Clue Tools
My PC Direct

Your own PC, from anywhere.

Free for personal use For Windows No account required
  • A direct, encrypted Remote Desktop and file-sharing channel between your own computers
  • No account, no provider, and nothing in the middle
  • Your own PC is the service, reached with credentials you create

Version 0.57.1  ·  Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit  ·  35.6 MB

Free for personal use — organizational use starts at $19.99 per seat.
No account and no provider — your computers find each other using credentials you create.
My PC Direct connected to the peer network, with one of the owner's other computers listed and ready
Credentials entered, another of your PCs found on the peer network, and a direct link to it ready for Remote Desktop and files.
Direct, PC to PCNo relay server between your computers.
No port forwardingConnects through most routers and firewalls on its own.
Encrypted end to endWith keys that exist only on your own devices.
A sign-up form marked as not needed, and two PCs that find each other with credentials you create
No account

No account. No provider.

There is nothing to register with a company or a provider. Your computers find each other using credentials you create.

How it works

Three steps, and your PCs are connected

No sign-up and no router settings. Install it on each computer you want to reach, and give each one the same credentials.

A user name and password form
1

Create your credentials

Type a user name of your choice, 12 characters or more (an e-mail address works, and is not shared with anyone), and a password of 16 characters or more.

The Save and Connect button, with the PC joined to its peers
2

Save and connect

Click Save and Connect, and the PC joins the network of peers.

Two PCs that have found each other, both marked in green
3

Install on your other PCs

Use the same credentials on each computer. They locate each other and open a direct, encrypted channel, and each one found is shown in green.

Remote Desktop sessions then open on your own computer at localhost with a port chosen at random, and travel through the encrypted channel to the other PC. Shared folders on your connected PCs open in Windows Explorer through the same channel.

What it does

Built for people, not corporations

Free for personal use, with every feature. Your PC already has the internet connection it needs, and no third party is involved.

Two of your PCs connected directly, with no server in between
Peer to peer

Direct PC to PC

True peer-to-peer connectivity. No servers, no intermediaries and no third parties involved in setting up your connection.

A home with your own PC as the service, and no outside provider needed
Self-reliant

Your PC is the service

Self-reliant by design: your own PC provides the service, with no dependency on a company, an outside service or a provider.

An encrypted channel with a key at each end and no one in between able to read it
Privacy

Encrypted and private

End-to-end encryption, designed so that no third party can monitor, intercept or record what passes between your computers.

A small download that runs straight away, without administrator rights and over a VPN
Lightweight

Lightweight and portable

A small download that runs straight away, without administrator rights, and works in most network situations, including over a VPN.

A laptop away from home reaching the home PC, with no port forwarding
Anywhere

Reach home from anywhere

Connect to your home PC over the internet with no port forwarding and no router settings. Modern peer-to-peer techniques take care of it.

A Remote Desktop window and the shared folders of the other PC in Windows Explorer
Files

Files as well as the screen

Remote Desktop to your other PCs, and optional access to their shared folders straight from Windows Explorer — included as well.

No accountPeers find each other using credentials you create on your own PC.
No monitoringPeer-to-peer links only, with no service or company in between.
Runs as a serviceCan run as a Windows service and stay connected in the background.
Your own login still appliesReaching a PC still takes its normal Windows user name and password.
Two PCs connected straight to each other, with the server in the middle crossed out
Security

Nothing in the middle to break into

When a remote-desktop session passes through a company’s servers, that company has the technical means to see it — and so does anyone who breaks into it. My PC Direct removes the middleman: the connection runs straight from one of your PCs to another, encrypted with keys that exist only on your own devices.

There is no server to hack, no employee with access to your sessions, and no data-center staff who could intercept your traffic.

What is not shared

  • Your screen. Remote Desktop sessions travel only between your own computers.
  • Your keystrokes, mouse and clipboard. Sent only to your other PC.
  • Your files. Anything transferred between your PCs stays between them.
  • Your Windows sign-in. Your Windows or Remote Desktop password is not shared.
  • Your My PC Direct credentials. Only a hash of them is used to find your other PCs.
  • Your history. No logs of sessions, connection times or activity.
The difference

Why even a trusted provider is a risk

Trusting the company does not remove the risk built into its design. If a service can reach your session, so can anyone who compromises that service.

 My PC DirectServices that relay through their servers
Where your session goesStraight from one of your PCs to anotherThrough the provider’s servers
Who could see your screenNo one in betweenThe provider, its staff, its data center, and anyone who breaches them
AccountNone — credentials you createAn account with the provider
CostFree for personal use; a one-off license per computer for organizationsSubscription fees for relaying your own connection
If the company changes courseThe peer network carries on — it has no ownerTerms, prices or the service itself can change or end
Attacks on providersA remote-desktop company is a prize target: one breach can expose every customer connection at once.
People with accessA rogue or disgruntled employee with privileged access could watch sessions without the company knowing.
Rented data centersMost providers rent their servers, so the data-center operator’s staff may have access too.
The technical realityWhatever passes through a company’s servers, that company is technically able to reach.

Through a compromised provider, an attacker could capture every keystroke, mouse movement and clipboard, screenshots and recordings, transferred files and print jobs, and whatever is on screen — passwords as you type them, banking, medical records, documents, messages and browsing. With My PC Direct there is no central point where any of it could be captured.

Licensing

Free for personal use.
Licensed for organizations.

Personal use is free. Businesses, government bodies and non-profits buy a license for the number of computers they need, after a free two-week evaluation.

Home and personal

Free

No license key. No account.
  • Remote Desktop to your own PCs
  • Their shared folders, straight from Windows Explorer
  • End-to-end encryption, with no server in the middle
  • No account and no sign-up
Download free for Windows
Business · Government · Non-profit

Organization license

A one-off license per computer.
  • Priced per seat, from $19.99
  • Volume pricing from eleven seats upward
  • An invoice issued with every order
  • License key issued once payment completes
Buy a license →

Free two-week evaluation for organizations.  ·  See license options and prices

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?
For personal use, yes: every feature, including Remote Desktop and access to shared folders, is free. Use by or for an organization (business, government and non-profit) needs a license for each computer after a free two-week evaluation; licenses start at $19.99 per seat. See Licensing.
Why does Windows warn me when I run the installer?
My PC Direct is independent software and its installer is not signed with a code-signing certificate, so Windows SmartScreen or your antivirus may show a warning. This is normal for independent software and does not mean the file is harmful. Click More info, then Run anyway.
How do my PCs find each other without a server?
Through a distributed hash table (DHT): a shared address book spread across thousands of computers worldwide and owned by no one. When your PC connects, it publishes a small encrypted announcement that it is online and where it can be reached. Your other PCs, using the same credentials, look it up and connect directly. Only connection details are published, not your data. BitTorrent relies on the same technology.
Why must the credentials be so long?
They are your private network identifier: only PCs using exactly the same credentials can find each other, and longer credentials are far harder to guess. They open the encrypted channel only. To sign in to the computer itself, you still need its normal Windows user name and password.
Do I need to set up my router?
Usually not. My PC Direct uses NAT traversal to connect through most routers and firewalls automatically, whether you are at home, in an office, in a café or abroad.
Why do sessions show localhost and a port number?
Each Remote Desktop session starts on your own computer at localhost with a port chosen at random (for example localhost:52847). That port forwards through the encrypted channel to the Remote Desktop service of the other PC, so its real Remote Desktop port is not opened to the internet for port scanners to find.
How is the traffic encrypted?
End to end: it is encrypted on one of your PCs and decrypted only on the other. The keys are derived from your credentials and are not sent over the network, so no provider, internet company or eavesdropper has the keys to read your screen, keystrokes or files.
What happens if the company behind it disappears?
The peer network carries on. It is maintained by everyone who uses it, you included, and has no central owner, so reaching your own computers does not depend on anyone’s business decisions.
Free for personal use

Download My PC Direct

One setup file for Windows 10 and 11. Install it on each computer you want to reach, and connect them with the same credentials.

Version 0.57.1  ·  35.6 MB  ·  64-bit  ·  no account required

Operating systemWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit
AccountNone — credentials you create
Router setupNone
Administrator rightsNot required

The installer is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen or your antivirus may show a warning. Click More info, then Run anyway.

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