ActivTrak is powered by the Agent — the mechanism by which digital workforce activity is collected from devices for analysis in reports, dashboards and other features. Without at least one deployed Agent, reports and dashboards will appear empty.
Depending on your preferences and company policies, there are many ways to deploy the ActivTrak Agent. This guide provides an overview of Windows Agent and macOS Agent deployment methods.
- Direct methods are an option when an Admin has physical access to the device
- Remote methods are necessary when an Admin does not have physical access to the device
- Silent options indicate that the deployment method can be unknown to the user
Notes:
- Regardless of your chosen method, ensure the installation file is not renamed. Modifying the file name may prevent the agent from being properly installed.
- With silent deployments, we recommend clearing the device's browser and download history after the Agent has been installed.
- Remote methods usually require direct access to the target system (ability to ping) and administrative credentials for the target system. Depending on your configuration, this can also work on certain VPN connections.
- Agent auto-updates are turned on by default to ensure the best possible experience with ActivTrak. Learn more about updating the Agent in this article. Note: If you wish to disable Agent auto-updates, please contact ActivTrak Support.
- We recommend using our free ActivTrak Assist Browser Extension to capture website activities effectively. This article provides step-by-step deployment instructions. Note that the ActivTrak Assist Browser Extension is visible to users and thus is not a silent option.
- For Linux and alternative OS users, or for those using Google Chromebooks, the ChromeOS Agent can be installed to collect any activity within the browser. It will not, however, collect application activity data. Click here to learn more about the ChromeOS Agent (including deployment instructions).
- To learn more about what data the ActivTrak Agent collects, click here.
- To review the ActivTrak Agent footprint, system compatibility and browser requirements, click here.
Deploy Agents directly
| Method | macOS | Win | Silent Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deploy via the ActivTrak app | yes | yes | yes |
| Deploy via USB | yes | yes | yes |
Deploy Agents remotely
| Method | macOS | Win | Silent Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deploy via the Active Directory Group Policy | no | yes | yes |
| Deploy via Intune | no | yes | yes |
| How to Deploy the ActivTrak Agent on macOS Sequoia | yes | no | yes |
| Deploy via PowerShell Script | no | yes | yes |
| Deploy via shared link | yes | yes | no |
| Deploy via Command Line | no | yes | yes |
| Deploy via the ActivTrak Remote Installer | no | yes | yes |