Quick Start Guide - Using Remote Tools with Splashtop

This Quick Start Guide explains how Remote Tools The system you use to enroll and manage devices (for example, Jamf Pro or Microsoft Intune). with Splashtop works end‑to‑end, including how the Splashtop Streamer is installed, what macOS permissions are required, and exactly what end users will see during sessions.

Remote Tools includes three features: Remote Control, Remote Command, and Standalone File Transfer. All three share the same Splashtop Streamer and Splashtop RMM App infrastructure

For advanced configuration, troubleshooting, and UI reference, see the Automox Remote Tools with Splashtop – Full User Guide .

Overview

Remote Control allows IT administrators to securely interact with managed devices directly from the Automox console Our web-based management dashboard, available at https://console.automox.com.. Sessions are encrypted and can be used for troubleshooting, patching, maintenance, scripting, file management, or end‑user support.

Remote Tools includes:

Remote Control — Securely access and control a device's desktop in real time.
Remote Command — Run interactive shell sessions (CMD, PowerShell, Bash, Zsh) on a remote device without taking over the user's screen.
Standalone File Transfer — Move files to and from a remote device without starting a Remote Control session.

On the Device Details Per-device information page (hardware, OS, patches, software) page, all three features are launched from a unified Remote Tools button. The Remote Tools section on Device Details separates entitlement, deployment status, actions, and settings.

Automox integrates with Splashtop using two components:

Splashtop RMM App – Installed on the administrator’s computer
Splashtop Streamer – Installed on the remote device being controlled

Both components must be installed, with permissions properly configured, before a session can begin. A single Streamer install supports all Remote Tools features.

Prerequisites

Subscription & Permissions

To access Splashtop’s capabilities, your organization must be on one of the following plans.

Core – Includes Remote Control only.
Resolve – Includes Remote Control plus Remote Command, Standalone File Transfer, and premium Remote Control controls (in-session file transfer, chat, session recording, "All Monitors (One Window)" view, concurrent technician sessions, remote print).

If you are interested in a plan upgrade, please contact your Automox Account Manager, or reach out to expansion-sales@automox.com.

Role-Based Permissions

Your Automox role determines what Remote Tools actions you can perform. Each feature has its own access permission.

Session Access (initiate session)

Permission	Default Roles
Remote Control: Access	Full Administrator Account-level role with operational management permissions., Helpdesk Operator Read-only role with remote control access., Organization Operator Org-level role with full admin rights for policies, groups, and devices.
Remote Command: Access	Full Administrator, Organization Operator
File Transfer: Access	Full Administrator, Organization Operator

Note: Remote Command and Standalone File Transfer exclude Helpdesk Operator by default. Custom roles can be created to grant either permission to other users.

Other Remote Tools Permissions

Permission	Controls	Default Roles
Settings: Read	View Remote Tools Settings tab, device table, and the Remote Tools section on Device Details	Full Administrator, Helpdesk Operator, Organization Operator
Streamer: Manage	Install / uninstall Streamer on a single device from Device Details	Full Administrator, Helpdesk Operator, Organization Operator
Streamer Bulk: Manage	Bulk install / uninstall (org-wide, group-wide, ad hoc)	Full Administrator
Troubleshooting: Manage	Clear sessions; run Firewall Check	Full Administrator, Helpdesk Operator, Organization Operator
Remote Control Consent: Manage	Change end-user consent behavior	Full Administrator

Agent & OS Requirements

All devices with the Splashtop streamer need to be on Agent Lightweight client application, which is installed on managed devices. 2.4.33 or newer.

Administrator device (Splashtop RMM App):

Windows
macOS

Remote device (Streamer):

Windows 10–11
Windows Server 2012–2022
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later

Linux is not currently supported for the Splashtop Streamer or any Remote Tools feature.

Network Requirements

Outbound traffic to required Splashtop services must be allowed. See Additional Recommendations for Automox Remote Tools with Splashtop.

Install the Splashtop RMM App

The Splashtop RMM App must be installed before you can start any Remote Tools session.

Navigate to the Device Details page of the remote device and select Remote Tools.
Select any feature (Remote Control, Remote Command, or File Transfer).
The first time you attempt to use Remote Tools—and on every attempt until you confirm—the console will display a prompt asking whether you have already installed the Splashtop RMM App.
- Select No to open a window with download links for Windows and macOS.
- Install the app, then return to the console.
Once the Splashtop RMM App is installed, click Remote Control again and select Yes when prompted.
- After you click Yes, Automox records that confirmation and you will not see the prompt again on future Remote Tools attempts from that same administrator device.

The Splashtop RMM App only needs to be installed once per administrator device and powers all Remote Tools features.

How the Splashtop Streamer Is Installed (Remote Devices)

Installation Options

Administrators can install the Streamer in two ways:

Option 1: Organization‑Wide Install

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Click Install Streamer and select By Organization
A confirmation modal displays the organization name and total number of devices. Click Install to Organization to confirm.
Automox sends a silent install command to all supported devices in the organization. On Windows, nothing is required for the end-user.

Option 2: Group‑Level Install

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Click Install Streamer and select By Groups
Select one or more groups from the group picker and click Install to (N) Groups
Automox sends a silent install command to all supported devices in the selected groups

Group-level install is a one-time action applied to devices currently in the selected groups. It does not auto-install on future devices added to those groups.

Option 3: Ad Hoc Install from Remote Tools Settings

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Use filters or search to locate target devices in the device table
Select one or more devices using the row checkboxes
Click Actions and select Install Streamer

This is useful for targeted remediation, such as retrying installation on specific devices that previously failed.

Option 4: Per‑Device Install

Open the Device Details page
Expand the Remote Tools section
Select Install Splashtop Streamer

Installation Behavior

Installation is silent on Windows
On macOS, the app installs silently but user interaction is required for permissions
After install:
- The Streamer registers with the Automox–Splashtop backend
- Device status updates appear in the Remote Tools section.

If installation or registration fails, Automox displays a Streamer Status modal with error details and a retry option.

No hierarchy exists between organization-level, group-level, and ad hoc actions. The most recent action executed against a device determines its final state.

How Is the Splashtop Streamer Installed on Windows?

On Windows, the Splashtop Streamer is installed system-wide — not under the currently logged-in user's profile. It runs as a Windows service executed by the SYSTEM account, which means:

It is available before any user logs in, including at the Windows login screen
No per-user installation or configuration is required
The service starts automatically and persists across reboots and user account changes

Remote Tools Settings Page

The Settings → Remote Tools page provides centralized visibility and control over Remote Tools deployment across the organization.

Deployment Health Summary

The top of the page displays deployment health cards showing how many devices are in each status:

Ready — Streamer installed and registered; eligible for sessions
Failed — A previous install or registration attempt did not complete successfully
Not Installed — Streamer is not installed; no install attempt has been made.

Device Table

A device table lists all devices with their Streamer deployment state. Columns include Device Name, Operating System, Group, Streamer Status, Last Install Attempt, and Last Result Returned.

Admins can filter by OS, Group, and Streamer Status, and search by Device Name. The table supports sorting, column customization, pagination (default 25, up to 500 devices), and row selection for bulk actions.

Note: Data displayed in the device table may be up to 15 minutes old.

Feature Availability

The Feature Availability section controls which Remote Tools features are available to your organization:

Enable Remote Features (master toggle) — When off, all Remote Tools features are disabled for the org regardless of individual feature settings.
Individual feature checkboxes — Enable or disable Remote Control, Remote Command, and File Transfer independently.

On Core plan organizations, only Remote Control is displayed and no per-feature checkbox is shown — the Remote Control toggle is the sole control.

macOS Permissions – What’s Required and Why

For Splashtop-maintained, step-by-step macOS permission instructions (including screenshots and OS-specific variations), see How to allow remote access on macOS.

macOS enforces strict privacy controls. Even when the Streamer is installed by IT, Apple requires the end user to approve certain permissions manually.

Required Permissions

The Splashtop Streamer requires:

Accessibility — Allows keyboard and mouse control
Screen Recording / Remote Desktop ^*Screen Recording vs. Remote Desktop on macOS: macOS may show either Screen Recording or Remote Desktop depending on your OS version. These labels refer to the same screen-visibility permission. — Allows screen viewing

Feature‑Dependent Permissions

Full Disk Access – Required for the technician to read files from the macOS device during File Transfer (in-session or Standalone). Without it, files can be pushed to the device but not pulled from it.
Microphone – Required for audio during Remote Control sessions

Remote Command on macOS

Remote Command sessions run as root on macOS and do not require any macOS permission grants from the end user.

What IT Can Pre‑Configure

Using MDM tools (Jamf, Intune, etc.), IT can:

Pre‑approve Accessibility
Pre‑approve Full Disk Access
Configure Screen Recording to allow standard users to approve without admin rights

Apple does not allow Screen Recording or Microphone access to be granted silently.

What End Users Will See

After installation, macOS prompts the user to approve permissions:

Screen Recording prompt appears
User selects Allow
User may be directed to System Settings → Privacy & Security
User enables Splashtop for Screen Recording
A restart of the Splashtop Streamer may be required

If a prompt is dismissed, permissions can be enabled manually:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording / Microphone / Accessibility / Full Disk Access

Until Screen Recording and Accessibility are approved, Remote Control sessions may launch, but the Splashtop RMM App may appear blank or non-interactive. Remote Command sessions do not require these permissions.

The Remote Tools Button

All Remote Tools features are launched from a unified Remote Tools button on the Device Details page.

If you have permission to only one feature, the button is labeled with that feature and launches it directly.

If you have permission to two or more features, the button opens a dropdown listing the features you can access.

Features are shown grayed out (with tooltips) if your plan or the device's OS doesn't support them. Features are hidden entirely if you lack permission or your org has disabled them.

Starting a Remote Tools Session

Remote Control

Open the Device Details page
Click Remote Tools and select Remote Control
Session behavior (prompted or unprompted) depends on the configured End-user consent setting.
If all requirements are met, the Splashtop RMM App launches and the session begins.

Remote Command

Open the Device Details page
Click Remote Tools and select Remote Command
The Splashtop RMM App opens an interactive shell window.

Privilege level: On Windows, sessions run in the system (SYSTEM) context. On macOS, sessions run as root.

What the end user sees: Remote Command does not take over the desktop, but it is not fully silent. The logged-in user briefly sees a gray banner ("[Technician Name] has connected to this computer") and a persistent "Session in progress" indicator for the duration of the session. No consent dialog is shown.

Headless / unattended: Remote Command works on devices with no logged-in user and no active display (servers, kiosks).

Standalone File Transfer

Open the Device Details page
Click Remote Tools and select File Transfer
The Splashtop RMM App opens a two-pane file explorer (local on left, remote on right). Drag and drop to transfer files.

macOS Full Disk Access: Without Full Disk Access granted to the Splashtop Streamer, technicians can push files to the device but cannot browse or pull files from it.

What the end user sees: Same as Remote Command — a gray banner ("[Technician Name] has connected to this computer") and a persistent "Session in progress" indicator while the File Transfer session is active. No consent dialog is shown.

If your session doesn't connect

If the Splashtop Streamer is installed and registered but the session fails to start, use Check Firewall from the Remote Control section on the Device Details page.

Check firewall verifies that the device can reach required Splashtop and Automox services and is the fastest way to identify firewall or network-related issues.

Understanding the Remote Tools Section

The Remote Tools section on the Device Details page is organized into four areas to make it easier to understand readiness, available actions, and configuration.

Tier – Indicates which Remote Tools tier is enabled for the device (Core or Automox Resolve powered by Splashtop).
Status – Shows whether the Splashtop Streamer is installed and registered.
Actions – One-time operations such as installing or uninstalling the Streamer, ending active sessions (across all features), running a firewall check, or viewing the Splashtop RMM App links.
Settings – Persistent configuration options that control Remote Tools behavior, including end-user consent.

End-User Consent Behavior

End-user consent controls whether a user must approve a session — and what happens if the user does not respond.

Consent applies to Remote Control only. Remote Command and Standalone File Transfer run in the background and are not affected by this setting.

End-user consent is configured per device in the Settings area of the Remote Tools section on Device Details. Only full administrators or custom roles with the Remote Control Consent: Manage permission can modify consent behavior.

Available End-User Consent Options

Required (attended) — The user must approve the session before it begins.
Not required (unattended) — The session starts immediately with no end-user prompt.
Required — if user doesn't respond, deny — If the user does not click Allow within 30 seconds, the session fails.
Required — if user doesn't respond, allow — If the user does not respond within 30 seconds, the session starts automatically.

The default setting is Required (attended).

Remote Control behavior may vary depending on how End-user consent is configured. Administrators can choose between attended, unattended, or timeout-based approval behavior to balance security, compliance, and operational flexibility.

Change Consent Behavior

Open Device Details
Open the Remote Tools section
In Settings, select the desired End-user consent option
Click Save to apply the change

Changes are not applied until Save is clicked.

Bulk updates are available via Devices → Actions → Configure Remote Control.

Using the Remote Session in the Splashtop RMM App

When the session begins, the Splashtop RMM App displays the remote desktop and a navigation bar with session controls.

Splashtop Session Controls (Quick Reference)

Note: You can hover over the icons to identify the control.

Control	Description
Disconnect	Ends the remote session and returns you to the Automox console.
RDP Switch Session (Resolve)	Displays when multiple remote desktop sessions are active on the remote machine. Allows you to toggle between active Windows sessions (for example, different logged-in users).
Switch Monitor	Switch between individual monitors on the remote device. Available on both Core and Resolve. Resolve users can also use "All Monitors (One Window)" to view all monitors simultaneously in a single combined view.
View Settings	Adjusts display options including scaling, quality, and cursor visibility.
Full Screen	Expands the view to fill the administrator's display. Press Escape to exit.
Ctrl+Alt+Del	Sends the Ctrl+Alt+Delete command to the remote Windows device.
Record Session (Resolve)	Records the current remote session.
In-Session File Transfer (Resolve)	Transfers files securely between devices during an active Remote Control session.
Chat (Resolve)	Opens a text chat window for communication with the remote user.
Actions	Screen and input controls.

A complete description of all session controls appears in Automox Remote Tools with Splashtop – Full User Guide .

End a Session

You can end a Remote Control or File Transfer session in either of the following ways:

Select Disconnect in the Splashtop RMM App (Splashtop RMM App).
Close the session window.

For Remote Command sessions, close the shell window or use the Disconnect action.

Concurrent Sessions

Resolve organizations support up to 3 concurrent Remote Tools sessions per device, shared across all features. For example, a device running 1 Remote Control and 1 Remote Command session has 2 of 3 slots occupied.

Clear Session / Disconnect All ends all active Remote Tools sessions on the device (across all features), not just one.

Session tracking caps: To prevent stuck or hung sessions from blocking new ones, Automox automatically removes sessions from its tracking system after fixed caps:

Session Type	Tracking cap
Failed or hanging connection attempts	30 seconds
Successful File Transfer sessions	1 hour
Successful Remote Control and Remote Command sessions	4 hours

These caps apply to Automox's session tracking only — they free up the session slot for new connections and do not forcibly terminate the live Splashtop session.

Managing Updates and Uninstalls

Updates

The Splashtop Streamer and Splashtop RMM App (Splashtop RMM App) are listed in the Automox Third-Party Software Catalog
Both can be updated using standard Automox patch policies Policy type automating OS and third-party patching, or a Canopy configuration that defines which devices get which macOS update, and when.

Uninstall Options

Administrators can uninstall the Splashtop Streamer using any of the following supported methods:

Option 1: Organization-Wide Uninstall

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Select Uninstall Splashtop Streamer
In the confirmation modal, select Organization and confirm
Automox sends a silent uninstall command to all supported devices in the organization

Option 2: Group-Level Uninstall

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Click Uninstall
In the confirmation modal, select Groups, choose one or more groups, and confirm
Automox sends a silent uninstall command to all supported devices in the selected groups

Option 3: Ad Hoc Uninstall from Remote Tools Settings

Navigate to Settings → Remote Tools
Select one or more devices from the device table
Click Actions and select Uninstall Streamer

Option 4: Per-Device Uninstall

Open the Device Details page for the device
Expand the Remote Tools section
Select Uninstall Splashtop Streamer

Option 5: Worklet-Based Uninstall

Use one of the Splashtop Uninstall Worklets found under Software Lifecycle in the Automox Worklet Catalog Respository of pre-built, Automox-verified worklets, available in the Automox Console.
- Windows – Software Lifecycle: Remove Automox Remote Control Application
- macOS – Software Lifecycle: Remove Automox Remote Control Application
The worklet runs silently and requires no end-user interaction

All uninstall methods fully remove the Splashtop Streamer from the device.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Probable Cause	Solution
Remote Tools button is greyed out	Device is offline	Check device connectivity
Remote Tools button is does not appear	Org has Remote Tools disabled, or user lacks permission to any feature	Check Settings → Remote Tools feature availability; verify user role
macOS shows black screen during Remote Control	Permissions not granted	Ask the user to enable Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions
File Transfer cannot read files from a macOS device	Full Disk Access not granted	Ask the user to grant Full Disk Access to the Splashtop Streamer
“Unsupported Agent Version”	Agent older than 2.4.33	Upgrade to the latest Automox Agent
Session won’t close	Splashtop RMM App crashed	Click Clear Session in the Splashtop Status modal — this ends all active Remote Tools sessions on the device
Multiple devices show Failed status	Installation did not complete	Use the device table on Settings → Remote Control to filter by Failed status, select affected devices, and retry installation via the Actions menu

More troubleshooting steps are available in Remote Tools with Splashtop – FAQ and Troubleshooting.

Quick Reference

Category	Detail
Core Features	Remote Control
Resolve Features	Remote Control, Remote Command, Standalone File Transfer
Concurrent sessions	Up to 3 per device, shared across all features (Resolve)
Session tracking caps	30 sec (failed / hanging) · 1 hr (File Transfer) · 4 hr (Remote Control / Remote Command)
In-session file transfer limit	64 GB (Premium only)
Agent version required	2.4.33
Splashtop RMM App platforms	Windows, macOS
Streamer platforms	Windows, macOS
Linux support	Not supported in this release
Default consent mode	Required (attended) — applies to Remote Control only
Remote Command shells	Windows: CMD, PowerShell (4.0+); macOS: Bash, Zsh
Install Scopes	Organization-wide, group-level, ad hoc (device table), per-device
Uninstall Scopes	Organization-wide, group-level, ad hoc (device table), per-device, worklet