Open a remote terminal

The remote terminal opens a command window on the remote computer in its own browser window, without taking over the screen. When your plan includes Terminal history (part of Blink Pro), everything shown in a terminal is recorded as a transcript you can replay later.

Where	Shells	Runs as
Access device (Windows)	PowerShell, Command Prompt	SYSTEM (full control), or Signed-in user (standard rights)
Support session, Windows	PowerShell, Command Prompt	Customer, or an administrator shell once the session is elevated (shown as SYSTEM (session is elevated) or Administrator (elevated))
Support session, Mac	Login shell (the customer’s own shell, zsh on a standard Mac)	Customer

Who can use it

The terminal needs its own permission: Terminal (access) for devices, Terminal (support) for support sessions. These permissions are only granted by a role that names them explicitly. Out of the box, only the Owner role has them; the Admin and Technician starter roles do not. An administrator can add them to a custom role (see Roles and permissions).

Your plan must also include Remote terminal. If it does not, the Terminal button does not appear, and a terminal window opened anyway says The remote terminal is not included in your plan.

Running a support terminal as administrator also needs Run as admin (support) and an elevated session (see Run as administrator). Until the session is elevated, the option is greyed out.

Open a terminal on an Access device

1. In the console, open Access.
2. On the device’s row, select the terminal button to open a terminal with your last choice (PowerShell as SYSTEM the first time). Or select the arrow next to it and choose Open as… to pick.
3. In Open a terminal, choose the Shell and Run as:
   • SYSTEM (full control).
   • Signed-in user (standard rights): runs as the user without elevation, with their registry settings and mapped drives. If several users are signed in, pick the Windows session.
4. Select Open terminal.

The terminal opens in a new browser window. You can also open one from the Terminal button in an Access session’s viewer toolbar, or from the device’s details.

Open a terminal in a support session

1. Confirm the customer’s computer in the viewer first.
2. Select Terminal in the toolbar, or the arrow next to it and Open as….
3. Choose the Shell and Run as: Customer, or the administrator option once the session is elevated. Then select Open terminal.

The customer sees that a command window is open and who opened it, and can close it with Close command windows at any time. See What your customer sees.

Work in the terminal

Copy and paste work like a normal terminal. Select Keys in the terminal’s bar for the full list; see also Keyboard shortcuts.

• Right-click copies the selection, or pastes when nothing is selected.
• Press Esc twice to move focus out of the terminal.
• Ctrl+W, Ctrl+T and Ctrl+N belong to your browser. Leaving the page asks first.
• Screen reader exposes the terminal text to assistive technology.
• End closes the shell and everything it runs.

To get back to a terminal you already opened, use the arrow next to the terminal button: Your open terminals lists them. A device’s details list every open terminal on it, with Close where you are allowed to close it.

Limits

• Up to 3 terminals per device or support session, and 10 per technician.
• A terminal closes after 30 minutes without input. Output does not count; a warning appears 2 minutes before.
• A terminal with no window attached for 2 minutes closes.
• Ending a support session closes its terminals.

Transcripts

When your plan includes Terminal history, every terminal is recorded: the terminal button’s tooltip reads Open a terminal (recorded) and the picker says Everything shown in this terminal is recorded. Without it, the button reads Open a terminal, the terminal still opens, and no transcript is kept. See Understand your plan and its limits.

Transcripts appear in Recordings with a Terminals filter, and in the session player’s Terminals list. See Play and manage recordings.

Deleting a session or its recording keeps its terminal transcripts. Each transcript is deleted on its own. Transcripts made earlier stay available after a plan change.