CrossDesk puts a remote desktop in the browser, and a lock screen agent on Windows

The host is the install; the browser is the client you can hand out

Most remote desktop tools make you install something on both ends. CrossDesk splits that cost. The host side is a desktop application for Windows, macOS or Linux, and the controller can be a second desktop install, the page at web.crossdesk.cn, the native iOS app in apps/ios, or the Android project in apps/android. A controller with only a browser can connect using the host's 9 digit device ID and its current connection password.

The desktop window concentrates the credentials in one place. Under the local desktop section (本桌面) it shows the machine ID and the connection password once the client reports that it is connected to the server.

Install means picking the artifact for your CPU architecture from the project's download page. The stated baselines are Windows 10 on x64, macOS 14.0 or later for both Intel and Apple Silicon, and Ubuntu 20.04 or later on amd64 or arm64 with a glibc 2.31 baseline. On Linux, pick the ordinary `crossdesk-linux-…deb` for a machine that already has a desktop, or `crossdesk-virtual-desktop-xfce-…deb` for a server that needs its own Xfce desktop; install only one of the two. macOS ships a .pkg for x64 or arm64, and on first run you are prompted to grant Screen Recording, used for desktop capture, and Accessibility, used for remote keyboard and mouse input.

Everything runs on the author's own MiniRTC, not on an SFU

CrossDesk sits on MiniRTC, a separate C++ project by the same author. That single choice explains most of the architecture. A session tries a direct peer to peer link, and if the two machines cannot reach each other, it falls back to a TURN relay.

The media path is SRTP encrypted, and the session toolbar includes a network status view.

The desktop settings cover encoding, with H.264 or AV1 and hardware encoding and decoding, and the README notes that the available capabilities vary by platform and device.

Turning quality and 30 or 60 fps up mid session is a push to the host

The README lists in-session adjustment of picture quality and frame rate, and says the available capabilities vary by platform and device.

The README lists multi-display switching, keyboard, mouse and key combinations, remote sound, plain text clipboard sync, file transfer and a privacy screen as session features.

Unattended Windows reaches the login screen with SYSTEM and no stored password

The README lists remote control of Windows before sign-in (Windows 登录前远控) among its deployment features, next to headless operation on Linux, and points to the user guide in docs/USER_GUIDE.md for detailed usage.

The unattended agent has no sound, no files and no clipboard

Phones control the desktop; the desktop does not become a phone target

The iOS app in apps/ios is a controller only. The README states plainly that it controls a remote computer and does not offer the iPhone or iPad as a controlled desktop. It requires iOS 16.0 or later, and the release package is an unsigned app that you must sign yourself, or you build and install it with Xcode.

The Android client is also control only, targets Android 8.0 and later on arm64, and is installed from a signed APK or built yourself.

Where CrossDesk differs from RustDesk, AnyDesk and BilldDesk

RustDesk is the obvious comparison because both are open source remote desktop tools with a self hosted path. The difference is where the media stack lives. CrossDesk delegates the transport to MiniRTC, a separate repository by the same author, and pairs it with a hosted web client at web.crossdesk.cn that needs no native controller at all. If you are deciding on a relay you have to run and keep patched, that second dependency is a real line item.

AnyDesk and ToDesk are the commercial comparison, and the gap is not architectural. GitHub reports no recognised licence for CrossDesk (NOASSERTION), so read the LICENSE file before linking it into a product you distribute. The repository also ships PRIVACY.md and self hosting options in the desktop settings.

Self hosting is supported, and the repository carries a docker/ directory. Linux hosts can use an existing desktop or, on servers, a separate package that brings its own Xfce desktop.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt CrossDesk when the controller is a browser or a phone and the host is a personal Windows or Linux box you can hand a password to. Do not adopt it if you need a phone or tablet to be the controlled device, because the iOS, Android and HarmonyOS mobile clients are control only. Before switching, test one real session with the toolbar's network status view, and check that quality and frame rate adjustments behave on your hardware, since the README says capabilities vary by platform and device.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. kunkundi/crossdesk on GitHub
2. License: GPL-3.0
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases