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Quick Connect for On-Demand Remote Access

Topic

This article explains how to use Quick Connect, a feature add-on for NinjaOne Remote designed for ad hoc support and rapid deployment.

Environment

NinjaOne Remote

Description

NinjaOne Quick Connect is a remote access tool designed for ad hoc support and rapid deployment. Unlike NinjaOne Remote, which works with devices already integrated into the NinjaRMM platform, Quick Connect allows immediate, one-time access to devices without pre-installed agents, making it ideal for new client onboarding, emergency support, and managing devices not regularly monitored in the RMM system. Quick Connect streamlines the remote connection process for rapid problem resolution or RMM deployment in many contexts.

Quick Connect allows you perform the following actions:

  • Create invitations for specific recipients and manage the expiration of these invitations.
  • Launch remote sessions on a device.
  • Deploy the NinjaOne RMM agent to devices.

Select a category below to learn more.

How Quick Connect Works

Quick Connect, also known as Share My Screen in the N1 Assist app, is a form of remote access that allows technicians to connect to unmanaged devices through a secure connection, which installs the NinjaOne Remote agent on the unmanaged device.  

Quick Connect enables agent deployment by providing a unique link, access code, or email. You can configure the invitation to expire or override access confirmation. Once deleted from Quick Connect, the agent should uninstall itself. 

Activate Quick Connect

You must activate Quick Connect in NinjaOne before you can use it.

  1. In NinjaOne, navigate to AdministrationAppsInstalled and select NinjaOne Remote.
  2. Open the Quick Connect tab and click Enable. Then, click Enable again in the confirmation window. 
QuickConnect_Nav.png
Figure 1: Administration → Apps → Installed  → NinjaOne Remote  → Enable (click to enlarge)

After activation, the Quick Connect tool will appear in NinjaOne. For more information, refer to the Quick Connect Dashboard section of this article. 

QuickConnect_NavItem.png
Figure 2: Quick Connect in the NinjaOne menu (click to enlarge) 

Connect to a Device with Quick Connect

In NinjaOne, click Quick Connect, then click Create invitation.
QuickConnect_Dashboard2.png
Figure 3: Quick Connect → Create Invitation (click to enlarge)
  1. The Create invitation window will open. Enter the following information, then click Create
FieldExplanation
NameGive the connection a descriptive name.
DescriptionAdd an optional description for the connection.
Organization (optional)Use the drop-down menu to select the organization that owns the device.
ExpiresUse the drop down menu to specify the connection duration.
Ask for coonfirmation before connectingActivate this toggle to require permission from the end user to launch the session. 
QuickConnect_CreateInvitationWindow.png
Figure 4: The Create invitation window (click to enlarge)

The Quick Connect dashboard opens with the Devices tab displayed by default. The Invitations tab allows you to manage devices that have requested to be added, edited, or removed, and the Activities tab shows event details for connected devices. 

In addition to deploying the agent or launching a remote session from the Devices tab, you can also view the Agent Deployed status of all devices invited to the Quick Connect dashboard: 

Deployment StatusDescription
UnavailableThe device is already being managed by NinjaOne under another division. 
DeployedNinjaOne agent has been successfully installed.
Agent Already InstalledThe device is already managed by an organization in your division. 
FailedUnable to install NinjaOne agent. Failures will display the cause when you hover your mouse pointer over the status. Click the device row to view detail. You can delete the device or attempt to deploy the agent again.
PendingThe NinjaOne agent is being installed. 
QuickConnectFailed.png
Figure 5: Agent deployed column (click to enlarge)
If no one is logged in to the device, NinjaOne displays the last logged-in user or no username. If the logged-in user is on a domain, the Logged in User column is displayed as "domainuser."

Add Devices to Quick Connect

To add the Quick Connect launcher on the target device:

  1. In NinjaOne, click Quick Connect, then select Create Invitation.
qc create invitation.png
Figure 6: Create invitation (click to enlarge)
  1. Give your invitation a title and optional description. Update the remaining fields according to the table below. When all fields are configured, click Create.

    FieldPurpose
    Organization (optional)Select the organization that owns the devices with which you want to launch a session. 
    Expires Determine when the invitation expires. If you select Custom, you can enter a specific calendar date into a new field. If you select On use, the invitation will become invalid once the remote session begins.
    Once an invitation expires, a new session cannot be started until a new invitation is sent out.
    Ask Confirmation (optional)Request permission from the end user to launch the session. 
    Allow after timeoutThis toggle only displays if you activate the Ask Confirmation toggle. When activated, the system will grant remote access if the end user does not respond within the timeout threshold as specified in the Confirmation timeout field. 
    Confirmation timeoutThis drop-down only displays if you activate the Allow after timeout toggle switch. Select an amount of time to pass before enabling access without the end user's confirmation.
  2. The Quick Connect window will update to provide the invitation code and URL, which you can share with the customer or client device to initiate the session. You can copy these or use the text field to send the invitation to one or more email addresses (separated by commas). Click Send invitation to send via email. These invitations enable remote connections for mobile devices when the user activates the link from their device's mail app. 
qc create invitation_details.png
Figure 7: Invitation configuration modal (click to enlarge)

 You can view the created invitations in the Quick Connect dashboard's Invitations tab. From this tab, you can edit, expire, or send the invitation to additional recipients.

qc invitations.png
Figure 8: Invitations dashboard tab (click to enlarge)

Remove an Invitation

You can expire an invitation by editing it or editing the deployment settings on the device. 

 Expiring an invitation is permanent.
  1. In Quick Connect, navigate to the Invitations tab.
  2. Select the checkboxes next to the invitations, then click Expire. Alternatively, you can click the invitation name and click the Expire invitation button.
qc create invitation_expire.png
Figure 9:  Expire invitation (click to enlarge)

Any devices previously connected using the currently expired invitation will remain connected; NinjaOne will not remove devices. To delete a device from the devices list, you must enter both the email and ODP code.

Edit an Invitation

Currently, you can only edit the name and description of an invitation.

  1. Navigate to the Invitations tab within Quick Connect.
  2. Click the name of the invitation. The Invitation manager window displays.
  3. Click Edit. In the editor, you can adjust the name and description.
  4. After making your edits, click Save.                        

Launch a Remote Session

Follow these instructions to launch a remote session through Quick Connect. 

Special Considerations

  • Depending on your security setup, you may need to prompt your browser to trust the file.
  • If devices are not present in the Devices tab, you must first create an invitation, send the link to the target device (for example, as an email), and then install the Quick Connect launcher.
  • You cannot connect to a device unless it is online.
  • The installation of Quick Connect does not require administrator rights, allowing end users to access the software.
  • If the technician has access permission for NinjaOne Remote and Quick Connect set to Allowed, but does not have access permission to create a new device, they will not be able to deploy the NinjaRMM agent to a Quick Connect device.

Procedure

  1. Once the recipient has opened the link from the invitation, the system prompts the target device to confirm the remote session. Click Connect to proceed. The target system will download the Quick Connect software installer.
  2. Access your downloads and open the file. When installing the Quick Connect software, your OS security features may alert you. In this example of a Windows device, select Run Anyway.   
qc downloads folder.png
Figure 10: Windows OS Downloads folder (click to enlarge)
  1. Once the software installation is complete, select the device and then click Connect to remotely access it from the Devices tab.
qc device connect.png
Figure 11: Connecting from the Devices tab (click to enlarge)

Connect As

The Connect As option allows technicians to select and connect to a device using administrator credentials, which unlocks additional tools for technicians to assist customers.

Quick Connect now supports domain-level Entra ID (Azure Active Directory) Admins. This means Quick Connect users with Microsoft Entra ID domain-based accounts can now use the Connect As feature, unlocking additional tools to best assist remote customers.

Select a device, click Connect → Connect As, then enter credentials with administrator access to unlock additional tools to assist your customers.

You can select existing or one-time credentials. One-time credentials require knowledge of the administrative username and password.

connect as.png
Figure 12: The Connect as window (click to enlarge)

Connect with the NinjaOne Assist App

The NinjaOne Assist mobile application now supports screen sharing using Quick Connect. The technician must create an invitation on the Web app and share it with the end user, who will enter the code on their device after tapping Share My Screen within the mobile app.

app share screen.png
Figure 13: The NinjaOne Assist app (click to enlarge)

The Quick Connect section of the NinjaOne web app will update the list of devices to include the mobile device, where technicians can connect or deploy the NinjaOne agent. After the technician connects, the end user will start the broadcast and confirm their agreement to share content. 

To avoid errors when connecting to Quick Connect via NinjaOne Assist, select the correct region and instance before establishing the connection. To do this, click the drop-down in the mobile app on the login screen (in the screenshot above, this appears as "Ninja RMM US"). 

Deploy the RMM Agent

You can use Quick Connect to deploy the NinjaOne RMM agent to devices. 

  1. From the Quick Connect Devices tab, click the device to which you want to deploy the agent, then click Deploy RMM Agent.
qc deploy as rmm agent.png
Figure 14: Deploy RMM agent (click to enlarge)
  1. The Deploy RMM agent window will open. Decide which organization and location to assign to the device and any optional credentials. If you want to use credentials but they are not listed in the drop-down menu, click Add Credential. You'll also have the option to uninstall the Quick Connect software. Once you've selected the deployment settings, click Deploy
qc deploy as rmm agent_modal.png
Figure 15: Deploy RMM agent  configuration modal (click to enlarge)

A notification will appear on the NinjaOne UI alerting that the deployment has begun, and the Agent deployed status column will update in the Quick Connect Devices tab.

View Quick Connect Activities

In the Activities tab in Quick Connect is a log of invitation creation/deletion, agent deployments, and other Quick Connect events. The activities can be filtered by Organization, Device, Custom Filter, or Date Range.

qc activities.png
Figure 16: NinjaOne → Quick Connect dashboard → Activities

Details provided in activities include the target of the remote session, the type of activity, a description of the activity, the associated user, and the date and time of the activity. 

Additional Resources

Remote Access: Resource Catalog

FAQ

Next Steps