GuidedView vs Microsoft Quick Assist: free Windows help or phone screen sharing

At a glance

What is Microsoft Quick Assist?

Microsoft Quick Assist is a free app built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 that lets one person help another over a remote connection. The helper selects Help someone, signs in with a Microsoft account or Microsoft Entra ID, and gets a time-limited security code to share over the phone or by message. The person being helped enters the code and selects Allow, and the helper can view the screen, make annotations, or request full control, which the sharer must approve separately. The sharer does not need an account. Microsoft says no logs are created on either device, and there is no session recording. A macOS version exists only for interactions with Microsoft Support, and there is no iPhone or Android version. For organizations working within a single Microsoft Entra tenant, Microsoft suggests its Intune Remote Help instead. Quick Assist is best for free, occasional help between Windows PCs.

Can Quick Assist help with an iPhone or Android phone?

No. Microsoft's documentation covers Quick Assist on Windows, plus a macOS version available only during Microsoft Support interactions. There is no iPhone or Android version, so a helper cannot see a phone's screen with it.

GuidedView covers phones and computers with one flow. You send an invitation by text or email while you are on the call. On iPhone or Android, the link opens the free GuidedView app; on a computer it opens in a supported desktop browser with no download. The customer confirms they are on a call with you, approves sharing, and you watch live from a browser on your own phone or computer. Step-by-step customer instructions are in how to share an Android screen with support.

What does each side need to get started?

On Windows 10, Quick Assist relies on the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. Microsoft says the Store app installs it automatically if it is missing, though in some cases it has to be installed separately. On Windows 11 it is built in.

Is Quick Assist built for customer support teams?

Quick Assist is built for ad hoc help. Microsoft's IT documentation recommends that organizations using Quick Assist within a single Microsoft Entra tenant consider Intune Remote Help, which adds role-based access control, conditional access, and session logging and auditing. Quick Assist itself has no admin console, no recording and no unattended access.

GuidedView is built for businesses that help their own customers over the phone. The agent sends an invitation to the customer's cell phone number or email address from the portal, and the invitation asks the customer to share only if they are on a call with the sender right now. Each link works once, only the sender can view the session, and sessions are never recorded. If your team supports customers rather than employees on a shared Microsoft tenant, that model fits better. See how GuidedView works.

Which should you choose?

Quick Assist is excellent value for Windows help because it costs nothing and is already there. GuidedView fills the gap Quick Assist leaves: phones, and customer-facing support built around a phone call.

Can a help desk use Quick Assist and GuidedView together?

Yes. A help desk that supports Windows users can keep Quick Assist for PC problems that need hands-on control and use GuidedView when the caller's problem is on an iPhone or Android phone. The technician stays on the same phone call either way, and the GuidedView invitation arrives as a text or email while you talk. See GuidedView for IT help desks, or sign up and send your first invitation.