Last Update: Sep 04, 2024 | Published: Feb 05, 2019
Quick Assist is an application in Windows 10 much like Team Viewer, and it provides a quick way to support remote users. While Remote Assistance, which was originally part of Windows XP, is still available in Windows 10, Quick Assist is a more flexible tool and easier to use. Remote Assistance can also be vulnerable to attack, so it’s something you might want to disable.
Using Quick Assist is easy. Unlike some other remote support tools, everything works over standard Internet protocols, so it is firewall-friendly.
Once the screen sharing session has started, the person providing support will see the remote user’s desktop with a series of options along the top. From this point on, Quick Assist works much like any other remote support solution. You can pause and end the session using the buttons in the top right of Quick Assist. Other features include the ability to annotate the screen, exchange text messages with the remote user, restart the remote device, and call up Task Manager. Users can cancel requests to restart their device and end the screen sharing session at any time.
Quick Assist is a great tool for providing ad-hoc support to users in situations where there is no other mechanism set up. Establishing remote sessions can take a few seconds depending on the speed of the Internet connection and other factors but in general it works well enough for a free built-in tool. While users providing support need an MSA, or a work or school account to use Quick Assist, it isn’t a requirement for the user receiving support.