---
title: "First Steps for ControlUp for Desktops"
slug: "get-started-with-controlup-for-desktops"
updated: 2026-04-22T16:25:38Z
published: 2026-04-22T16:25:38Z
canonical: "support.controlup.com/get-started-with-controlup-for-desktops"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# First Steps for ControlUp for Desktops

After you’ve signed up for your ControlUp organization, follow this article to set up your ControlUp for Desktops.

## Connect your physical devices to ControlUp

To start getting data from your devices, you need to install the ControlUp for Desktops Agent onto those devices.

### Prerequisites

Before you install the ControlUp for Desktops Agent, make sure that your environment meets all the prerequisites.

[Click here to see the full list of prerequisites](/tim-reorg/docs/prerequisites-for-agent-deployment).

Important

These prerequisites are important. If you don't have them in place, then your Agents will have connection problems!

### Install the Agent

After you have performed all the prerequisites, you can install the ControlUp for Desktops Agent onto your devices.

For detailed instructions, read [Agent Installation Overview](/v1/docs/edge-dx-agent-installation)

## Quick application tour

In the **Devices** section of ControlUp's DEX platform, there are three main sections at the top of the page - **Overview**, **Details**, and **Reports**.

### Overview

Use the Overview page to display various dashboards showing information from your whole environment. Select the dashboard you want to view from the dropdown.

![Desktops Overview](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/Desktops Overview(2).png)

### Details

Use the Details page to see information for each physical device in your environment. You can:

- Perform actions on devices, including custom scripts that you have imported.
- Remotely assist users by starting a remote control, remote shadow, or remote shell session.
- Create custom views with column presets.
- Click on a device to drill down into more detailed information.

![Desktops Details](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/Desktop Details.png)

[Learn more about the Device Details page](/tim-reorg/docs/device-dashboard-overview).

### Reports

To access device Reports from collections of historical data, go to Devices and click the Reports tab. For example, you can use the **Top Devices with Blue Screen Events** to see which devices in your environment are displaying blue screens the most often.

![Reports dashboard showing the Agent versions report](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/Desktops Reports.png)

If you need a report that isn't included by default, you can create your own! [Learn how to create a custom report](/tim-reorg/docs/create-custom-reports).

## Next steps

- [Invite other users to your ControlUp environment and configure roles and permissions](/tim-reorg/docs/users-and-permissions).
- [Perform actions on your devices](/tim-reorg/docs/perform-actions-on-devices)
- [Set up automated alerts and remediation](/tim-reorg/docs/create-alerts)
- [Remotely control devices to assist your end users](/tim-reorg/docs/remote-assistance-overview)
- [Add custom scripts](/tim-reorg/docs/scripting-guide)
- [Set up unified communications monitoring for Microsoft Teams or Zoom](/tim-reorg/docs/ucc-getting-started)
- [Create and send surveys to your end users](/tim-reorg/docs/user-sentiment)
- [Configure End User Activity to monitor which applications your end users are using](/tim-reorg/docs/end-user-activity)