Platform support

What Roomler does on Windows, Linux and macOS, feature by feature, and the reason wherever an operating system cannot do something.

Roomler is one product on three operating systems. When a feature works on one of them, it works on the other two, or the device tells you why it cannot: on the control itself, in roomler status, and in the dashboard. A control that is greyed out always carries the device’s own reason.

✅ Works — on that operating system, today.

🟡 In part — the table says which part.

❌ Not yet — the OS could do it; Roomler does not yet.

⛔ Ruled out — the OS itself prevents it. The reason is below.

These tables describe agent 0.4.148; a row that names 0.4.149 is coming in the next release. The engineering record behind them, with the code each verdict comes from, is docs/platform-support.md.

Which install does what

Most of this page follows from one question: does the agent run as the machine, or as you? Joining the private network on a real network adapter needs the machine’s own identity on every OS. Showing your desktop needs a way into your session.

OS	Install	Runs as	Gives you
Windows	Machine — system	a service, with SYSTEM in your session	your desktop, the lock and sign-in screens, the private network
Windows	Machine — attended	a service, with you in your session	your desktop, the private network
Windows	Per user	you, from sign-in	your desktop
Linux	System (`--system`)	root, from boot	the private network; your GNOME or KDE desktop while you are at it and it is unlocked
Linux	Per user (the default)	you	your desktop
macOS	the per-user half (the default)	you, in your login session	your desktop
macOS	the root half (`--daemon-token`)	root, from boot	the private network

A Mac needs both halves for both, and shows up as two devices.

No admin rights? You can still join the network

An install that runs as you cannot create a network adapter, but it can join the network in netstack mode: set ROOMLERD_OVERLAY_NETSTACK_SOCKS to a free port for the agent, and your apps reach the other devices through that local SOCKS5 port. Roomler SSH into this machine still works. A second organization chooses it with roomler org overlay <org> netstack (multi-org).

Remote desktop

Feature	Windows	Linux	macOS
Your desktop, with a system install and nothing configured	✅	🟡 GNOME and KDE, while your session is unlocked and you can be told who is viewing	🟡 an opt-in
The lock screen and sign-in screen, nobody signed in	✅ Machine — system	🟡 only when you switch screen capture on yourself	⛔
The computer’s sound	✅	✅	❌
Recording with sound	✅	✅	🟡 picture only
Ctrl+Alt+Del	✅ the real one, from a Machine — system install where policy allows	⛔ sent as ordinary keys, which GNOME and KDE use to log out	⛔ hidden: it means nothing on a Mac
An approval panel on the host	✅	✅ X11 · ⛔ Wayland: the desktop app asks	✅ from agent 0.4.153 · before it, the desktop app asks
“The host is locked” before you connect	✅	❌	✅ from agent 0.4.150
“The host is locked” while you are connected	✅	✅	✅ from agent 0.4.150
The host’s cursor, drawn by your browser	✅	✅ system installs, and X11 desktops from agent 0.4.147; a per-user Wayland desktop draws it into the picture	❌ the cursor is part of the picture
Remote Apps	✅	✅ X11 · 🟡 Wayland: Xwayland windows	❌
Show and switch the keyboard layout	✅	✅ X11 desktops with a per-user install, from agent 0.4.148; on GNOME the layout is shown, and you switch it with GNOME’s own shortcut (Super+Space) · ❌ Wayland desktops and system installs	❌
Typing text on a non-US layout	✅	✅ on any layout from agent 0.4.147; before it, a system install types only on a US layout, and refuses rather than mistype	✅
Match the remote display to your window	✅	✅ X11 desktops with one screen and a per-user install, from agent 0.4.148, and the agent’s own virtual desktop · ❌ Wayland desktops, system installs, several screens	❌
Clipboard: text, formatted text and images	✅	✅ per-user · ❌ a system install	✅
A copied image arrives by itself	✅	✅ X11 desktops with a per-user install, from agent 0.4.148 · ❌ Wayland desktops and system installs: on request	❌ on request
An idle desktop costs little CPU	✅	✅	❌
Privacy mode (the person at the computer sees a notice, not the desktop)	✅ Windows 10 2004 and later	❌	⛔
Lock the computer when the last session ends	✅	✅	❌

The same on all three: the main display, high-DPI screens, hardware video encoding (on a Mac, H.264 and HEVC), the relative mouse for 3D apps and games, touch controls, keep-busy, recording, file transfer, and the consent flow. The permissions each OS asks for are on per-OS permissions.

Private network

Feature	Windows	Linux	macOS
Join the network on a real adapter	✅ Machine installs	✅ system install	✅ the root half
One adapter per organization	✅	✅	✅
Use an exit node	✅	✅	✅ IPv6 when your connection has it, otherwise blocked rather than leaked
Be an exit node or a subnet router, IPv4	🟡 needs Windows’ Hyper-V; never on Home	✅	✅ the root half
Be an exit node, IPv6	⛔	✅	✅ where the Mac has a global IPv6 route
Device names resolve on the computer (MagicDNS)	✅	🟡 with systemd-resolved; when nothing asks it, `roomler status` says so	✅
Your firewall lets the network in	✅ a Machine install adds its own rule	🟡 yours to open; `roomler status` names the zone	❌ yours to open

The same on all three: direct and relayed connections, the relay floor over 443, tunnels, SOCKS5, access rules, key rotation and ephemeral devices.

SSH and remote commands

Feature	Windows	Linux	macOS
Run as the machine	🟡 SYSTEM on a Machine — system install, or once an admin anchors the device	✅ root	✅ root, on the root half
Run as the person at the screen	🟡 where SYSTEM serves the session	✅	✅
Run as a named account	⛔	✅	✅
SFTP and `scp` as the person at the screen	🟡 where OpenSSH’s `sftp-server` is installed	✅	✅
A session starts in your home folder	✅	✅	✅

On the computer itself

Feature	Windows	Linux	macOS
The desktop app	✅	🟡 a `.deb` and an `.rpm`, for x86_64 and arm64; nothing for a computer with neither package manager, such as Arch	✅
The computer stays awake during a session	✅	✅	✅ except a closed laptop with no external display
A received file lands in your own Downloads	✅	✅	✅
The setup wizard installs the agent	✅	❌ use the one-line install	❌ use the one-line install

Installs and updates

Feature	Windows	Linux	macOS
Updates itself, per-user installs included	✅	✅	✅
Checks a download is the version it was offered as	✅	✅	✅
One-command uninstall	✅	✅	✅
An ephemeral device removes itself when it stops	✅	✅	✅
The tunnel client (`roomler self-update`) updates itself	✅	✅ from the next tunnel release	✅ from the next tunnel release
Processors the agent runs on	🟡 x64; ❌ ARM	✅ x86_64 and arm64	🟡 Apple silicon; ❌ Intel
Hardware video encoding on Linux ARM	—	❌	—
The tunnel client and the wizard on Linux ARM	—	✅ from 0.4.149: the wizard with the agent release, the tunnel client with the first tunnel release from then on	—

Where the operating system rules it out

Feature	OS	Why
Ctrl+Alt+Del	Linux	The desktop decides what the keys do, and GNOME and KDE log you out. The button sends the keys and says so
Ctrl+Alt+Del	macOS	The keys have no meaning on a Mac, so the button is hidden
An approval panel on a Wayland desktop	Linux	GNOME and KDE let no ordinary app draw over the desktop. The desktop app asks instead
The lock screen and sign-in screen	macOS	Capture needs a signed-in session. Reaching the login window would take a different kind of install, managed through MDM
Privacy mode	macOS	Since macOS 15, no app can keep a window out of screen capture, so the notice would be streamed too
Staying awake with the lid closed	macOS	A laptop with no external display sleeps when the lid closes, whatever any app asks
Being an IPv6 exit node	Windows	Windows’ built-in NAT has no IPv6. IPv6 through a Windows exit is blocked, never leaked
Running as a named account	Windows	Windows cannot start a program as another account without that account’s password