Adding a device

To remotely track a device in the portal, you need to download the Absolute Agent and install it on the device.

Learn more about the Absolute Agent

Devices running the following operating systems are supported:

  • Windows 10 or 11
  • macOS 13, 14, or 15

To download and install the Absolute Agent:

  1. Sign in to the portal from the device that you want to add.
  2. Click .

    If activated licenses are available, a message shows prompting you to download the agent and install it.

    If no licenses are available, buy a subscription before installing the agent on a device.

  3. If a license is available, click Download in the message, or click Add Device.

    The Add Device button is also available on the Subscriptions page.

  4. Do one of the following, depending on the platform of your device:

    • Windows:
      1. Click Download Windows installer.
      2. Wait for the AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<version>.zip file to download, and then do one of the following:
        • If you are logged in to your device as an Administrator:
          1. Double-click the zip file to open it.
          2. Double-click the AbsoluteCoreAgent.msi file. The system automatically extracts the zip file and the installer opens.
        • If you are logged in to your device as a Standard user:
          1. Unzip (extract) the zip file to a location of your choice, such as your desktop.

          2. Navigate to the location where you extracted the zip file.

          3. Right-click the AbsoluteCoreAgent.msi file and click Run as administrator. The InstallShield wizard opens.

            If the User Account Control dialog shows, click Yes to allow the agent to be installed.

    • Mac:
      1. Click Download macOS installer.
      2. Wait for the AbsoluteMacCoreAgent-<version>.zip file to download, and then unzip (extract) the zip file to a location of your choice, such as your desktop.
      3. Double-click the AbsoluteCoreAgent.pkg file to open the installer.

    If you decide to move the installer to another directory, ensure that you copy all contents of the zip package to the new location before running the installer. The agent will fail to be installed if the AbsoluteAgent.dat and AbsoluteAgent.sig files are not in the same directory as the installer file.

  5. Follow the instructions provided in the installer to install the agent. Click Finish when you're done.
  6. Ensure that the device is connected to the Internet and then wait for the newly installed agent to call in and activate.

    Agent activation occurs during the device's first call to the Monitoring Center and may take up to 15 minutes. You'll know that the device has successfully called in when you see that the device's Details page is added in the Devices area.

The agent remains concealed on your device. You won't see it listed in Windows Apps and Features or Mac Applications. To uninstall the agent, you need to remove the device from the portal.