Q. Connectivity, Remote Desktop or VPN help

Connectivity, Remote Desktop or Virtual Private Network (VPN) help

If you live in some world regions and have network issues - e.g. a white page, "connection reset/ refused" error, you may need to access the Library using an alternative method of connection. Note - you should ensure you consult VPN and related regulations in your region.   

For general technical help, such as resolving a web browser cookies issue, please see our Technical FAQ.

Some University systems such as the remote desktop service use Duo Multi Factor Authentication (MFA), which adds an extra layer of security in addition to your username and password.

If you use third party web browsers which include VPN, proxies or similar, you should avoid transmitting any sensitive, financial or personal or other identifiable information as these services can process this data and may transfer data to other services.

External web browsers are not operated by the University Library and so are used at your own risk.

University platforms

Remote Desktop service - this is our supported solution for remote connectivity. The Remote Teaching Centre service provides remote access to a campus PC (including full access to network applications and your network storage on campus), as if you were accessing that computer in a campus teaching centre. It is advisable to access the Remote Desktop service using a desktop computer. You can also use this service for web browsing and access drives/files on your local device; please contact the online Librarian for further assistance.

Citrix Workspace - Citrix provides a suite of desktop applications, including web browsers running from the University of Liverpool, and can be accessed as a web based platform (note this version of Citrix does not allow saving files such as PDFs to your local device), or by installing the Citrix desktop application on your computer (this version of Citrix does allow saving PDFs to your device. You can therefore run a web browser from Citrix to access the Library. See instructions for Windows or Mac/OSX.

Also see advice on cloud based apps.

Privacy/VPN browsers

• Try 'incognito mode' in Chrome or similar privacy modes provided by your usual Web browser, see this guide.
• Yandex browser (when installed, activate Turbo Mode, see internal guidance in Yandex for advice using Turbo mode).
• Epic browser (you may need to activate Epic's proxy setting, also see further guidance).
• Opera browser (when installed, activate Opera VPN see further guidance).
• Use an alternative VPN, e.g. VPN plugin for Chrome, Firefox or other browser.

For any ongoing Library connectivity issues you are recommended to contact the online Librarian as soon as possible to seek advice and support.