AnyDesk Latency: Why It’s Slow and How to Fix It
- HelpWire
- →
- Blog
- →
- AnyDesk not working
- →
- AnyDesk Lag Fix
AnyDesk latency is often not caused by download speed alone. In many cases, the issue comes from routing, display settings, packet loss, or rendering overhead. The software is built around a proprietary codec and a relay network, and when those are misconfigured or working against your setup, sessions slow down regardless of how fast your connection is. This article covers six fixes, ordered from most commonly overlooked to most platform-specific.
Why AnyDesk Gets Slow
AnyDesk uses its own video codec, DeskRT, to compress screen data in real time. When something is misconfigured, the problem falls into one of three categories.
- • Routing. AnyDesk tries to establish a direct peer-to-peer connection first. If that fails, the session routes through AnyDesk’s relay network, adding round-trip distance for every frame and input event. On a LAN where both machines are in the same building, a relay session can feel slower than a standard internet connection. This is one of the most common and most overlooked causes of lag.
- • Display settings. The Quality setting controls how much data DeskRT sends per frame. At Best Quality it sends more data than most connections handle without introducing latency. Best Performance cuts that load and prioritises response speed.
- • Hardware rendering. On Windows, AnyDesk defaults to Direct3D, which works best in exclusive fullscreen with the GPU dedicated to AnyDesk. In windowed mode or on multi-monitor setups it can be less stable. DirectDraw handles those configurations more reliably.
Why Is AnyDesk So Slow? Match Your Symptom to the Fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slow even on LAN | Relay instead of direct connection | Check LAN icon / enable direct connections in Settings > Connections |
| Lag on multi-monitor setup | Direct3D renderer behavior | Switch to DirectDraw in Settings > Display > Hardware Acceleration |
| Choppy after macOS update | Permissions need re-approval | Refresh Screen Recording and Accessibility in System Settings > Privacy and Security |
| Slow only on Wi-Fi | Packet loss or interference | Switch to ethernet; test with ping -n 10 8.8.8.8 |
| Sharp image but delayed input | Quality setting too high | Switch to Best Performance in Settings > Display > Quality |
Fix 1: Make sure AnyDesk is using a direct connection
If the session is routing through AnyDesk’s relay network, no other setting change will fully resolve the lag. Every keystroke and mouse input travels to a relay server before reaching the remote machine. The session toolbar tells you which mode is active.
Why it works: Direct connections send data point-to-point between the two machines. AnyDesk’s official documentation confirms that the LAN icon in the session toolbar indicates a direct connection is active, and that installing AnyDesk instead of running the portable version improves LAN detection and connection reliability.
- Open an active AnyDesk session and look at the session toolbar at the top of the screen.
- Look for the LAN connection icon. If it is missing, the session is running through the relay.
- Close the session and open Settings on the AnyDesk home screen.
- Open the Connections tab and confirm Allow direct connections is enabled.
- Reconnect. AnyDesk renegotiates the connection type with the updated settings.
- Check the toolbar again for the LAN icon to confirm a direct connection is now active.
How It Works: AnyDesk direct vs relay connections
AnyDesk first attempts a direct peer-to-peer connection between the local and remote machine. If NAT traversal or firewall rules block the direct path, the session falls back to AnyDesk’s relay infrastructure. Relay connections add latency proportional to the distance to the nearest relay server. The LAN icon in the session toolbar confirms a direct connection is active. Enabling Allow direct connections in Settings > Connections lets AnyDesk renegotiate the path on reconnect. Installed versions of AnyDesk detect LAN peers more reliably than portable mode.
Fix 2: Switch the display quality to Best Performance
The Quality setting controls how much image data DeskRT sends per frame. Best Quality maximises clarity but increases bandwidth demand and encoding time on both machines. Switching to Best Performance reduces that overhead and lowers latency without making the session unusable.
Why it works: AnyDesk’s display documentation describes Best Performance as optimised for speed and low latency, recommended for slower connections or when fast interaction is needed.
- Open AnyDesk and click the settings icon in the upper right corner, then select Settings.
- Navigate to Display.
- Under Quality, select Best performance.
- Close the settings panel. The change applies on the next session, or adjust it live using the display icon in the session toolbar.
Fix 3: Try DirectDraw for multi-monitor or windowed sessions
Direct3D is AnyDesk’s default renderer and usually its best-performing one, but it can cause problems in multi-monitor setups or when focus switches between applications. If you see lag, unexpected minimization, or visual interruptions in windowed mode, DirectDraw is worth trying.
Why it works: Direct3D dedicates GPU resources to AnyDesk and performs best in exclusive fullscreen mode. DirectDraw is better suited to windowed fullscreen and multi-monitor workflows where focus switching is common.
- Open AnyDesk Settings.
- Navigate to Display.
- Scroll to Hardware Acceleration.
- Change from Direct3D to DirectDraw.
- Close settings and reconnect your session.
| Renderer | Best for |
|---|---|
| Direct3D (default) | Single-monitor; exclusive fullscreen; GPU dedicated to AnyDesk. Best performance when conditions are met. |
| DirectDraw | Multi-monitor setups; windowed sessions; focus-switching workflows. More stable when Direct3D causes interruptions. |
| OpenGL (experimental) | Testing only. Not stable on all systems. |
| Disabled | Last resort when other renderers cause display issues. Removes GPU acceleration entirely. |
Fix 4: Check Wi-Fi, packet loss, VPN, and firewall rules
Network issues on either end cap AnyDesk’s performance regardless of software configuration. Download speed is rarely the root cause, but packet loss, Wi-Fi instability, VPN routing, overloaded routers, and ISP peering can all introduce jitter and frame delays.
Why it works: AnyDesk transmits screen data in real time. Packet loss on either side causes frame drops and input lag even when a speed test looks clean.
- Switch both machines from Wi-Fi to wired ethernet where possible. Wireless interference introduces jitter that does not appear on a basic speed test.
- Close bandwidth-heavy applications on both machines: active downloads, cloud backup clients, streaming video, or torrent clients.
- Run a ping test to check for packet loss. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run: ping -n 20 8.8.8.8. Look for lost packets and sustained latency above 80ms.
- If connecting over a VPN, test whether the lag is present without it. VPN routing adds round-trip time that varies significantly depending on server location.
- Check whether your firewall is blocking AnyDesk traffic. For direct connections, AnyDesk uses TCP port 7070. For relay and discovery traffic, it uses TCP ports 80, 443, and 6568, and UDP ports 50001 to 50003. Blocking any of these can force sessions onto a slower path.
AnyDesk’s documentation states sessions can operate at bandwidths as low as 100 Kbps, but constrained bandwidth combined with Best Quality settings will produce lag. If bandwidth is genuinely limited, Fix 2 is essential alongside this step.
Fix 5: Refresh macOS Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions
On macOS, AnyDesk requires Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions to deliver frames and handle input correctly. After macOS updates, these permissions can sometimes need to be re-approved or refreshed. If AnyDesk becomes choppy or unresponsive after an update, check this first.
Why it works: Without an active Screen Recording permission, AnyDesk cannot capture and sync frames at full rate. Without Accessibility permission, input handling degrades. Toggling both permissions forces macOS to refresh the grant.
- On the Mac running AnyDesk, open System Settings.
- Go to Privacy and Security.
- Select Accessibility. Find AnyDesk in the list. Toggle it off, wait a moment, then toggle it back on.
- Return to Privacy and Security and select Screen Recording. Repeat the same toggle for AnyDesk.
- Quit AnyDesk completely using Cmd + Q and relaunch it.
- Reconnect the session and test responsiveness.
Fix 6: HelpWire: Best Free AnyDesk Alternative
If lag continues after updating, HelpWire is worth testing as a direct replacement. Unlike AnyDesk, it does not route sessions through a shared relay network by default. Sessions connect peer-to-peer first and fall back to relay only when a direct path is unavailable, which means the relay latency problems covered in this article do not apply in the same way.
Session setup is also simpler. HelpWire starts via a shareable link: the remote user runs a small client app with no firewall configuration, no VPN, and no ID or password entry required. There is no portable vs installed distinction affecting connection reliability, and no quality codec setting to tune for performance.
What HelpWire includes at no cost:
-
Attended and unattended remote access across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
-
Link-based sessions start with no account required on the remote side.
-
File transfer by dropping files directly onto the session window.
-
Multi-monitor support with switchable layouts. In-session chat.
-
Multiple concurrent connections to remote workstations of the same client within one session.
FAQ
The most common cause is relay routing rather than a direct connection. AnyDesk falls back to relay routing when direct connection negotiation fails, and relay sessions add latency regardless of download speed. Check whether the LAN icon is visible in the session toolbar. If it is missing, the session is going through the relay. Enable Allow direct connections in Settings > Connections, install AnyDesk instead of running portable mode, and reconnect.
A slow session on a local network almost always means AnyDesk is using a relay connection rather than a direct one. Despite both machines being on the same network, AnyDesk falls back to relay routing if direct connection settings are disabled or if the portable version is in use. Enable Allow direct connections in Settings > Connections, verify the LAN icon appears after reconnecting, and run the installed version rather than the portable executable.
It helps but is not the primary fix on its own. Lower resolution reduces the amount of screen data AnyDesk captures and encodes per update, which lowers bandwidth consumption and can improve frame delivery. It works best combined with switching Quality to Best Performance in Settings > Display. Without also addressing relay routing or display settings, the improvement is partial.
Yes. macOS requires AnyDesk to have Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions to deliver frames and handle input at full performance. After macOS updates, these permissions can need re-approval. Go to System Settings > Privacy and Security, find both permissions for AnyDesk, toggle each off and back on, then quit and relaunch AnyDesk before reconnecting.