The Atera agent is the backbone of the Atera monitoring system and needs to be installed on all devices you want to monitor. It keeps tabs on the availability, performance, and health of the computer/server and securely sends info back to the cloud. This way, Atera can let you know if anything critical goes down, gets degraded, or reaches a predefined threshold. The reporting intervals are based on extensive big data analysis, ensuring optimal notification timing. The Atera agent has very low overhead usage, meaning it can run comfortably on minimum specification machines, and automatically updates itself whenever a new version is released. There is no limit to how many agents you can have, although trial accounts are limited to 20 devices.

Note: To install agents on multiple devices in a domain environment, see Install the Atera agent using Group Policy

Prerequisites

Atera agents can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux devices — provided the OS version is supported by their respective vendors. While the agent may work on older OS versions, Atera does not guarantee it — nor provide any support, bug fixes, or security patches for devices running those versions.

Note:

• Full admin permissions are required to install the Atera agent.
• If you're installing the Atera agent via Microsoft Intune or in a Citrix environment, this may create duplicate devices in your console as each environment re-deploys the software after a certain period.
• Atera will install .Net Runtime 8 on Windows, macOS, and Linux devices. 

Supported versions and distributions

Windows

• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022

Additional requirement: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 or above.

Mac

• macOS 13 (Ventura)
• macOS 14 (Sonoma)
• macOS 15 (Sequoia)

Additional requirement: For users of macOS devices with an M processor series, it is essential to have Rosetta, a dynamic binary translator developed by Apple, installed on your devices. In the majority of instances, macOS devices utilizing the M processor series come with Rosetta pre-installed. However, even if Rosetta is not present on your devices, during the agent installation process, Atera will make an attempt to install Rosetta if it detects the absence of the software application. For more info, see If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac and About the Rosetta translation environment

Linux

• Debian 11 (and above)
• Ubuntu 18 (and above)
• Red Hat 8 (and above)
• CentOS Stream

Additional requirement: Your Linux device must have the following installed and enabled before you can use the Atera agent:

• Sudo
• LSHW

For more information, see Atera's Linux agent

Windows agent

There are multiple ways to install Atera's Windows agent. You can download the installer, copy the cURL command, or share the installation link.

The following features are included in agent versions 1.8.5.7 and later:

Silent installation: The Atera Windows Agent installs silently when:

• Installed on a device using the SYSTEM account (covers installations via GPO and Network Discovery).
• The device isn't tied to a domain.

Uninstall prevention: To prevent both intentional and accidental removal of the Atera agent and ensure continuous monitoring and management of devices, end users cannot uninstall the agent via:

• Apps & Features
• Command Prompt with user privileges
• Right-clicking to uninstall from C:\Windows\Installers

You can enable this feature via Admin > My account > Account settings > Agents. If enabled, the Atera Windows agent can only be removed via:

• SYSTEM user privileges (GPO, CMD, PowerShell, WMI)
• Deleting the device from the Atera console

Note: While uninstall prevention is enabled, end users will still see Atera in Apps & Features. This feature is also applied retroactively.

To download and install the agent:

1. Click Install agent in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 

The Download agent installer window appears.

2. Select Windows (.msi). Then click Next.

3. Assign the agent to a site. Then select a folder (optional).
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that site and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy withany IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

3. Assign the agent to a customer. Then select a folder (optional).
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that customer and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy withany IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

4. Click Next.

5. You have 3 options:

• Download the agent installer package:
  • Click Download to download the agent installer.
  • Open the installer package and follow the onscreen instructions to install the Atera agent.
• Install the agent via the Command Prompt:
  • Click the copy icon to copy the installation script.
    
  • Open the Command Prompt with elevated administrator privileges.
    
  • Enter the installation script and hit Enter to install the Atera agent.
• Share the agent installer link:
  • Copy the installer link.
  • Share it with your end user to download and install the Atera agent themselves.

Important note: Sharing the agent installer link via email will result in the email not being received by the end user. As a workaround, you can share the installer using file-sharing solutions like Sharepoint, or even embed the agent installer link to your website.

6. Click Done.

Within a couple of minutes, the Atera agent will appear on the Devices page.

If you experience any trouble with agent installation or stability, see Windows troubleshooting guide

macOS agent

Note: Atera's Mac agent is available for all IT Department plans.

Note: Atera's Mac agent is available for the MSP Growth, Power, and Superpower plans.

You can install the Atera agent for macOS using either the Terminal or an installer package. 

On macOS with an M processor, ensure Rosetta is installed. Rosetta is typically pre-installed. If not, Atera will attempt to install it during agent installation. You can manually install Rosetta using the provided command if necessary.

sudo softwareupdate --install-rosetta

For more information regarding Rosetta, see:

• If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac
• About the Rosetta Translation Environment

Silent installation: The Atera Mac Agent installs silently when downloading and installing the .pkg file.

To download and install the agent:

1. Click Install agent in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 

The Download agent installer window appears.

2. Select Mac (.pkg). Then click Next.

3. Assign the agent to a site.
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that site and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy withany IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

3. Assign the agent to a customer.
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that customer and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy withany IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

4. Click Next.

5. You have 2 options:

For more details about the available installation method for Mac agents, please visit this article:

• Mac agent installation guide

1. Recommended — Install the agent via the Terminal:
   • Click Copy command to copy the installation script.
   • Open the Terminal.
     
   • Enter the installation script and hit Enter to install the Atera agent.
     Notes:
     - You may be prompted to enter your password, depending on your Mac settings. This is your computer password and not your Atera password. Please note that when entering your password, keystrokes may not appear.
     - When utilizing the terminal command provided in the Atera dashboard, please be aware that it is configured for the "bash" shell. It's important to note that some Mac devices use the "zsh" shell. Therefore, you may need to adjust the command by replacing "bash" with "zsh" at the end to ensure compatibility with the respective shell.
2. Download the agent installer package:
   • Click Download to download the agent installer.
     
   • Right-click the file > Select Open With > Installer.
   • Follow the onscreen instructions to install the Atera agent.
     Once installed, the Atera Agent Setup dialog will appear on the device.
     
   • To automatically assign the agent (device) to a specific site/customer:
     • Enter your Atera account username.
     • Check the box next to Check to edit customer (Optional).
     • Add your Atera account password, and select the site/customer from the dropdown menu.
     • Click Save. 
       Note: If this dialog isn't filled in, the device will be categorized as 'Unassigned' (you can manually assign it later).

6. Click Done.

Within a couple of minutes, the Atera agent will appear on the Devices page.

If you experience any trouble with agent installation or stability, see Mac troubleshooting guide

Linux agent

Note: The Linux Agent is available for all IT Department plans.

Note: The Linux Agent is available for the MSP Growth, Power, and Superpower plans.

You can install the Atera agent for Linux using the command line, either locally or via SSH. For more information, see Atera's Linux Agent

To download and install the agent:

1. Click Install agent in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 

The Download agent installer window appears.

2. Select Linux (.bash). Then click Next.

3. Assign the agent to a site.
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that site and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy with any IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

3. Assign the agent to a customer.
Note: Assigning the agent will automatically allocate all policies, configurations, and automations applied to that customer and/or folder. This assignment also comes in handy with any IT automation profiles that are intended to run on newly added devices. However, you also have the option to assign the agent at a later time. Learn more

4. Click Next.

5. Click Copy command to copy the installation script.

• Open the Terminal.
  
• Enter the installation script and hit Enter to install the Atera agent.
  Note: You may be prompted to enter your password, depending on your Linux settings. This is your computer password and not your Atera password. Please be aware that keystrokes may not be visible when you type in your password.

6. Click Done.

Within a couple of minutes, the Atera agent will appear on the Devices page.

If you experience any trouble with agent installation or stability, see Linux troubleshooting guide

Troubleshooting

If you experience any trouble with agent installation or stability, see:

• Windows troubleshooting guide
• Mac troubleshooting guide
• Linux troubleshooting guide