zDesk
Remote desktop in a browser, for Windows' and macOS's own remote desktop servers, and for Linux through wlshare.
zDesk is a small gateway you run next to your machines. It connects to:
- Windows 10 and 11's own Remote Desktop, over RDP with its modern graphics pipeline.
- macOS's built-in Screen Sharing, in both of its modes: Standard and High Performance.
- Linux, through wlshare, our own VNC server for wlroots compositors.
- Other RDP and VNC servers, through each protocol's baseline.
Windows and macOS need nothing installed on the host, only their own sharing switched on. The gateway serves one web page that shows the desktop, so anything with a browser, on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS or Android, reaches every one of them with no client to install either.
browser ── HTTPS or localhost ── zDesk ── RDP / VNC ── your desktopsThe display follows the browser window at its screen density, so a Retina or HiDPI display is sharp and shown at its true size. The remote's own picture is decoded in the browser where the host provides one, with sound, clipboard, two displays in two tabs, and a touch-screen interface for phones and tablets.
Demo
Windows → Mac with one remote virtual display
Windows → Mac with two remote virtual displays
Two remote virtual displays shown in separate browser tabs, with a window dragged across displays right between the two tabs.
iOS → Windows
Safari on iOS connected to Windows' own Remote Desktop, scrolling horizontally with a two-finger swipe left or right.
iOS → Mac
Safari on iOS connected to a Mac's High Performance Screen Sharing, scrolling horizontally, with the network throughput meter shown.
Mac → Windows at Retina/HiDPI density with audio
Windows' own Remote Desktop shown at the Mac's Retina/HiDPI density, with the remote's sound playing in the browser.
Mac → Linux (wlshare on Sway) at Retina/HiDPI density with audio
wlshare on Sway shown at the Mac's Retina/HiDPI density, with the remote's sound, and the remote desktop resizing to follow the browser into and out of immersive full screen.
Quick start
Install the package for your platform from the latest release. On Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04 and later:
curl -fsSLO https://github.com/andrewtheguy/zdesk/releases/latest/download/zdesk-linux-amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./zdesk-linux-amd64.debInstalling zDesk covers every platform, and Using zDesk the browser client and setting up Windows, Mac, wlshare and VNC targets.