Plug the dongle in here. Run the software there.

A Hyper-V VM, an RDP server or a laptop at home can't see the USB license dongle in the office. USBOperator connects it over the local network or the internet, and Windows sees it as plugged in. The same goes for smart card readers, printers and flash drives.

Download free For Linux

The first 30 days include everything, no card needed. Then free on a local network, or Pro at $10 a month for all your devices and computers. Windows 10, 11, Server 2019–2025 and Linux.

For engineering and design firms

One license dongle for the whole team, and nobody walks it from desk to desk.

The dongle stays plugged into the server or a box in the closet. A workstation, a laptop at home or a Hyper-V VM clicks Connect, and a couple of seconds later the licensed software finds the key.
Someone has it right now? Click Request. They get a prompt, click Allow, and the dongle moves to you. No calls across the office.
Give dongles your own names, like “CAM seat 2” or “Sentinel, structural”. Every computer in the account sees the same names, so nobody grabs the wrong one.

For IT admins and MSPs

USB for Hyper-V VMs and RDP servers, from any site, without a VPN.

Hyper-V has no USB passthrough for a dongle. Install USBOperator inside the VM, and the device connects to it as if plugged in. Our own test lab runs on Hyper-V VMs.
On a terminal server the device connects to the whole server, so programs your users run over RDP see it as local.
It runs as a Windows service: a license server sees the dongle with nobody signed in, and connections come back by themselves after an update or a restart.
Inside a site the stream goes directly over the LAN; between sites, over the internet. No VPN, public IP or port forwarding.
Roles: owner, admin, member, viewer. Grant a computer or a device for one hour up to 90 days; dongles and keys only to named people.
A Linux box, Raspberry Pi or NAS works as a gateway that shares its USB ports.

API and webhooks

$ curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $USBOP_TOKEN" \
    https://usbop.com/api/state

device.connecteda device was connected
device.releasedreleased
device.requestsomeone requests a busy one
machine.offlinea computer went offline

Read or control tokens, HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks, and the usbop command for scripts.

For a small office

The USB printer, the label printer and the flash drive from the next desk, without an account.

Install the app on two computers on one network: they find each other. No sign-up, no IT person.
When another computer asks for a device, both screens show the same 4-digit code. If it matches, click Allow. A trusted computer does not need the code again.
A flash drive is ejected safely before it moves. A scanner is a special device: switch the policy once in Settings, then share it.
Without an account, one device at a time; with a free account, two. Want it from home over the internet? That is Pro.

What you can connect

Anything that plugs into USB and is needed somewhere other than where it is plugged in. Common devices connect with one click; the rest only if you allow it.

Sentinel license dongles: Sentinel HASP and Sentinel HL keys for CAD, CAM and engineering software. The dongle stays in one computer while the software runs on another, in a VM or on a terminal server. We test with a Sentinel HL.; One click
Smart cards and USB tokens: Smart card readers for PIV and CAC cards, and PKI tokens that work as a smart card, such as SafeNet eToken. Sign-in and signing software runs where you work; the card stays where it is.; One click
Flash drives, disks, card readers: Before a drive disconnects, pending writes reach the disk and it is ejected safely. If files are open on it, the app warns first. You can also copy files from a drive in another computer without connecting it.; One click
Printers: Office printers and MFPs, and label or receipt printers that install as a USB printer, such as Zebra or DYMO. The printer shows up on your computer as if its cable were plugged in there.; One click
Special devices: Other license dongles such as CodeMeter or iLok, scanners, serial and COM adapters, audio interfaces, cameras, network adapters. Locked by default: you see them, and share them after you switch the policy in Settings. Cameras and audio may work only at low rates.; With permission
This PC's mice and keyboards: Never passed on, so nobody loses control of their own computer. That includes security keys that type codes. Devices known to crash Windows are switched off at install.; Never

Models that have already worked through USBOperator are on the Compatibility page.

Get started

Install it on both computers

On the one with the device and on the one that needs it, a VM included. A couple of minutes; the app sets up everything it needs.
Link the computers

On one network they find each other. Over the internet, sign in to the same account or enter an Add a PC code.
Click Connect

Or drag the device card to your half of the window. A couple of seconds later it works on your computer.

Download USBOperator for Windows

MSI installer for 64-bit Windows 10 (1809 or later), Windows 11, Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025.

curl -fsSL https://usbop.com/install.sh | sudo sh

Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch with systemd, x86-64 or ARM64. Paste it into a terminal; everything else is in the web account. Raspberry Pi and NAS: as a gateway.

A license dongle is worth more than the PC it sits in

Security

End-to-end encryption: X25519 and AES-256-GCM, new keys for every connection. Our server only relays ciphertext and never stores the contents of your files.
Key fingerprint: 20 characters in Settings. Compare it on both computers if you want to be sure nobody sits in between.
Only your own: Devices are seen by the computers in your account and by network neighbors you confirmed with a code.
A lock on the unusual: Special devices are not shared until you switch the policy. Mice and keyboards, never.

Reliability

Connection lost: The device stays where it is plugged in. For each device choose: reconnect by itself, ask, or not.
Updates: Installed automatically when devices are free. If a connection was up, it comes back by itself after the update.
No lost data: Before disconnecting, a flash drive is ejected safely, just like in Windows. Open files get a warning first.
Tested on real machines: Every version runs in our lab on Windows 10, 11 and Server 2019 virtual machines. Early versions were rolled out to 63 working computers of a real office fleet, where a USB key connected over the LAN in 1–3 seconds.

Pricing

One price for the account, not per device or per computer. After you sign up, everything in Pro works for 30 days; then the free plan with no time limit, or Pro.

What's included No account$0 Free$0 Pro$10 a month

Devices at a time12No limit

ComputersOn one networkAny numberAny number

Works overLocal networkLocal networkLocal network and internet

Web account, roles, API—YesYes

TermNo limitNo limitMonthly, cancel any time

Download Download Get Pro

Card payment via Stripe. Billing questions: use the feedback form.

Questions

Will my license dongle work?

Sentinel HASP and Sentinel HL keys connect with one click; we test with a Sentinel HL. Other dongles, such as CodeMeter or iLok, use their own USB protocol and count as special devices: allow special devices in Settings, Policy, then share them. Try your own dongle during the free 30 days, and check that your software license allows use over a network.

Can I use a USB device in a Hyper-V or cloud VM?

Yes. Install USBOperator inside the VM like on any other computer, and the device connects to the VM as if plugged into it. Our test lab runs on Hyper-V virtual machines. The same installer runs in a VMware or cloud VM with 64-bit Windows 10, 11 or Windows Server 2019 and later; reaching a cloud VM over the internet needs Pro.

Does it work with a terminal server and RDP?

Yes. A dongle, smart card reader or flash drive connects to the terminal server as a whole, as if plugged into the server itself, and programs on the server work with it. A device cannot be tied to one particular RDP session.

What about smart cards and security keys?

Smart card readers, including PIV and CAC readers, and tokens that present themselves as a smart card connect with one click. Security keys that can also type a code, such as a YubiKey with its OTP function on, contain a keyboard, and keyboards are never passed on.

Is it safe?

The stream between computers is end-to-end encrypted (X25519 and AES-256-GCM, new keys for every connection): our server only relays ciphertext. A device is seen only by the computers in your account and by neighbors you confirmed with a code. Mice and keyboards are never passed on.

What happens if the connection drops?

The device stays in the computer it is plugged into. For each device you choose what happens after a drop: reconnect by itself, ask, or do not reconnect. After an update or a restart, connections come back by themselves.

Can a device work on two computers at once?

No, a device works on one computer at a time. If it is busy, a colleague clicks Request, and you allow or decline with one click.

Which computers does it run on?

64-bit Windows 10 (version 1809 or later), Windows 11, Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025; Linux with systemd (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch; x86-64 or ARM64), including a Raspberry Pi or NAS as a gateway. Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows Server 2016 are not supported.

Can I cancel?

Yes. The free plan has no time limit. Pro is monthly and is cancelled in Settings, Manage subscription. The app uninstalls like any other: Settings → Apps; on Linux, sudo usbop uninstall.

Write to us

A question, an install problem, a dongle or device that did not work. We reply to the email you give.

Install it on two computers and click Connect

Five minutes to try it with your own dongle. The first 30 days have no limits, no card needed.