You are now part of our family and are ready to protect your devices, but how can you do that efficiently? We have different options and alternatives depending on the type of device you will be protecting and the OS it is running.
This guide will walk you through the first steps to link your devices to the Prey platform and introduce the deployment methods available for each operating system, whether you're protecting a single device or managing a large fleet.
Prepare your account
The first step to protecting your devices is accessing the Prey Control Panel:
- Log in to your Prey account using your administrator credentials.
- From the main Dashboard, click Add device.
- Select the operating system of the device you want to protect to view the available download and deployment options.
Choose an installation method
Prey offers different deployment methods depending on your operating system and the size of your fleet.
Select your operating system below to learn more about the available options and access the step-by-step installation instructions and troubleshooting.
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Windows environments offer several deployment options, from individual installations to mass deployments:
- Unattended installation link: A convenient option for installing Prey on multiple devices.
- MSI file: Suitable for technical deployments through the command line (CMD) using environment variables.
- Image Deployment: Designed for mass cloning and device configuration.
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Manual installer:
Manual installation using
the executable (
.exe) file.
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Prey supports several installation methods for macOS:
- Unattended installation link: Can be executed through the Terminal application.
- Image Deployment: Supported for mass deployments.
- Manual installer: Manual download and standard installation.
Required permissions on macOS
Apple's privacy policies require users to approve certain permissions when Prey is first run, including during some mass deployment scenarios. Prey requires access to Full Disk Access, Location, and Camera. -
For Ubuntu-based distributions, Prey supports the following installation methods:
- Unattended installation: Installation through the Terminal.
- Image Deployment: Available for mass deployments.
- Package installer: Manual installation using the available package.
Note: Prey officially supports only Ubuntu among Linux distributions.
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For Chromebooks only.
- Import CSV: For deployment across your fleet. Import a list of your Chromebooks from your Google Admin Console and they will be automatically added to your Control Panel.
- Add the extension to Chrome: For one device at a time.
Mobile devices
You can also protect smartphones and tablets from the Add device section of your Dashboard.
There, you'll find a direct QR code to help you install and link the Prey app:
- Android: Available through the Google Play Store.
- iOS: Available through the Apple App Store.
[Pending: Insert links to the mobile installation guides, if available]
Mass deployment and MDM/RMM
If you manage a large fleet, you can deploy Prey using your preferred MDM or RMM solution.
- Windows: You can find a PowerShell script to deploy Prey on Windows devices here.
- Other operating systems: If you require a more advanced deployment method, please contact our Support team directly from your Prey Panel.
No installation is completely "silent." Depending on the operating system and its security policies, users may see security alerts or be asked to approve certain permissions during the installation or setup process.
Network requirements
Before deploying Prey, make sure your corporate network or organization's firewall allows the Prey client to communicate with our servers.
If devices cannot communicate with Prey's servers, the deployment may fail and the devices may not appear in your Dashboard.
Ask your IT team to allow the required network traffic and whitelist the necessary Prey destinations in your organization's security solutions: How to whitelist Prey in your security solution, firewall, or antivirus