Docs / Obsidian Remote / Start here
The main window
The main window has two halves. This desktop, on the left, is about people reaching this PC. Control a remote desktop, on the right, is about you reaching other PCs.
This desktop
| Item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Your ID | This PC's 9-digit ID, shown as 123 456 789. Give it to the person who will connect. The copy button beside it copies it. |
| One-time password | Hidden as stars at first. The eye button shows it, the copy button copies it, and the refresh button makes a new one. It changes by itself after every session that used it. |
| Permanent password line | Says whether a permanent password is set. Unattended access needs one: see Unattended access. |
| Status line | Whether this PC is connected to your server (see below). |
| Mode line | Installed - unattended access, also at the sign-in screen. or Portable - reachable while you are signed in (no sign-in screen, no admin prompts). |
| Who is connected | Nobody is connected., or how many people are connected, with Show connections to open the connection manager. |
| Key | This PC's key fingerprint, for example Key Xq3m T9vB 2kLp 8RwN. Read it to someone connecting by address, so they can check they reached the right PC. |
The status line can say:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ready - connected to your server | All is well: people can reach this PC by its ID. |
| Connecting to your server | The app is reaching the server. It keeps trying. |
| No server set - reachable on the LAN only | No server is set up. Add one in Settings > Network (see Getting started). |
| The server refused this PC: and a reason | The server doesn't accept this PC. See Troubleshooting. |
| Not connected to your server | The server can't be reached right now. See Troubleshooting. |
On a PC that several people use, only the person signed in at the PC itself (or an administrator) sees the one-time password. Everyone else sees hidden here. When this PC only accepts connections the person at it approves, the password shows not used (click to accept).
When this PC can't be reached
If the app shows This PC can't be reached yet: the Obsidian Remote host is not running., nothing is listening for connections on this PC:
- On an installed PC, the Obsidian Remote service has stopped. Restarting the PC normally starts it again; IT can check it with
sc query ObsidianRemote. - On a portable copy, click Start portable host.
Control a remote desktop
Type a 9-digit ID or a network address in the box and press Connect (or Enter) to take control of that PC. The buttons under the box start other kinds of session: View only, Transfer files, Terminal and Tunnel. Connecting to a computer explains each one.
As you type, the box suggests matching devices from your Recent and Favourites lists.
The device lists
Under the box, five tabs list devices:
| Tab | What it lists |
|---|---|
| Recent | The devices you connected to, newest first. |
| Favourites | The devices you starred. |
| Address book | Your address books on the server, personal and shared. You need to sign in to your server (see below). |
| Discovered | Obsidian Remote PCs on this network that answer LAN discovery. Search the local network (the magnifier) searches again. See Local network and Wake-on-LAN. |
| Server devices | The devices the server lets you see: the ones you own and your group's, or all of them for an administrator. You need to sign in. |
Working with the lists:
- Click a device to put its ID in the box. Double-click it to connect.
- Filter narrows the list you are looking at, by name or ID.
- The button beside Filter switches between tiles and a list.
- A green dot means the device is online; grey means offline.
- Right-click a device for more: Connect, View only, Transfer files, Terminal, Tunnel, Add to favourites (or Remove from favourites), Rename... (Recent and Favourites only, renames it on this PC only), Copy the ID, Wake up (Wake-on-LAN) when the PC can be woken, Add to the address book..., and Remove from recent.
Your address books
On the Address book tab:
- If you have more than one book, pick one from the list. Shared books say (shared).
- If the devices have tags, pick a tag to show only those devices.
- The + button adds a device: its ID, a Name to show, Tags (comma separated) and a Note. It is greyed out in a shared book you may only read.
- Right-click a device to Edit... it or Remove from the address book.
An address book is only a list for your convenience: having a device in it doesn't let you connect to it. When a device in your personal book has a saved password (added in the admin console), the app signs in with it for you. See Devices, users, groups and address books.
Signing in to your server
Some things need you to sign in to your Obsidian Remote server with the user name your administrator gave you: your address books, the server's device list, and connecting at all when the server requires it.
- Click Sign in at the top right.
- Type your User name and Password.
- Leave Register this PC under my account ticked to make you the owner of this PC in the admin console (it needs the host running on this PC). Clear it if this isn't your PC.
- Click Sign in. If your account uses two-factor sign-in, type the code from your authenticator app and click Verify.
The button then shows your name. Click it and choose Sign out to sign out. A sign-in lasts 30 days unless your administrator changed that; after that, sign in again.
If it says Wrong user name or password. check them and try again. After several wrong tries the server makes you wait (Too many tries - wait a few minutes.).
The tray icon
The app's icon in the notification area:
- Click it to open the main window.
- Right-click it for a menu with this PC's ID and one-time Password (click either to copy it), Open Obsidian Remote, Connections... while someone is connected, Settings and Quit.
- The icon changes while someone is connected to this PC, and while the PC isn't connected to the server.
- Notifications appear here when someone wants to connect, when a session ends while the window is closed, and when an update is ready.
Closing the main window keeps the app in the tray. Quit closes the app. This PC stays reachable after that: on an installed PC the service does the work, and a portable host you started keeps running until you sign out of Windows.