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Hi all,
I assume you are reading these lines because of a message you received from your TeamViewer software, regarding a connection timeout or suspected commercial use. In case you were wondering what this is all about, I have good news: this post will shed some light on the subject!
TL;DR
First and foremost, you can reset your TeamViewer ID(s) and return them to private use by requesting a reset using this form:
Reset Management - TeamViewer
Step 1: Access the reset page
- Click the button above to access the reset form.
- Select Click Here to Start, and then Log In.
- Log in with your TeamViewer account
Note: In order to load the form, you must allow the form the permission to access Account management. This only allows the form to view account data and view the email address associated with the account. No other permissions or access is provided to the form or to TeamViewer.
Step 2: Fill out the form
- Enter your first/last name and email address.
- Briefly explain how you are using TeamViewer.
- Enter the TeamViewer ID of the affected device.
Note: In situations where a connection is flagged, we recommend submitting both IDs in the connection. This prevents the back-and-forth of submitting multiple requests after the first ID was reset. To add more IDs to the form, click the button below the TeamViewer Device ID field. If you are submitting only one ID, you do not need to click the button to proceed.
Once you have added your TeamViewer ID(s) to the form and verified that your information is correct, click the Submit button at the bottom to submit the form.
If you are still interested in learning more about why this may occur, continue reading below!
Helping people
I was recently pondering the meaning of this sentence:
TeamViewer empowers people to help others beyond borders and barriers.
It may already be a few years old, but it is still relevant today.
First of all, I really like this sentence; it is very powerful because it describes the Core of what people do: regardless of hurdles, distances, or uncertainties, people will always strive to help each other. Whether it is your mom struggling with the new email program, your friend getting error messages they do not understand, or your brother who needs a helping hand with his mobile device.
In all these cases, TeamViewer is there for you. TeamViewer empowers you to help others and to stay in contact, no matter the physical distance. And the best part? All that is free of charge for private use.
And that is why we are here - we want to support you in helping others by providing TeamViewer as great software, free of charge for private use.
How is that possible?
"How can TeamViewer afford to develop and maintain stable, secure, and feature-rich software without asking for money? " you may ask yourself.
To which I say, I am glad you asked! You are in the exact place to get the answers you seek!
TeamViewer is not free for everyone. This is why we require that commercial users purchase a license. As a result, we can continue to provide the free version to all private users of our software!
There have been quite a few discussions and questions about what constitutes private use and what constitutes commercial use. What specifically requires a commercial license, who needs to buy a license, and who can use the free version are common questions you may have seen (or even thought about yourself).
I fully understand the questions and all of you who want to have a clear answer about what to do.
Therefore, let's dive a bit deeper into that topic and explain the differences in greater detail.
TeamViewer suspects commercial usage
If your TeamViewer tells you it suspects you of using the software commercially, we can discern a couple of things about your setup:
- You choose private as the intended usage when installing TeamViewer.
- But, your usage pattern indicates a commercial usage of TeamViewer
But allow me to also inform you of a couple of things about TeamViewer:
- TeamViewer understands and acknowledges that your individual free private use may be irregular at times, such as when you need to help your friends and family, and can sometimes occur from multiple locations or networks.
- TeamViewer compares usage patterns of TeamViewer IDs with those of typical free private users and business or enterprise users.
When an ID is flagged as private but begins to exhibit usage patterns more consistent with commercial use, TeamViewer will flag the ID to ask whether your usage has shifted from private to commercial.
That said, we know there are cases where the software's use may be broader or more intensive than that of normal private users, but still entirely private. If the suspicion that you are using TeamViewer commercially is a false positive, please know that we absolutely want to resolve this for you and get you back to your private TeamViewer usage.
And since we already covered this at the beginning, you now know: In such cases, we provide the ability to request a review and re-evaluate the suspicion of usage, ultimately resetting the limitations on your TeamViewer ID. Here's another link to the reset form:
Request reset for a suspected commercial use
Once it is verified that the usage is exclusively private, we are happy to reset access to our software and services for you. Now, before we proceed, let's touch on one aspect of the reset process - apologies, as this part is a little less chatty:
If TeamViewer is unable to determine private use after reviewing your commercial-use-suspected form (and your usage explanation), we will provide you with the opportunity to complete a self-declaration of free private use in accordance with the TeamViewer EULA. Once we receive this self-declaration, we will reset access for your TeamViewer ID to our software and services. However, TeamViewer reserves the right to take further action if your usage pattern indicates commercial use again at a later stage. These further actions could result in the suspension or closure of your TeamViewer account and/or TeamViewer IDs or the suspension or limitation of connection duration.
Please understand that we have always done so, continue to do so, and will always protect our software against misuse, whether it is intended or unintended. Still, communication is key, and I believe it is crucial to keep talking about it, keep educating everyone about it (e.g., about what we consider private or commercial), maintain a realistic view of what is going on, and adjust what we are doing to maintain transparency. So, let´s stay in contact, learn from each other, and be successful together!
One thing is for sure: We are thankful for everyone who plays fair. We are also thankful to everyone who is supporting us and others by buying a license for using TeamViewer for business.
I also believe it may be beneficial for everyone to review their usage every now and then and ask the following or similar questions:
- Did I start using TeamViewer for my business?
- Did I start connecting to the office via TeamViewer to quickly read my emails?
- Was I able to improve my work-life balance by using TeamViewer?
- Am I working from home via TeamViewer?
And if you can answer one of these questions with a yes, you can access our webshop using the button below and purchase a license. Thank you again for playing fair!
Purchase a TeamViewer license
Still suspected of using TeamViewer commercially?
Now, even with all of that said, this may also not be your first encounter with your sessions being limited due to suspected commercial usage:
- Your TeamViewer was suspected of being used commercially.
- You filled out the form, as you are certain that this is not the case.
- You now have confirmation of the reset of your TeamViewer ID, but you are still receiving a message saying you are suspected of using TeamViewer commercially.
"What is going on?" you may be asking. To which I say, worry not, dear reader! We are not done discussing these cases quite yet!
As mentioned in the TL;DR above, if you are still getting the pop-up saying you are using TeamViewer commercially, it is possible that the TeamViewer ID of the remote device (the one you are trying to connect to) is under suspicion. That is the thing: A TeamViewer connection always involves two devices and with this: two TeamViewer IDs.
In this case, please submit the reset request form a second time with the other ID(s) where the pop-up still appears in the connections. As a reminder, you can submit up to 10 IDs on one form. If the pop-up appears in connections to multiple TeamViewer IDs, we recommend submitting all of the affected IDs.
Ok, now here is the big question that we hear quite a lot, as well as our definitive answer:
Is TeamViewer shutting down the free usage? NO!
I hope this is crystal clear by now, but just in case: Some people have been worried that TeamViewer might stop offering its free service to private users. We always tried to be very clear with our replies and take away this fear from our users by giving a clear answer:
No. The private use of TeamViewer is always free.
And that is it: Nothing more to say about it. TeamViewer is free for private use!
But we are not done yet. Let's look at the differences between private and commercial use next.
What is considered private?
This here is the million-dollar question. Let us start with this:
Usage is considered private when you use our software and services solely in the context of activities, environments, and equipment normally available in your private and/or family life. Here are some common examples of what private use is, for your better understanding:
✔ You are providing free computer support to a family member or friend using a private PC from home.
✔ You are using TeamViewer on one of your private devices to connect to another private device, e.g., to look for a file stored locally.
✔ You are helping your family members to set up their private (mobile) devices.
✔ You are teaching a family member how to use a new program.
✔ You are using TeamViewer to connect to your personal gaming device.
✔ You are connecting to a personal server at your house to access personal files/play media.
In all of these cases, there is no access to work or business devices, no conduct of business- or work-related activities, and/or financial gain provided.
What is considered commercial?
This is our definition of commercial use:
Commercial use is any use of our software and services in the context of an activity or environment that goes beyond your private or family life. Your private use includes your circle of friends and your family, but not your customers, colleagues, or office, work devices, or corporate network.
Commercial use includes any activities related to your work, but is not limited to a context where there is any relation to gainful activities of any sort. That means using TeamViewer within a club that charges membership fees or pays rent for its facilities is considered commercial.
Let's look at some of the relevant factors that are applied by TeamViewer to identify commercial use:
- usage patterns typical for business or enterprise users, such as using email addresses with commercial domains for a TeamViewer account.
- connections to, from, or within a corporate network.
- using typical device specifications or device types indicative of a business relationship.
And now, let´s put that information in a few examples:
✔ You are using TeamViewer for activities related to your work.
✔ You are providing support to your customers, clients, or colleagues.
✔ You use one device for both personal and work-related activities.
✔ You are using TeamViewer in your home office or for connecting to or from your work computer.
✔ You are connecting from your work PC to your home PC (or vice versa) to access files stored locally.
✔ You are using TeamViewer as a communication tool within your company or for work purposes.
Commercial or Private?
Ok - that was a lot of information. Let´s end our talk with a little game, and you can guess: Is it private or commercial usage?
Also, a quick note on that last example: We highly recommend never using your personal devices for any work-related purposes. Mixed usage of commercial and private connections is not possible and not supported, and requires a license for all connections made from that device.
While your regular connections to friends and family fall under private use, any TeamViewer ID associated with a license is considered commercial; therefore, even if you sign out of your licensed account, the ID itself remains a commercial device and requires a license for all connections.
In closing
Let us end this conversation by reiterating a few simple facts:
- TeamViewer is always free for personal use.
- Only commercial users are required to purchase a license.
- And most importantly, we thank you for your continued support of TeamViewer!
