Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

How do you view someones pc screen live from another pc?

Jan 1, 2013 3:21PM PST

Hi there,

I have an large excel spreadsheet that I need to go through in detail with a client. The client is in a different state, but the same country.

He needs to be able to view the spreadsheet while I go through and explain all the line items in detail (there are hundreds) and the formulas. We will communicate either via skype or via a phonecall.

Are there any free programs out there that we would both be able to download so he can view my computer screen live while I go through the spreadsheet?

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Jay

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Not exactly as asked
Jan 1, 2013 9:40PM PST
- Collapse -
Answer
Skype
Jan 1, 2013 10:39PM PST

Skype already has this function built in, and according to the website, it's free for a 1:1 conversation. If you need more than one person, you have to pay.

A good fallback option would be VNC. You can just get one of the free no-frills versions and couple that with a phone call. Just make sure to disable or uninstall VNC when you're done, otherwise it's a security hazard, same as any other remote access program.

You do have one final fallback however. Since you're using Excel, everything is laid out in a nice grid, so you can do this purely with a phone call and say "look at cell F52." You don't have to play a game of verbal pictionary: "Do you see something that looks like... It should be on the left part of the screen... No, in the window..."