How to block AnyDesk and TeamViewer requests on a home Windows PC

If nobody uses AnyDesk or TeamViewer, uninstall them. If your family does, lock them down so a stranger with a code has a much harder time getting in.

By the Xcelcor Guardian team · Updated October 14, 2026

AnyDesk and TeamViewer are real, useful programs. Plenty of families use them so a son or daughter can fix Mom's printer from three states away. That's exactly why scammers ask for them: they're trusted, free to download, and a stranger only needs a code to get in. The answer isn't always "block everything". It's "make sure only your own helper can connect".

First, decide: does anyone use them?

Ask before you remove anything. If a family member or a local repair shop uses AnyDesk or TeamViewer to help, skip to the lock-down steps. If nobody does, uninstall.

If nobody uses them: uninstall

TeamViewer (TeamViewer):

Right-click the TeamViewer icon near the clock and choose Exit TeamViewer.
Open Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps, find TeamViewer and choose Uninstall.
Tick Remove settings if asked, finish, and restart the PC.

AnyDesk (AnyDesk): close AnyDesk, then uninstall it the same way from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. If AnyDesk was only run from a download and never installed, delete the file from the Downloads folder.

Firewall rules you'll see in other guides (Sophos, Palo Alto, MikroTik) are for business networks. On a home PC, uninstalling is simpler and more reliable.

If your family uses AnyDesk: lock it down

From AnyDesk's own settings (AnyDesk settings, unattended access):

Access Control List. In Settings, Security, turn on the Access Control List and add only your helper's AnyDesk ID. AnyDesk says devices outside the list "are automatically blocked". This is the strongest single step.
Unattended access. It's off by default; leave it off unless your helper really needs it, and if it's on, use a long, unique password.
Changing security settings needs admin rights on an installed AnyDesk, so pair this with a standard everyday account.

If your family uses TeamViewer: lock it down

From TeamViewer's own guidance (TeamViewer Community KB):

Assign the PC to your helper's TeamViewer account and use Easy Access, so your helper connects through their account.
Turn off the random password (Settings, Advanced settings, Security, Random password, Disabled). That's the code a scammer asks your parent to read out.
Stop it starting with Windows if it's only used now and then, so it isn't running when a stranger calls.

The rule that still matters

Settings can be changed back by the person at the keyboard, and that's who the scammer is talking to. Agree on one line: "I don't open or install anything on the computer over the phone. I'll call you back." Then hang up and call family, or the bank on the number on the card.

Microsoft Teams and Zoom can also hand over control of a screen during a call. Never accept a control request from someone you didn't call yourself.

If a stranger already connected

Disconnect from the internet, hang up, call the bank from another phone, and follow our two-minute checklist. The FBI's IC3 2025 report lists 47,794 tech-support scam complaints and about $44,000 in reported losses per complaint (IC3 2025 report).

Keep your own helper, hold everyone else

Xcelcor Guardian is a Windows 11 app that holds new AnyDesk and TeamViewer connections until someone you trust approves them by email or on xcelcor.com, so family help can keep working. Approvals are tied to the caller's ID, so you can approve your own helper without opening the door to everyone. It also holds new connections from Quick Assist, ScreenConnect and other common remote access tools. It doesn't cover Teams or Zoom screen control or Windows Remote Assistance. The person at the PC only gets a Refuse button. It lowers the risk; it can't prevent all scams. Start free for 14 days on one PC, no card needed.

Last updated October 14, 2026