You are here because Windows showed you a security warning. That is normal — this page explains exactly what it means and what to click.
Windows showed you a warning. That is expected.
Windows warns about every program it has not seen many people run before — including FlashDesk. This page shows you exactly what you will see, word for word, and what to click at each step.
Your browser may flag the file when you download it.
Most browsers let the file through without any warning. If yours flags it, you will see something like this in the downloads area at the top of the browser window:
Click the small › arrow at the right end of that line. A second box opens:
Press Download suspicious file — the pale button on the right. The solid dark blue button says Delete from history and removes the file.
If you did not contact the helper yourself, press Delete from history and hang up. Legitimate technical support does not cold-call you and then walk you through a download.
If your browser downloaded the file without any warning, skip to step 2.
A blue box appears. There is no run button yet.
Double-click FlashDesk.exe and Windows shows this before it runs anything. The blue box is a Windows SmartScreen warning:
There is no way forward on this screen. The only button is Don’t run.
Click the small grey words More info. They are a link, not a button, and they are easy to miss because they are pale and sit above the button. The box will grow and show a new screen — that is step 3.
The box grows and shows two buttons. Click "Run anyway".
After clicking More info, the box changes to show the app name, the publisher line, and now two buttons:
Press Run anyway — the pale button on the left. The solid dark blue button says Don’t run.
The name next to App: is whatever your browser saved the file as. If you have downloaded FlashDesk before, it may read FlashDesk (1).exe or FlashDesk (2).exe. That is the same file with a number added by your browser.
If you did not contact the helper yourself, press Don’t run and hang up. Somebody who phoned you unsolicited and guided you this far is not helping you.
Why Windows showed you this warning
Is it a virus? No. FlashDesk has been checked against every major antivirus engine on VirusTotal. The warning is about reputation, not content.
Windows uses a reputation system to decide what to warn about. Software it has seen many people run before is trusted silently. Software it has not seen many people run is flagged as "unrecognized" and triggers the SmartScreen warning.
FlashDesk is new software. Windows has not seen enough people run it yet to build a reputation for it. This is not a sign that the file is dangerous. It is a sign that the file is new.
As more people run FlashDesk over time, the warning will reduce and eventually disappear on its own — that is how the reputation system works.
What "Unknown publisher" means
A publisher is the name of whoever made the file. Mine is not shown because I have not bought a company to attach a verified name to it.
That process is called code signing. Code signing is a paid certificate that lets Windows display a verified name next to "Publisher:" — without one, the line reads "Unknown publisher" instead of "Publisher: Conor Honor." It is the same file either way; only the label changes.
If I had purchased a certificate, the box in step 3 would read:
The file itself would be identical. Code signing is a trust signal Windows can verify — nothing more.
What FlashDesk actually does — and what it does not do
FlashDesk is open about exactly what it can and cannot do during a session. There are no hidden capabilities. The privacy page lists everything plainly.
- It can see your screen and move your mouse — only while a session is active and you have accepted the connection.
- It cannot access your files, camera, microphone, or saved passwords.
- It runs only while you have it open. There is no background process, no startup entry, and nothing is installed on your computer.
- It stops the moment you close the window. The person helping you loses access instantly.
- You can end a session at any time by clicking the red stop button or closing the window. That is a design requirement, not a courtesy.
Read the full privacy policy →
If you have a question not answered here, email support@flashdesk.org or check the FAQ.
The same file is also available directly at flashdesk.org/dl/FlashDesk.exe — identical in every way. Browsers are slightly more suspicious of that address, so the button on the home page is the easier route, but if that one fails for any reason this one will still work.
Ready to proceed?
Download FlashDesk and follow the three steps above. The whole process takes under a minute.