You can end the session with one click, any time, for any reason.

The origin

A specific frustration with existing tools

TeamViewer and AnyDesk are capable tools built for IT departments and managed devices. When you try to use them for individual support — a retired parent, a small business owner, a friend who does not know what a firewall is — you hit a mismatch immediately. They must download an installer, navigate a UAC prompt, create or share an account ID, and follow instructions that assume they know what a "module" or "remote session" means. The person calling for help is often calling because their computer has already stopped working as expected. Asking them to correctly execute a multi-step setup process before the help can start is asking them to succeed at the kind of task they called about failing at.

These are not safety features bolted on afterwards — they are the architecture. The control mechanisms were built into the first version because they defined the whole point of the project. A remote-support tool that can be used against the person receiving help is not a better tool; it is a different thing entirely.

How it works in practice

Control is the architecture, not the policy

The following are not settings or toggles. They are properties of how the program is written.

  1. The first connection always requires an explicit Accept

    A dialog appears before the session opens. There is no way to bypass it, and no way for the person helping to press it on your behalf. You accept or you reject.

  2. The session indicator cannot be hidden

    A band across the top of the FlashDesk window turns amber while anyone is connected. The person helping cannot remove, minimise or dismiss it. You always know the session is active.

  3. One click ends the session immediately

    The Stop sharing button works at any moment, with no confirmation step. There is no way to prevent you from pressing it.

  4. Closing the window ends the session completely

    FlashDesk does not run in the background after the window is closed. There is no tray icon, no persistent service, no way back in once the file is closed.

  5. Nothing is installed and nothing is left behind

    The program does not write to the registry or install services. Close it and the only trace is the file itself, which you downloaded and can delete.

Design decisions, not limitations

What FlashDesk is not

Each item below is something FlashDesk could have been but was deliberately not built to be. The reason is the same in every case: removing it removes a reason not to trust the tool.

  • Not a subscription product

    Free to use with no trial period, no usage cap, and no paid tier. There is nothing to buy, no credit card to enter, and no expiry date on any feature.

  • Not a persistent agent

    Nothing runs in the background when the window is closed. FlashDesk does not start on login, does not run as a service, and does not communicate with anything when you are not using it.

  • No account required

    Neither person creates a login. There is no profile, no password, no email address to verify, nothing to remember and nothing that can be hacked to get access to your machine.

  • No corporate data collection

    Session content is never stored. The relay server connects the two sides and sees nothing of what passes through it. There is no analytics platform, no usage telemetry, no data sold to third parties.

  • Not a screen recorder

    FlashDesk does not record, save, or export the session in any form. What you share during a session is not retained — not on the relay server, not on the helper's machine, not anywhere.

  • Windows only, by deliberate choice

    The people who call for individual computer support are almost always on Windows. Not attempting cross-platform support keeps the codebase smaller, the program simpler, and every claim on this site verifiable.

Transparency

Open source

Publishing the source code is the strongest trust signal available for a tool that has access to someone's screen. You do not have to take this site's word for what the program does — you can read it.

MIT License

github.com/conorhonor111-art/flashdesk

The full source — desktop client, relay server, and build scripts — is public on GitHub under the MIT License. You can read exactly what the program does, verify any claim made on this site, fork it, or build on it. Issues and pull requests are open.

View on GitHub
The person behind it

Who built FlashDesk

Conor Honor

Independent computer specialist — Kyiv, Ukraine

Conor has worked in individual and small-business IT support since 2019. The work is almost entirely one-to-one: a laptop that will not start, software that has stopped making sense, a family member trying to understand something their bank sent them. Not managed IT, not a helpdesk — the kind of support where the person on the other end is trusting you personally, often because they have no one else to ask.

FlashDesk was built for those clients. When remote access is part of the job, the tool you use either supports that trust or quietly undermines it. The tools that existed were designed for IT departments managing hundreds of devices. For a one-person practice working with non-technical individuals, they were always either too complex, too persistent, or too opaque. FlashDesk is the tool that should have already existed.

Working from Kyiv means every version of FlashDesk has been used for real support sessions before it was released. That is not a differentiator being marketed — it is just how the development process works when the person who writes the code is also the person who uses it.

Kyiv, Ukraine Support work since 2019 Uses FlashDesk in production
Get in touch

Contact and support

If you have a question this site does not answer — or if you want to verify that the person asking you to use FlashDesk is who they say they are — write.

Support questions are answered by Conor directly. There is no support team, no ticket system, no autoresponder. If you write, a person reads it and a person answers it.

  • Response time Typically within 24 hours on weekdays. Occasionally longer during busy periods — you will get a reply.
  • What to ask Questions about whether the tool is safe, whether it will work for your situation, whether a specific person asking you to use it is legitimate, or anything else this site did not cover.
  • Language English or Ukrainian.
FlashDesk will never telephone you. If someone calls claiming to be us and asks you to download or run anything, hang up. Only use FlashDesk if you contacted us yourself.
Project status

Founding and maintenance

Started in 2024

FlashDesk was first built in 2024 to solve a specific problem in real support work. The first public release was v0.4.0-1. Development has been continuous since.

Actively maintained

Current release: v0.4.0-33, updated September 2026. Releases happen when there is something worth changing, not on a schedule. There have been 33 releases since the first public release.

Long-term intent

FlashDesk will remain free, open source, and honest. No investor funding, no plans for a paid tier, no acquisition path. The whole brief is a tool that works well and can be trusted.

Full version history in the changelog →

Ready to get help?

One file. Nothing installs. Works on Windows 10 and 11.

Download FlashDesk — free

About 70 MB · Free · Windows will warn you — here's what to expect

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