Ad hoc support in LogMeIn Central: accessing unmanaged computers

The ad hoc support feature provides one-time access to remote Windows PCs that have not been added to your account ("unmanaged" computers with no host software installed).

This guide helps technicians through the process of remotely supporting their customers using the ad hoc support feature.

Tip: To better understand your customer's experience, see Initiate an ad hoc LogMeIn support session as a customer.

Important: You must have an available seat in your account to conduct ad hoc support sessions.

Note: Not available for trial subscriptions.

Ad Hoc Support in a Nutshell

Support provider sets up a new session in LogMeIn Central.
As a result of step 1, an email is sent to the user who is requesting support. It contains a deployment link that carries a pre-defined password.
A temporary host is installed on the user's computer.
The user activates the session using a security code.
24 hours after activation, the session is automatically ended and the temporary host is removed from the user's computer

Important: You can only provide ad hoc support to Windows PCs.

Considerations

Important: Consider the following when using ad hoc support:

Users on a Windows PC must have administrator privileges in order to receive ad hoc support.
The number of concurrent/active ad hoc support sessions is limited to one support session per user profile and five support sessions per company.
While the session is active, the LogMeIn Central user can access the remote computer any number of times via Remote Control, File Manager (former LogMeIn Central Plus or LogMeIn Central Premier subscription or a current LogMeIn Central Base plan is required) or the Dashboard (former LogMeIn Central Plus or LogMeIn Central Premier subscription or a current LogMeIn Central Base plan plus Insight module is required).
The session remains alive when the remote computer goes offline.
Ad hoc support cannot be used with computers already running the host software.

Task one: Set up an ad hoc support session

You can provide ad hoc support to Windows PCs.

Remember: An available seat is required to use the ad hoc support feature.

Start an ad hoc support session

Remember: Only a single ad hoc support session can be active at a time per user profile.

In LogMeIn Central, select Support > Ad Hoc Support.
Enter the email address of the user receiving support.

Step 1
Create a password.
This is the password that you must enter when logging in to the user's computer once the ad hoc support session has been activated.

Step 2

Important: Take note of this password, it will not be shown again.

In Windows, the password is actually linked to a hidden Administrator account called LogMeInRemoteUser. This account is automatically removed when the session ends and the Support Session app is removed.
Select Send email and prepare session.
Result:
The instructions and deployment link are sent to the user.

Guide your customer through setting up their computer

Remember: You can learn more about your customer's experience in the Ad Hoc Support Step-by-Step Connection Guide.

Wait for the user to download and run the Support Session app.
Provide the user with the security code.

Important: Stay on this page and wait while the user's computer is set up for the session. Alternatively, make sure to take note of the security code before navigating to another page. It will not be shown again.
Ask the user to enter the security code when prompted. The security code is required to pair the user's computer with your account.

Tip: Is your user having trouble? See this article for tips: Ad hoc support troubleshooting.

Results:

The session becomes activated once the user has entered the security code and the Support Session app has been set up.

Remember: A session is valid for 24 hours from the time of activation. During this period, the remote computer can be accessed any number of times from the Ad Hoc Support Sessions computer group on the Computers page.

Task two: Conduct an ad hoc support session

Once an ad hoc support session is activated, the remote computer paired with your account can be accessed for 24 hours via Remote Control, File Manager or the Dashboard any number of times from the Ad Hoc Support page.

Remember: An available seat is required to use the ad hoc support feature.

Tip: Active ad hoc support sessions are also displayed on the Computers page under the Ad Hoc Support Sessions computer group.

Select a method to connect to the remote computer.

Option	Description
	Access the remote computer. See Remote Control.
	Transfer files between computers. See File Manager. Remember: A former Plus or Premier subscription, or a current Base module subscription is required to use this feature. You must have the Allow full Remote Control permission enabled to use this feature.
	Manage the remote computer. See Dashboard. Remember: A former Plus or Premier subscription, or a current Base module subscription is required to use this feature.

Enter the password you created in Step 2 as part of the ad hoc support session setup (Step 2).

Tip: Select Initiate Chat with User after login. to immediately start a conversation with the user once connected.

Result:
You are now connected to the remote computer.

Results:

To terminate the session, select End session now on the Ad Hoc Support page in LogMeIn Central.

Note:

Ending a remote connection via the File Manager, Remote Control or the Dashboard does not terminate the support session.
Sessions are active for 24 hours. After this period, the session is automatically terminated and the temporary host is removed from the remote computer. To access the computer again via ad hoc support, you must start a new session.

Tip: Having issues? See Ad hoc support troubleshooting.

Ad hoc support troubleshooting

Information to help you resolve common issues with LogMeIn Central ad hoc support.

Expired session

When starting an ad hoc support session, the customer (end-user) sees the following message:

Support Session Cannot Start. This instance of Support Session has expired. Please tell your support provider about this message.

To troubleshoot, ask the user to select the activation link in the most recent email you sent and then create a new ad hoc support session.

If the problem persists, on the computer to be controlled (the end-user's computer), the registry key for LogMeIn must be deleted at the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Classes > Installer > Products

Important: Exercise caution when modifying the Registry. If you are not familiar with the Windows Registry please contact Customer Support for assistance.

My user reports that the session cannot start due to an invalid security code

User error message: Invalid security code

Possible reason	Solution
The user entered a security code for a previous session or an incorrect one.	Ensure that the user correctly enters the most recent security code.
The user installed a copy of the Support Session app for a previous, yet still unexpired session.	On the Ad Hoc Support page, check the timestamp when the email containing the active deployment link was sent to the user. Ask the user to open the link from this email.

My user reports that the session has expired

User error message: This instance of the Support Session has expired.

Possible reason	Solution
The user selected an old ad hoc support session link.	Ask the user to select the activation link in the most recent email you sent.
More than 24 hours has passed since the session was activated.	Create a new ad hoc support session.
You have manually ended the session by selecting End session now.	Create a new ad hoc support session.

My user reports a Group Policy error

User error message: The Group Policy you are subject to may have prevented the session from starting.

Possible reason	Solution
You have created a password for logging in to the user's computer that does not conform to the requirements of the Group Policy to which the user is subject.	Create a new ad hoc support session with a password that meets the requirements. Tip: The most common restriction applies to password length. Create a password of at least 8 characters.

My user reports that a previous support session has not yet been completely closed

User error message: A previous session has not yet been completely closed.

Possible reason	Solution
The user is attempting to launch an already active session.	Another technician may be in an active support session. Ask the user to check the instructions email to see who initiated the session. Another technician: Until the session is ended, you cannot provide support. Ask the user to contact their support provider. You: The remote computer is accessible via ad hoc support. No further action is required.

Possible reason

Solution

The user is attempting to launch an already active session.

Another technician may be in an active support session. Ask the user to check the instructions email to see who initiated the session.

Another technician: Until the session is ended, you cannot provide support. Ask the user to contact their support provider.
You: The remote computer is accessible via ad hoc support. No further action is required.

My user reports that the host software is installed on the computer

User error message: The host software is installed on this computer.

Possible reason	Solution
The ad hoc support feature is intended for one-time remote access of computers that are not part of your account.	Connect to the computer on the Computers page. If the computer is not in your account, ask the user to turn to the person who installed the host software on their computer (their Master Account Holder).

I cannot launch new ad hoc support sessions

Possible reason	Solution
The maximum number of active support sessions has been reached for your company.	A maximum of five support sessions can be active simultaneously per company. Try again later.
All LogMeIn Central seats are in use.	Free up at least one seat to start a new support session. Important: You may be able to free up seats assigned to active ad hoc sessions by deleting the computer in the Ad Hoc Support Sessions group under the Computers page. However, make absolutely sure that the computer you are deleting is not being actively supported. The Last online/Online since flags are useful indicators for determining session state.

Possible reason

Solution

The maximum number of active support sessions has been reached for your company.

A maximum of five support sessions can be active simultaneously per company. Try again later.

All LogMeIn Central seats are in use.

Free up at least one seat to start a new support session.

Important: You may be able to free up seats assigned to active ad hoc sessions by deleting the computer in the Ad Hoc Support Sessions group under the Computers page. However, make absolutely sure that the computer you are deleting is not being actively supported. The Last online/Online since flags are useful indicators for determining session state.

I can no longer connect to the remote computer

Possible reason	Solution
Computer restart	If you initiated the restart, wait for the computer to come online again.
Connectivity dropout	Try connecting again in a few minutes. If the issue persists, contact the user to investigate.
Computer shutdown or disconnect	The user may have inadvertently disconnected or shut down the computer. Ask the user to check the following: The Support Session app is running and connected. The computer is turned on. The computer is connected to the internet.
Support Session app not running	The user ended the ad hoc support session or closed the app. If the session ended or the app was removed, create a new ad hoc support session.

The remote computer is connected to the Internet, but it is inaccessible via ad hoc support

The Support Session app may be actively blocked by the firewall on the remote computer. Ask the user to allowlist the app in their firewall configuration to be able to provide remote support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common issues related to ad hoc support.

Is Ad Hoc Support available for all levels of LogMeIn Central and what does it cost?

Ad Hoc Support is available for former LogMeIn Central Basic, LogMeIn Central Plus, and LogMeIn Central Premier, and current LogMeIn Central Base plan subscribers at no additional cost to the admin or the end-user.

Can you use Ad Hoc Support if the end-user doesn't have email access?

Yes, you can share the link to initiate the session with end-users via chat or another communication tool if the end-user doesn't have email access.

Does Ad Hoc Support work with the desktop client or just the web browser?

You can only run an Ad Hoc Support session through the web browser version of LogMeIn Central.

If I have used up all my LogMeIn Central hosts, can I still use Ad Hoc Support?

You need at least one unused host in your LogMeIn Central account in order to start an Ad Hoc Support session. Otherwise you will need to free up one host before initiating an Ad Hoc Support session.

Does Ad Hoc Support work with OS X?

An admin on a Mac can initiate an Ad Hoc Support session, however, you cannot download the temporary Ad Hoc Support software on a Mac so you cannot support a Mac user with Ad Hoc Support.

While connected through Ad Hoc Support, can I install the regular client and make the computer a permanent part of my LogMeIn Central account?

No. If you'd like to make the end-user a permanent machine on your LogMeIn Central account, you will need to add that computer to your list and the end-user downloads the regular client software. You also cannot install the permanent host software using the Ad Hoc Support installer.

Do end-users need to have admin privileges?

Yes, the end-user must have admin rights on the computer in order to install the Ad Hoc Support software.

How is Ad Hoc Support different from LogMeIn Rescue?

Though Ad Hoc support and LogMeIn Rescue are similar in that you don't need an existing host installed to remotely access a computer, there are several differences. Ad Hoc only allows one concurrent support session, while LogMeIn Rescue allows multiple sessions. LogMeIn Rescue is intended to support many customers at once and provides a robust feature set to do so, such as a Technician Console, Admin Center, etc. On the other hand, Ad Hoc Support is designed to supplement an IT professional's remote management tool kit with the ability to run one-time support sessions with atypical end-users as needed.

Is there a limit to how many Ad Hoc Support sessions I can run?

There is no limit on the amount of ad hoc support sessions that can be run, but only five (5) sessions can be active at a time. To start a new Ad Hoc Support session after five have been started, one of the previous session must be canceled.

Is screen blanking available during an Ad Hoc Support session?

Yes, you will have access to your remote control features during an Ad Hoc Support session, including screen blanking, file transfer, etc.