PING!
Run the agent
Start Helm on your PC. It announces itself on your home network.
↳ _helm._tcp · mDNSSheet 01 · CoverIssue #1 · The Remote
#1HELM · FREE · NO ACCOUNT
Your PC, drawn into your phone.
Meanwhile, across the room… the PC waits.Control your Windows PC or laptop from your Android phone. Helm turns the phone into a dock, touchpad and keyboard, live screen, Stream Deck-style button deck and media remote. Encrypted end to end. No accounts. Free.
ProjectHelm
Sheet01 / 07
Rev1.0
Drawnclean-room
PriceFree
Port47820
FIG. 1 · GENERAL ARRANGEMENTI'm not getting up.TAP!
Sheet 02 · How it works4 panels · once
The setup is one scan long.
Run the agent on your PC, open the app on your phone, scan the QR. After that the two recognise each other for good — even after a reboot.
BEEP!
Scan the QR
The QR holds the PC’s certificate fingerprint and a one-time token.
↳ token valid 5 minCLICK!
Locked together
The phone trusts only that certificate and signs in with its own key.
↳ TLS 1.3 · pinnedTAP!
Take the helm
Apps, input, screen, media, files and buttons — on your phone.
↳ home · USB · relayRevisionslatest first
What's new.
Update from Settings → Check for updates in either app, or download again below.
REV 0.5.0latest
Helm 0.5.0
- Smooth flick scrolling, scroll speed and direction
- Long press and drag to select text in Swipe mode
- Quick keys: Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, Alt+Tab, Win, Esc
- Data saver on mobile data and the relay
- Signal and latency on the status line
- Home-screen widget: lock, sleep, shut down
- Stays reachable after Windows restarts
REV 0.4.2
Helm 0.4.2
- Swipe mode: tap to click, swipe to scroll
REV 0.4.1
Helm 0.4.1
- Faster, more reliable same Wi-Fi connect
REV 0.4.0
Helm 0.4.0
- Phone as a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard
- Control your phone from the PC
Sheet 03 · Parts list30 parts in the box
Everything your PC can do, itemised.
Nine assemblies, built and tested phase by phase. Not a wish list.
PART 01×5
Connection
- Auto-discovery + QR pairing
- TLS 1.3, pinned
- USB, Tailscale, relay
- Reachable after restart
- Signal + latency
PART 02×3
Launcher & dock
- Pin Win32 + Store apps
- Focus, minimise, close
- Profiles per app
PART 03×3
Input
- Touchpad with gestures
- Keyboard on text focus
- Air mouse, pen pressure
PART 04×4
Live screen
- Hardware H.264, 1080p60
- Swipe, touch or trackpad
- Data saver on mobile data
- Quick keys, PC audio
PART 05×3
Media & power
- Now playing + seek
- Per-app volume mixer
- Shutdown timer
PART 06×3
Monitor
- CPU, GPU, RAM, temps
- Task manager
- Alerts, terminal
PART 07×3
Phone ↔ PC
- Files both ways
- Clipboard sync
- Notifications on PC
PART 08×3
Deck & automation
- Macros + toggles
- Live widgets
- Plugins, triggers, Home Assistant
PART 09×3
Native on Android
- Power widget + tiles
- Bluetooth mouse mode
- Control the phone from the PC
Sheet 04 · Live screentotal 38 ms
FIG. 4 · 20:40, ON THE COUCHZOOM!Pause… there.
Your desktop, live, in your hand.
See your PC screen on your phone and control it. The PC captures its screen, the GPU encodes it, the phone decodes it in hardware. Tap exactly where you see, or use it as a trackpad.
50ms target, 5 GHz Wi-Fi
60fps at 1080p
20ms Opus audio frames
Sheet 05 · Deck & files11:30 → 14:15
FIG. 5 · 11:30, ON A CALLMuted.CLICK!
A button for everything you repeat.
Use your Android phone as a Stream Deck: build a grid of buttons that press hotkeys, type text, launch apps, run scripts, switch OBS scenes or dim the lights. Chain them into macros.
- 1Toggle buttons that show the real state — is the mic really muted?
- 2Live widgets: CPU, clock, what's playing.
- 3Remotes for PowerPoint, VLC, Spotify, OBS, Discord.
- 4Triggers, sandboxed WASM plugins, Home Assistant.
FIG. 6 · 14:15, BETWEEN ROOMSWHOOSH!
The photo is already on the PC.
Send files from Android to your PC without a cable: Share → Send to PC from any app. Files land in Downloads, checked byte for byte. Copied text and images sync between the two.
- 1Files both ways from the share sheet.
- 2Clipboard sync for text and images.
- 3Browse the PC's drives from the phone.
Sheet 06 · Security, exploded viewNo accounts
FIG. 7 · THE VILLAIN DOESN'T GET INCan I have your password?NOPE!
Only your phone holds the key.
Remote control is a big permission. Helm treats it like one: no accounts, no cloud login, no plaintext anywhere.
- 1Paired by QR with a 5-minute one-time token.
- 2TLS 1.3, pinned to the exact certificate you scanned.
- 3Each phone's key lives in Android Keystore; the PC's is protected by DPAPI.
- 4Viewer / Remote / Admin tiers. Power and terminal need your fingerprint.
- 5An audit log on the PC. The relay only ever sees ciphertext.
Sheet 07 · Back issuesphase by phase
Every issue shipped only when it passed its gate.
Each phase was built, tested end to end on a real phone and a real PC, then released.
Foundations
shippedPairing, pinned TLS, trusted devices
Daily driver
shippedDock, touchpad, media, deck, files
See the screen
shippedLive H.264, audio, remote desktop
Power user
shippedMonitor, macros, tiers, file browser
Anywhere
shippedRelay, PC switcher, air mouse
Advanced
shippedTerminal, pen, plugins, Home Assistant
Everywhere
shippedBluetooth mode, phone control, swipe, widget
Next issue
soonSecond monitor, webcam, gamepad
The end…of walking to your PC
Approved
Free
take it
Free
take it
Take the helm. Three steps, once.
- STEP 1Install Helm on your Windows 10 or 11 PC.
- STEP 2Install the Helm app on Android 8.0 or newer.
- STEP 3Scan the QR. Allow Helm on Private networks.
Letters page · Readers ask14 letters
Questions about controlling your PC from your phone.
Short answers to what people ask before they install Helm. More in the FAQ & troubleshooting docs.
What is Helm?
Helm is a free app that lets you control your whole Windows PC from your Android phone. The phone becomes a launcher dock, touchpad and keyboard, live screen, media and power remote, file and clipboard bridge, system monitor and Stream Deck-style button grid for the PC.
Is Helm free?
Yes. Helm is free to download and use on both the PC and the phone, and it needs no account.
Is it safe to let my phone control my PC?
Helm treats remote control as a big permission. You pair once by scanning a QR code that holds a one-time token valid for 5 minutes. Every connection is TLS 1.3, pinned to the exact certificate you scanned. Each phone keeps its own key in Android Keystore and the PC’s key is protected by Windows DPAPI. Phones get Viewer, Remote or Admin access; power and terminal actions need your fingerprint and are written to an audit log on the PC.
Does Helm send my data to the cloud?
No. There are no accounts and no cloud login. Traffic goes only between your phone and your PC, or through a relay you deploy yourself, which only ever sees ciphertext.
Which PCs and phones does Helm work on?
A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC and an Android phone running Android 8.0 or newer. Both need to be on the same network for the first pairing. Helm is not available for iPhone or Mac yet.
How do I set up Helm?
Install Helm on the PC with the Windows installer or the one-line PowerShell install, install the Helm APK on your phone, then tap Pair with QR and scan the code in the Helm window. Allow Helm on Private networks when Windows asks. After that the phone reconnects on its own, even after a reboot.
Can I use my phone as a mouse and keyboard for my PC?
Yes. The touchpad supports tap to click, two-finger scroll and right-click, pinch to zoom and drag lock. The phone keyboard opens by itself when a text box gets focus on the PC, with Ctrl, Alt, Win, Esc, Tab, F1–F12 and arrow keys. You can also tilt the phone as an air mouse or use it as a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
Can I see my PC screen on my phone?
Yes. The PC encodes its screen with the GPU’s H.264 encoder and the phone decodes it in hardware, at up to 1080p and 60 fps, built for under 50 ms on 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Tap exactly where you see, use it as a trackpad, and hear the PC’s audio on the phone.
Does Helm work away from home Wi-Fi?
Yes. Helm works over USB tethering, over Tailscale, or through a relay you deploy yourself as a small Cloudflare Worker. The encrypted phone-to-PC session runs inside the relay tunnel, so the relay sees only ciphertext. Pairing never happens over the relay.
Can I control my laptop from my phone?
Yes, if the laptop runs Windows 10 or 11 and the phone runs Android 8.0 or newer. Helm treats a laptop like any other PC: the phone becomes its touchpad, keyboard, media remote and live screen, and it can change the laptop panel’s brightness.
Can I shut down or turn on my PC from my phone?
Yes. Helm can lock, sleep, hibernate, restart, shut down or sign out the PC, each with a confirmation, and set a shutdown timer. A home-screen widget puts lock, sleep and shut down one tap away. To turn a sleeping PC on, the phone sends a Wake-on-LAN packet.
Can I use my Android phone as a Stream Deck?
Yes. Helm’s Deck is a Stream Deck-style button grid on your phone: buttons press hotkeys, type text, launch apps, run scripts, switch OBS scenes, control Spotify or call Home Assistant, and chain into macros. Toggle buttons show the real state and buttons can show live widgets. It is free and needs no extra hardware.
How do I send files from my Android phone to my PC without a cable?
Install Helm, then use Share → Send to PC from any Android app. Files, photos, text and links go over your own network, land in DownloadsHelm on the PC and are checked with SHA-256. You can also browse the PC’s drives from the phone and sync the clipboard.
How is Helm different from KDE Connect or Unified Remote?
Helm was inspired by tools like KDE Connect, Unified Remote, WinDock and Macro Deck, and combines what they do in one native, encrypted app for Windows and Android: a launcher dock, a Stream Deck-style button grid, touchpad and keyboard, a low-latency live screen, file and clipboard sharing and a system monitor. It is written from scratch, has no AI features and needs no account.