ActivTrak Agent Installation & Deployment Guide

When to use this: You're logged into ActivTrak and can access each computer, either physically or through remote desktop tools.

For Mac users: You'll need to grant accessibility and screen recording permissions when prompted. Users must do this manually—it can't be done remotely.

For Windows users: The installation completes automatically with minimal user interaction.

1. Log in to your ActivTrak account
2. Go to Settings > Users & Groups > Computer Agents
3. Click Add Agent in the upper right corner
4. Select your operating system (Windows or Mac)
5. Download the installer
6. Run the installer on the computer you want to monitor
7. Follow the on-screen prompts

For more information: Install the Agent via the ActivTrak App

Sometimes you need to get the installer file to a computer using methods other than direct download. Here are the common approaches—they all use the same installer, just different ways of moving the file.

Important: Don't rename the installation file. Changing the filename will prevent proper installation.

USB drive transfer

1. Download the installer from Settings > Users & Groups > Computer Agents
2. Copy the installer to a USB drive
3. Insert the USB drive into the target computer
4. Run the installer from the USB drive

Network share transfer

1. Download the installer from Settings > Users & Groups > Computer Agents
2. Copy the installer to a shared network location
3. Access the network share from the target computer
4. Run the installer from the network location

For more information: Install the Agent via File Transfer

When to use this: You want remote employees or distributed users to install the agent on their own with minimal IT involvement. This product feature generates a unique installation link.

Important details:

• Links expire after 72 hours for security
• If a link expires, you'll need to generate a new one and resend it
• Best for transparent installations where users understand what they're installing
• Works across Windows and Mac

For more information: Install the Agent via Shared Link

When to use this: You need to deploy to computers on your local network but don't have MDM tools. This is like using a USB drive without physically walking to each computer. Note: This method is for deploying the Windows Agent

What you'll need:

• ActivTrak Remote Installer (download from your ActivTrak account)
• Administrative credentials for target computers
• Network access to target systems (computers must be reachable on your network)

When this is most useful: You have computers on your local network that need the agent, but you don't want to physically visit each one or you don't have MDM infrastructure set up.

For more information: Deploy the Agent via the ActivTrak Remote Installer

When to use this: Your organization uses Microsoft Intune for cloud-based device management.

What you'll need:

• Microsoft Intune subscription and admin access
• Target devices enrolled in Intune

Silent installation: Configure silent parameters in the installation command.

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Intune (Windows)

When to use this: Your organization uses Active Directory to manage Windows computers.

What you'll need:

• Active Directory environment
• Administrative access to Group Policy Management
• Network share accessible by all target computers

Silent installation: This method installs silently by default—users won't see installation prompts.

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Active Directory Group Policy

When to use this: You need a lightweight deployment method without additional tools, want to test installation commands before mass deployment, or need to deploy via RMM tools with command line access.

What you'll need:

• Windows administrator privileges
• Elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell
• ActivTrak MSI installer file
• Correct file path to the installer

Silent installation: Use the /quiet or /qn parameter for silent installation. Note that some MDM solutions may require variations like /Quiet, -Q, /Q, or /QN.

Basic commands:

• Quiet install: MSIEXEC /i ATAcctxxxxxx_{RandomSecurityToken}.msi -Quiet
• Quiet uninstall: MSIEXEC /x ATAcctxxxxxx_{RandomSecurityToken}.msi -Quiet
• Install with logging: MSIEXEC /i ATAcctxxxxxx_{RandomSecurityToken}.msi -Quiet /l*v %TEMP%\atinstall.log

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Command Line

When to use this: You want to deploy to Windows computers using PowerShell, either because you don't have Group Policy/Intune or you want more control over the deployment process.

What you'll need:

• PowerShell remoting enabled on target computers
• Administrative credentials for target systems
• Network access to target computers
• Agent installer file (downloaded from Settings > Users & Groups > Computer Agents)

Important: Use a local file path or network share for $installerPath rather than downloading from a URL. This ensures the installer is always available and doesn't rely on temporary download links.

Silent installation: The /quiet parameter ensures silent installation.

For more information: Deploy via PowerShell Script

When to use this: Your organization uses Automox for patch management and endpoint management automation.

What you'll need:

• Automox admin account with policy creation permissions
• ActivTrak installation package (.zip file)
• PowerShell deployment script (.ps1 file)
• Target device group configured in Automox
• Admin/SYSTEM execution rights on target devices

Silent installation: The PowerShell script runs completely silently with no user interruption. The script automatically checks if ActivTrak is already installed and only installs on devices that need it.

Key features:

• Intelligent service checking (restarts stopped services without reinstalling)
• Automatic error logging and cleanup procedures
• Detailed installation logs for troubleshooting
• Validation of exit codes

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Automox

When to use this: Your organization uses Microsoft Intune for cloud-based device management.

What you'll need:

• Microsoft Intune subscription and admin access
• Target devices enrolled in Intune

Silent installation: Configure silent parameters in the installation command.

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Intune (Mac)

When to use this: Your organization uses Jamf Pro to manage Mac computers.

What you'll need:

• Jamf Pro admin access
• Mac devices enrolled in Jamf

User permissions required: Even with Jamf deployment, users must manually grant accessibility and screen recording permissions on macOS. Plan to communicate with users about this requirement.

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Jamf Pro

When to use this: Your organization uses Kandji for Apple device management and you want streamlined deployment with built-in PPPC profile management.

What you'll need:

• Kandji admin access
• Classic Blueprint created for target devices
• ActivTrak .pkg installer file
• PPPC configuration files (ATPPCv2.mobileconfig and disablebackgrounditemsnotification.mobileconfig)
• Mac devices enrolled in Kandji

User permissions required: The PPPC profiles handle accessibility permissions automatically, but users may still need to grant screen recording permissions. The disablebackgrounditemsnotification.mobileconfig suppresses installation pop-up messages.

Key deployment steps:

• Upload and assign both PPPC configuration profiles to your Blueprint
• Verify profiles are installed on target devices before proceeding
• Create a custom application with the Agent .pkg compressed as a ZIP file
• Configure post-install script to extract and install the Agent
• Deploy to devices as they check in with Kandji

For more information: Deploy the Agent via Kandji

When to use this: You're deploying to macOS Sequoia (versions 15.1–15.4 or higher) and need to navigate Apple's enhanced security measures, including increased permission dialogs and notifications.

What you'll need:

• ActivTrak Agent version 8.4.2 or higher
• macOS devices running version 15.1 or higher
• MDM platform (Intune, Jamf Pro, Kandji, or Mosyle) for silent deployments
• Privacy Preferences Policy Control (PPPC) configuration files

Deployment options:

• Transparent deployment: Users acknowledge permissions during installation with no additional action required. Recommended whenever possible to communicate openly with end users about the installation.
• Silent deployment: Completely silent installation without user interaction. Implementation depends on your use case and whether you're using Screen Details (screenshots).

Important screen capture limitation: Silent deployment with screen capture functionality has specific limitations due to Apple's security framework. Users must manually grant screen recording permissions for screenshots to function correctly, even with MDM deployment. There is no fully automated way to accept screen recording permissions on behalf of users.

Required permissions:

• Screen recording: Required for screenshot alarms and screen capture (can be denied via PPPC if not needed)
• Accessibility: Required for title bar and browser URL capture (can be accepted via PPPC)
• Background processing: Allows the agent to run in the background (notifications can be suppressed via PPPC)

PPPC profiles available:

• Profile to grant/deny needed permissions (accessibility and screen recording)
• Profile to disable background notifications

For more information: Deploy the Agent on macOS Sequoia (and higher)

SimpleMDM utilizes a tool called "Munki" to populate a PKGINFO file that they need for Application Deployment. By default, the Bundle ID they pull is com.bgrove.ActivTrak. This should be updated to "com.bgrove.scthost"

To customize the PKGINFO inside SimpleMDM, you'll need to do the following:

1. Upload the ActivTrak installer to SimpleMDM by navigating to Apps & Media
2. Catalog Add App Custom App
3. Once uploaded, go back to the Catalog and click the installer
4. Click the Munki tab
5. Check the box for "Use Custom PKGINFO"
6. Update the Bundle ID in the text file to "com.bgrove.scthost"
7. At the bottom of the page, click Save

For more information: Deploy the Agent via SimpleMDM with Munki

If your organization routes internet traffic through a proxy server, you'll need to configure the agent to communicate through it.

What you'll need:

• Proxy server address and port
• Authentication credentials (if required)
• Agent already installed on target computers

For more information: Configure the Agent via a Proxy Server

The ActivTrak Assist Browser Extension improves website tracking by capturing URLs that the agent can't see. Modern browsers sometimes hide URL information due to full-screen modes, pop-ups, privacy features, or development tools. This creates gaps in your data marked as "URL unavailable."

When to use this:

• You're seeing "URL unavailable" in activity reports
• Users work in full-screen browser modes frequently
• You need to track Firefox activity on macOS (extension required)
• Privacy-focused browsers or extensions block standard URL capture

Best practice: Deploy browser extensions using Group Policy (GPO) for consistent enterprise-wide deployment rather than force install methods.

Important note: The browser extension is visible to users—they'll see an icon in their browser toolbar. This isn't a silent monitoring option.

For more information: ActivTrak Assist Browser Extension