Move from TeamViewer to RustDesk

We earn commissions when you shop through the links below.

Install RustDesk on the two computers, connect with the ID on the screen, and run your own relay if the public one is not enough.

How long: An hour for two PCs. Add a day if you host the relay.

Take it out

Step 1
List the computers you still control
Write down each unattended PC and who needs to reach it. A TeamViewer address book does not export into RustDesk.
Step 2
Decide who the relay is for
Two home computers can use RustDesk's public servers. A company should run hbbs and hbbr so the ID traffic stays on a server you control.
Step 3
Leave TeamViewer's commercial-use check alone
TeamViewer says the free plan is personal use, and home office counts as work. This guide does not tell you how to clear a commercial-use flag. If you still need TeamViewer for work, buy the license.

Put it in

Step 1
Install RustDesk on both ends
Windows, Mac, and Linux builds are on the project site. Set a permanent password on any PC that should stay available.
Step 2
Connect with the ID
Read the ID on the far screen and type it on the near one. Confirm keyboard, clipboard, and file copy on a machine you can walk to.
Step 3
Point the clients at your relay if you run one
Follow RustDesk's OSS server docs for hbbs and hbbr. The docs say a basic cloud server is enough. Open only the ports those docs list, and set that server ID in each client.

Need a server? DigitalOcean is one simple option. Railway is another.

We are a DigitalOcean affiliate.

We may earn from this Railway link.

The TeamViewer address book
IDs, passwords, and groups do not import. Type the machines you still use.
A company audit product
RustDesk can log the server you run. It is not TeamViewer's admin console.
Browser-only access
RustDesk is an installed app. If people must connect from a browser to a computer that already has RDP, look at Apache Guacamole instead.

Test one unattended PC from outside the office before you remove TeamViewer from the rest.