Mac Screen Sharing
AnyDesk on macOS Ventura
Somebody wants to look at your screen. That is two checkboxes and about two minutes.
Seeing and controlling are two separate permissions on a Mac. Grant only the first and you will be seen, but the pointer will not move.
How can somebody see my screen?
Start sharing in AnyDesk and stop again straight away. That sounds roundabout, but it is the trick: macOS only lists an application after it has asked once. Before that you will look for it in vain.
Open the Apple menu at the top left and choose System Settings . Faster: press Command+Space and type " System Settings ".
Go to Screen Recording .
Lets the application read what is on the screen — which is what the others then see.
System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen RecordingOpen Settings nowOpens System Settings directly at the right place. If nothing happens, the path beside it gets you there just as well.
Find AnyDesk in the list. If it is not there at all, the + below the list is the way in.
Turn on the switch next to AnyDesk .
tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.philandro.anydeskOpen AnyDesk and read the helper the nine-digit address shown at the top of the window. When they connect you have to accept the request in the window that appears.
Now really quit AnyDesk — Command+Q, not just closing the window — and start it again. macOS does not apply a freshly granted permission to a running application, and this is exactly where most people get stuck: everything is set correctly and it still does not work.
How can somebody remote-control my Mac?
Everything in the section above still applies. Only this is added:
Go to Accessibility .
Lets the application move the mouse and type. Without it somebody can watch, but touch nothing.
System Settings > Privacy & Security > AccessibilityOpen Settings nowOpens System Settings directly at the right place. If nothing happens, the path beside it gets you there just as well.
Find AnyDesk in the list. If it is not there at all, the + below the list is the way in.
Turn on the switch next to AnyDesk .
tccutil reset Accessibility com.philandro.anydeskThis list only exists from macOS 15 onwards. Before that macOS asks directly on the first connection attempt instead of keeping a list.
Go to Full Disk Access .
Lets the application reach every file. Needed only for file transfer — not for showing or controlling.
System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk AccessOpen Settings nowOpens System Settings directly at the right place. If nothing happens, the path beside it gets you there just as well.
Find AnyDesk in the list. If it is not there at all, the + below the list is the way in.
Turn on the switch next to AnyDesk .
tccutil reset SystemPolicyAllFiles com.philandro.anydesk
When it does not work
How to tell which permission is missing — the symptoms resemble each other, the causes do not.
- Screen recording
- The helper connects but sees a black window, or only the pointer.
- Accessibility
- The helper sees everything but can click nothing — the pointer stays put.
- Local network
- A connection on the local network fails while one over the internet works. Only when: From macOS 15 onwards, and only when the helper is on the same network.
- Full disk access
- Files cannot be transferred; picture and control work normally. Only when: Only for file transfer. Not needed for showing or controlling — and anybody who only wants help on screen should not grant it.