As soon as your friends and relatives find out that you know a bit about computers, it's all over. They'll be asking you for help with the most varied tech issues on a constant basis, as if you were a permanent, free customer support service.

Luckily you can count on TeamViewer 6 to lend you a hand. TeamViewer lets you gain access to the desktops of your friends, relatives or even customers in a snap. What's more, it doesn't require any technical skills on the remote side, making it incredibly easy to use.

A bit like Online Desktop Presenter, all you have to do is run TeamViewer and ask the other person to run it as well. Each time you run TeamViewer you'll be given a unique session number and password which you can use to enter the other person's PC. This means TeamViewer can be used for both entering a remote computer and letting another person enter yours in case you need remote assistance as well.

Beside viewing the remote desktop just as if you were sitting in front of it, you can also make use of the program's features: embedded chat client, file transfer tool, the possibility of recording the session, and more.

This version of TeamViewer is a stripped-down version of the paid application and therefore lacks some extra modules and functionality. Nevertheless it's still a great helper when you need to fix small problems in remote systems or show someone else how to do a certain task on the computer.

TeamViewer is an excellent desktop sharing tool that lets you manage remote systems in a safe way and without requiring a lot of technical knowledge.

Download TeamViewer 8.0.19045 in Softonic

Often with screen sharing apps, there is a lengthy installation and setup process. Not so with Ammyy Admin. You don't even need to install anything - just open the .exe file and you're ready to go. The person you need to connect to also has to download and open the EXE file to be obtain the ID number.

Simply enter the ID number of the user in the Client ID field and click "Connect". The developer estimates the connection process is around 20 seconds from the moment you download Ammyy Admin to the moment of the first remote session launch.

It also claims that the program uses an advanced hybrid encryption algorithm (AES+RSA) that makes sure that connections are secure. This makes it appropriate for business dealings, connecting with clients offsite or remote connections to your office.

Finally, you can send and receive files as well as conduct voice chats meaning it's also useful for those that just want to fix a friend or relative's computer.

Ammyy Admin is a simple but powerful and effective way to make remote connections.

Download Ammyy Admin 3 in Softonic

Desktop sharing is not just the field of tech professionals anymore. Whether you want to show how an application works or simply be able to explain things on someone else's computer, you'll need to find a way to share desktops easily.

TeamViewer Portable offers a simple way of creating desktop sharing sessions with other users, whether on a distant computer, local connection or over the internet. Both users will each have an ID and password with which to connect to their session.

Taking control of another computer is a great way to solve issues from a distance and demonstrate things on a desktop without actually being there physically. TeamViewer Portable also allows file transfer and includes a chat function to communicate with your contact. You can also record sessions and play them back afterward with TeamViewer Portable. These can then be used as tutorials or to go back on what you've done in previous sessions. If you dig into the TeamViewer Portable details you'll be able to choose not only whether to optimize quality or speed, but also to configure the amount of access you want to give to your desktop.

The free version of TeamViewer Portable has a number of limitations, and lacks some modules like the TeamViewer manager or customer module. In addition, the program can be a little complicated to get the hang of at first.

TeamViewer is also available as a full-install version.

TeamViewer Portable is a solid program for quickly sharing desktops with another user.

Download TeamViewer Portable 8.0.16447 in Softonic

Extremely secure FTP client

Tricky to use for beginners

Complex but very secure

Download WinSCP 5.1.5 in Softonic

SecureCRT uses very strong encryption with a broad range of authentication options that can be used to protect passwords, user accounts, data, and computer systems. SecureCRT also provides secure remote access, file transfers, and data tunneling within an organisation or company. SecureCRT also offers session management and customization features, for those that need to work in multiple sessions.

SecureCRT emulates a number of major terminal consoles such VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, SCO ANSI, Wyse 50/60, Xterm, and even Linux. SecureCRT can also help you automate routines so that you don't have to worry about executing them manually.

SecureCRT is a great terminal manager and secure authenticator that can help protect your most sensitive data.

Download SecureCRT 7.0.1 in Softonic

PuTTY Portable is a Telnet Client and SSH Server for Windows that is packed with features and can be transported anywhere on a USB stick or external storage device. Whats more, it's completely free. Firstly however, note that the developer issues a warning on the program website that PuTTY Portable may not be legal in your country so check the law before you use it!

Basically, PuTTY Portable allows you to connect to another computer remotely using the Telnet and SSH protocols. So for example, you can install it on a Windows machine and it will connect to a Unix machine. This is great if you are administrator as you can use PuTTY Portable to take full control of the machine and work at it remotely.

In the PuTTY window that's opened, you can send messages to the other machine and vice versa. This leads to one of the major annoyances when using PuTTY Portable - the program does not remember the credentials for successive logins. This is understandable for security reasons, but could end up being very annoying if you use PuTTY Portable to regularly connect to an external client.

If you need to control a remote computer and need a client that supports SSH, then PuTTY Portable is a superb option considering that it's totally free and portable.

Download PuTTY Portable 0.62 in Softonic

Extremely secure FTP client

Tricky to use for beginners

Complex but very secure

Download WinSCP Portable 5.1.5 in Softonic

Using ThinRDP is very easy. The host computer – the one you want to access remotely – requires the ThinRDP software, but the clients don’t need anything to be installed, not even Flash, Java, or Silverlight. A web browser will be enough, as long as it supports HTML5.

All you need is to leave ThinRDP running in the remote computer, and optionally set a username and password for more security. The system will be accessible through a web browser just by entering the remote computer’s IP address (note that you have to use port 8443). All your programs, files and documents will be there.

ThinRDP can be especially useful to provide remote customer support, or help a friend with computer problems in a quick, simple way.

ThinRDP makes remote desktop access easy for everyone.

Download ThinRDP Server 2 in Softonic

Download Mobile Admin Mobile Admin 6.2 in Softonic

NTRSupport Pro is an easy remote assistance application that lets you help anyone with computer problems and doesn't require advanced technical skills or complicated set-up. All you need to do is download the desktop client, create a user account on the NTRSupport site and start a support session.

Once the support session is created, share the ID with your friend or customer and they'll be able to join via their standard web browser. The only thing they'll have to do is install a browser plug-in to connect to NTRSupport. The session ID can be shared in several ways, from simply copying and pasting it to sending it by email.

NTRSupport Pro stands out of other remote support apps I've testes for several reasons. First, it's doesn't require installation, so you can take it anywhere on a USB key. Second, it's dead easy to use – something the person in need of help will be really thankful for. And finally, it includes some interesting features such as the ability to create multiple simultaneous sessions, schedule them for a certain day and time or being able to run a complete analysis on the remote PC, among others.

On the downside, NTRSupport Pro was a bit unstable during our tests, but that's something remote support apps usually can't avoid. Nothing serious, though!

NTRSupport Pro is a valuable remote support tool to help friends, family or customers whenever they have problem with their computers.

Download NTRsupport Pro 1.0 in Softonic