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DirectDesk
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Changelog

Changes in each DirectDesk version. Get the latest version from the program page.

1.0.1

Latest

Control and picture fixes found by the new tests on real Windows.

Fixes

  • The mouse lands exactly on the pixel you point at. Before, with the picture shown 1:1, a click usually landed one pixel to the left and up, which got in the way with small buttons and window edges.
  • After a UAC prompt or the lock screen closes, the viewer shows the current picture right away, even when nothing on the screen moves. Before, the old picture could stay until the first change.
  • In the Quality profile, lowering the quality on a slow link really makes frames smaller. Level 75 was encoded like 90, so frames grew by about 40% instead of shrinking.

Tests

  • New tests that run on Windows: screen size and DPI scaling, DXGI and GDI capture agreement, the cursor, JPEG encoding, the viewer and the clipboard with Polish letters.
  • A throughput measurement of the tiled picture for typical 1080p screens and a 10-minute session test at 2% packet loss: picture, keys, clipboard and files both ways, with no memory growth.

Known limitations

  • With heavy packet loss (about 2%) the picture may pause for a few seconds while a large file is being sent. Without loss the picture keeps flowing.

1.0.0

First public release: remote desktop, control, files both ways, installation with winget and Scoop.

Connection

  • The ID has 9 digits and looks like a phone number, for example 258-343-583. The “DirectDesk-” prefix is grey text next to the field; you can paste the number with dashes, spaces or the prefix.
  • Direct connection over UDP and, when the network does not allow it, through a relay server (TURN).
  • Every session is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a key agreed with ECDH (P-256).
  • A connection progress window; the session is released when a connection attempt ends.
  • The Exatio signalling server (57.129.182.38) is set as the default right after installation.

Picture

  • Screen capture with DXGI Desktop Duplication, with GDI as a fallback: copying a 1080p frame takes about 6 ms instead of 50 ms.
  • Picture sent as acknowledged 64×64 tiles: only changed parts are sent and lost tiles are resent automatically. The picture is much smoother (up to 30 frames per second), and a still screen uses no bandwidth.
  • Areas that stop changing get a sharper version a moment later.
  • The cursor is drawn into the picture at its natural size.

Control

  • Mouse and keyboard with an accurate cursor position; pointer movement uses a separate fast channel.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Del, the lock screen and UAC prompts handled by a system agent.
  • Keys and buttons are released when focus is lost and on disconnect, so nothing gets stuck.
  • Input diagnostics in the program log.

Files and clipboard

  • Send files and whole folders both ways: from the remote desktop window and from the session panel on the partner's side. Files can also be dragged onto the window.
  • Incoming files folder in the settings, Downloads\DirectDesk by default.
  • Files have their own stream: large files (tested with 500 MB) do not stall the picture or control. Transfers can be cancelled.
  • Shared text clipboard.

Interface

  • Main window colours based on the DirectDesk mark; new program icon and installer artwork.
  • Recent sessions with custom names, and this computer's name shown to the partner.

Installation and license

  • Installer with the system service, a Windows Firewall rule and a .NET 8 Desktop Runtime check. Silent installs never stop on a dialog.
  • Install with winget (Exatio source) and Scoop (portable version with .NET built in).
  • GNU GPL v3 license, Copyright © 2026 Exatio.

Known limitations

  • The program interface is in Polish only.
  • Files are not digitally signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may show a warning.
  • The picture is encoded as JPEG only; H.264, H.265 and AV1 are planned.
  • An interrupted file transfer is not resumed after reconnecting.
  • The portable version (Scoop) does not support Ctrl+Alt+Del or UAC prompts on the shared computer.