With many people frequently working with more than one computer, both at home and at work, there has been a recent surge in interest in remote access tools. Such programs can be used to use the computer you are sat in front of to take control of another remote machine. One such tool is TeamViewer which is available free of charge and is one of the easiest remote access programs to configure.

There are various uses for remote access. It could be used to offer remote assistance to someone who needs helps with their computer, or it could be used to access files stored on a computer in another room of the home using your laptop. TeamViewer is very firewall friendly and requires little configuration, so you can be up and running in next to no time.

There are two different version of TeamViewer available but for maximum flexibility it is a good idea to install the full version of the program on both of your computer – this will give you the option of using either to take remote control of the other. Start the installation and click the Next button and select the Personal/non-commercial option before clicking Next again. Tick both of the agreement boxes and click Next.

You will then be presented with the option of starting TeamViewer with Windows. This is a good idea as it means that you do not have to remember to manually start the program on either of your computers so a remote connection will always be available. You can create a password that will enable you to remotely control your computer even before Windows has fully loaded, and after doing so you will need to click Next.

As you are using TeamViewer to control your own computers, it is OK to leave the Full access option selected before clicking Next followed by Finish. Once the installation is complete, you can run through the same process on your other computer.

On the computer you intend to control remotely, make a note of the ID and password that is displayed. On the machine your are using to remotely access this computer, enter the ID into the ID box, ensure that the Remote support option is selected and click the Connect to partner button.  Enter the password that you have been provided with and seconds later you should be able to see the screen of your remote computer displayed in a TeamViewer window.

You can use your mouse to control the computer just as if you were sat in front of this machine. You can use the options in the View menu to adjust the quality of the remote session window, opting to re-enable the desktop background that is disabled by default as well as choosing between working in full screen or windowed mode.

You can transfers files between the two computers by clicking the File Transfer toolbar button and then using the dual pane window to browse the hard drives of your two computers. When you have finished the remote session, simply close the TeamViewer window to close the connection.