Desktop Finder helps you quickly find a lab with free desktops.

Limitations

  • It only works on eduroam wifi (and other university computers) - not mobile data.
  • It's only for students with an account in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh.

Find a lab with free desktops using this URL (only on eduroam):

Add the page to your iPhone by visiting it in mobile Safari, then using the "share" button and clicking "Add to Home Screen" - like this:

    Choose the 'share' option' from the Mobile Safari toolbar Choose 'add to home screen' from the context menu

API and documentation

You can access the raw data through the readonly API:

Privacy Statement

The Desktop Finder service does not collect any personal data on its visitors. The server on which it runs does collect standard web activity and system logs of visitors, containing dates and times of your visits, your IP address and pages visited, which are retained only as long as necessary to ensure normal operation o the service. The site does not set any cookies or attempt to identify users in any way. The page adheres to the standard school Privacy Policy.

Accessibility Statement

The desktop finder service has not been specifically designed with accessibility in mind, but it is a simple, single-page website containing one table of information (a list of labs, along with the number of free computers in each lab) which can be interpreted simply, and backed by an API which contains the same data in JSON format. There are no plans to improve the service as it stands, however if you need help locating free lab machines and the deskview service is not sufficiently accessible to you please contact the Informatics Teaching Organisation or Computing Support who will be happy to help.

Last reviewed: 
08/08/2025