Introduction

Take control of a device directly from your browser. Level’s remote control uses an encrypted peer-to-peer (P2P) connection to stream the device’s display in real time — no additional software, no VPN required. Once connected, you can interact with the desktop, manage files, run terminal commands, and control processes and services, all from the same session.

Remote control works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The session controls in this article are the same on every platform. For platform-specific requirements and behaviors, see macOS Remote Control and Linux Remote Control.

⚙️ PREREQUISITES

The Level agent is installed and online on the target device
Your account has remote control permission for the device’s group

🖥️ PLATFORM NOTE:

Windows: No additional setup required.
macOS: Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions must be granted to Level on the device. See macOS Remote Control.
Linux: A graphical session (Wayland or X11) must be running on a supported desktop environment. The login screen counts; a logged-in user isn’t required. Headless devices have no graphical session and can’t be remote controlled. See Linux Remote Control.

🎬 VIDEO

Starting a Remote Control Session

The OS icon is the fastest way in. It appears next to any online device — in the Device Listing, inside Device Overview, and anywhere else devices are listed.

Click the OS icon next to the device you want to connect to.
A new browser tab opens with the remote session.

To launch a specific tool directly, right-click the OS icon. This opens a menu with the following options:

Remote control — Opens a full screen-sharing session (same as left-clicking)
Terminal — Opens a terminal session directly, skipping the remote desktop view
File explorer — Opens the remote file browser directly
Processes — Opens the process list directly
Services — Opens the services panel directly

💡 TIP: You can run multiple sessions at once. Each session opens in its own browser tab, so managing several devices simultaneously is just a matter of switching tabs.

The Remote Session Interface

Once connected, the session fills your browser tab. Two toolbars give you access to session controls and background management tools.

Top Toolbar

The toolbar runs across the top of the session window:

Device Name — The device’s nickname (or hostname if no nickname is set).
Connection Type — Shows whether the session is P2P or relayed. See P2P vs. Relay below.
Display — Select which monitor to view if the remote device has multiple displays. Single-monitor devices show only one option.
Scaling — Adjust how the remote desktop fits your screen. Options are Auto-scaling, Original size, 125%, 150%, and 200%. Any scale is selectable: if it’s larger than the space available in your browser, the session switches to minimap mode so you can zoom and pan around the desktop (see Zooming and Panning below). This dropdown also contains the View only toggle, which disables mouse and keyboard input without ending the session.
Send Clipboard — Two options in this dropdown:
1. Paste (Ctrl+Shift+V) — Takes your local clipboard and mimics keystrokes on the remote device. Doesn’t write to the remote clipboard, so it works on login screens and other restricted contexts where clipboard access is blocked.
2. Send clipboard — Sends your local clipboard directly to the remote device’s clipboard.
Get Clipboard — Two options in this dropdown:
1. Copy (Ctrl+Shift+C) — Copies selected text on the remote device to your local clipboard.
2. Get clipboard — Pulls the full remote clipboard to your local clipboard.
Shortcuts — Send a keyboard combination to the remote device, including combinations your own computer would normally intercept. Contains presets for the remote device’s operating system, a builder for any other combination, and the shortcuts you save. Ctrl+Alt+Del is one of the Windows presets. See Sending Keyboard Shortcuts below.
Commands — Send Shutdown or Restart to the remote device.
User Sessions — Lists active user sessions on the remote device. Switch between them if multiple users are logged in.
Full Screen — Expands the session to fill your entire display.

💡 TIP: On login screens or other contexts where clipboard access is restricted, use Paste rather than Send clipboard — it mimics keystrokes instead of writing to the clipboard, so it works even where clipboard injection is blocked.

Right Toolbar

The toolbar runs along the right edge of the session:

System Information — Shows a summary of the device: hostname, hardware specs, and network details.
Terminal — Opens a terminal session on the remote device.
File Explorer — Browse the remote file system. Supports uploading files from your local machine and downloading files from the remote device.
Processes — View all running processes. Kill any process directly from this panel.
Services — View, start, stop, or restart services on the remote device.

ℹ️ NOTE: Terminal, File Explorer, Processes, and Services are the same tools available through Background Management in Device Details. Opening them from within a remote control session gives you a combined view — live desktop plus management tools in the same tab.

Sending Keyboard Shortcuts

Some key combinations never make it to the remote device, because your own computer acts on them first: Alt + Tab switches your local windows, Win + L locks your machine, ⌘ + Space opens your local search. The Shortcuts button in the top toolbar works around that. Level generates the keystrokes on the remote device itself, so your local operating system never sees them.

The button appears once the remote desktop is streaming, and is unavailable while View only is on, since that mode blocks input.

Presets

The Presets tab lists common combinations for the remote device’s operating system, grouped by what they do: Essentials, Window management, Tabs, Troubleshooting, and Screenshots. Click one to send it.

Each platform has its own list:

Platform	What’s on the list
Windows	Windows key, `Ctrl+Alt+Del`, Task Manager, Run, Switch apps, Close window, Show desktop, Lock computer, File Explorer, New tab, Close tab, Settings, Search, Clipboard history, Quick Link menu, Print Screen, Snipping Tool
macOS	Force Quit, Spotlight, App Switcher, File Search, New, Close Window, Quit App, Hide App, Hide Other Apps, Mission Control, Lock Screen, New tab, and the three screenshot combinations (Entire Screen, Selected Area, Screenshot Toolbar)
Linux	Close Window (`Alt + F4`), Run Command / App Finder (`Alt + F2`)

Send a combo

Use the Send a combo tab for anything that isn’t in the presets.

Click the modifier buttons you need. They’re labeled for the remote platform: Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Win on Windows, Super in place of Win on Linux, and ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ on macOS.
Type the key in the field. You can also type a short sequence of characters, and Level sends them one after another. Modifiers on their own aren’t enough: the Send button stays disabled until the field has a key in it.
Click Send. The button shows the combination you’re about to send.

Saving shortcuts

Combinations you use often can be saved and reused from the Custom tab.

Build the combination on the Send a combo tab.
Turn on Save on send as custom shortcut.
Type a name in Name your shortcut (Optional) if you want one.
Click Send. The shortcut is saved and sent at the same time.

Saved shortcuts appear on the Custom tab under Your shortcuts. Shortcuts shared with everyone in your workspace appear under Shared shortcuts. You can delete your own at any time; only admins can delete shared ones.

🖥️ PLATFORM NOTE: Shortcuts are saved per operating system. One saved during a Windows session shows up on Windows sessions only. Save it again from a macOS or Linux session if you need it there too.

💡 TIP: Admins can share a shortcut with everyone. On the Send a combo tab, turn on Save on send as custom shortcut, then turn on Save as a team shortcut before sending, and it lands under Shared shortcuts for every technician.

Zooming and Panning

When the remote desktop is bigger than the space available in your browser, the session switches to minimap mode: a small map of the whole remote screen appears in the bottom-left corner, along with zoom and panning controls. This happens automatically, either because you picked a scale larger than your window or because the remote device has a very large or ultrawide display.

Zoom

The + and - buttons at the bottom-right of the minimap change the zoom in 10% steps, from 50% up to 200%. Each button greys out once you reach the end of the range.

Zooming keeps the middle of your current view, so the spot you were looking at stays where it is. The buttons and the Scaling dropdown drive the same setting, so you can jump straight to 150% from the dropdown and then fine-tune from there.

Navigating with the minimap

The minimap shows the whole remote screen at a fixed size, with a highlighted box marking the part you’re viewing right now.

Click anywhere on the minimap to center your view on that spot.
Click and drag to keep moving the view as you go.

Panning from the edge of the screen

Move your pointer toward any edge of the session and the cursor turns into a directional arrow. Pause there for a moment and the view starts scrolling that way, picking up speed the longer you stay at the edge. It stops as soon as you move back toward the middle.

Hiding the controls

Two buttons sit at the bottom-left of the minimap:

Enable pan mode / Disable pan mode: switches edge panning off, for when you’d rather navigate with the minimap only.
Show minimap / Hide minimap: collapses the minimap if it covers something you need to see. The two buttons stay on screen so you can bring it back. The zoom buttons live on the minimap, so they’re hidden along with it.

ℹ️ NOTE: These controls only appear while the remote view is larger than your browser window. On Auto-scaling the desktop is fitted to the window, so there’s nothing to pan and the minimap stays hidden. If you zoom out far enough that the whole desktop fits again, the controls go away with it: use the Scaling dropdown to zoom back in.

P2P vs. Relay

A badge in the top-left of the session window shows the current connection type.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) means your browser and the remote device are connected directly. This is the default when network conditions allow it and generally gives you the lowest latency.

Relay means the session is being routed through a Level relay server. This typically happens when a firewall between the two endpoints blocks direct connectivity.

Both connection types are end-to-end encrypted. The relay server facilitates the connection but doesn’t have access to the session content.

ℹ️ NOTE: If you’re consistently getting relay connections where you’d expect P2P, see the Relay/P2P Troubleshooting article for firewall and network requirements.

FAQ

How do I connect to a second monitor on a device? Use the Display dropdown in the top toolbar. It lists all monitors attached to the remote device. If the device has only one monitor, you’ll only see one option. The dropdown appears for all supported devices but is only functional when multiple displays are detected.
The remote desktop is bigger than my browser window. How do I move around it? Use the minimap in the bottom-left corner. Click or drag on it to move your view, or push your pointer to the edge of the session and hold it there to pan. The + and - buttons on the minimap zoom between 50% and 200%. See Zooming and Panning above.
What does “This scale is larger than the available space” mean in the Scaling dropdown? It means the scale you’re hovering won’t fit in your browser window, so choosing it turns on minimap mode. You can still select it: the desktop is shown at full size and you pan around it with the minimap or from the edges of the session. To see more of the desktop at once instead, use Auto-scaling, make the browser window bigger, or close any open side panel.
Alt + Tab and the Windows key don’t do anything in my session. Why? Your own operating system claims those combinations before the session receives them. Send them from the Shortcuts button in the top toolbar instead, which generates the keystrokes on the remote device. See Sending Keyboard Shortcuts above.
Where did the Ctrl+Alt+Del button go? Into the Shortcuts menu. It’s one of the Windows presets, under Essentials.
Why don’t I see a shortcut I saved? Shortcuts are saved per operating system, and each session only lists the ones for the device you’re connected to. Save the combination again from a session on that platform.
Can my whole team use a shortcut I created? If you’re an admin, yes. Turn on Save as a team shortcut when you save it and it appears under Shared shortcuts for everyone in the workspace. Only admins can create or delete shared shortcuts.
The Shortcuts button is greyed out. The session is in View only mode, which blocks input. Turn View only off in the Scaling dropdown.
What’s the difference between P2P and relay, and does it affect security? Both are end-to-end encrypted. P2P connects your browser directly to the device; relay routes the session through a Level server when a direct connection isn’t possible (usually due to a firewall). Security is the same either way — the relay server can’t read session content. If you want to force or diagnose one connection type, see Relay/P2P Troubleshooting.
Who can initiate a remote control session? Any technician with remote control permission for the device’s group can start a session. Permissions are configured per group under Workspace → Permissions. If you don’t see the remote control icon next to a device, you likely don’t have permission for that group.
Can I remote into a device if no one is logged in? Yes, on all three platforms, as long as the device is showing a graphical screen you can attach to. On Windows and macOS that’s the login or lock screen. On Linux it’s the graphical login screen (the display manager greeter). In every case you can connect, then use User Sessions in the top toolbar to switch to an active user session if one exists. The one Linux exception is a device with no graphical session at all (headless, text-only boot, or display manager not running); use background management for those. See Linux Remote Control.
The remote control session is laggy. What should I check first? Start by checking whether the session is P2P or relay (top-left badge). Relay sessions can have higher latency depending on server proximity. If it’s P2P and still slow, try lowering the display scaling in the top toolbar, or check the network conditions on both ends. See Relay/P2P Troubleshooting for a full diagnostic checklist.
Can I use remote control on a Linux device? Yes. Remote control is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Linux support depends on the device’s display server and desktop environment rather than its distribution. See Linux Remote Control for the support matrix.
Remote control connects to my Mac but shows a black screen, or I can’t click or type. What’s wrong? That’s a missing macOS permission. A black screen means Screen Recording wasn’t granted; visible desktop with no input means Accessibility wasn’t granted. Both live under System Settings → Privacy & Security. See macOS Remote Control.