Remote Desktop Not Working: Why and How to Fix?
Remote Desktop Connection is a very useful application that allows you to easily connect to a remote PC. You can use this app to remotely access a device for troubleshooting or performing basic tasks. This is why it is very frustrating when you encounter a remote desktop not working issue. For example, when remote desktop can’t connect to the remote computer, you aren’t able to perform any of the tasks you wished to.
In this article, we are going to examine the reasons and possible fixes for the remote desktop not working on Windows issues.
Part 1. Why Is My Remote PC Not Working?
As you can understand, when a Windows 11 remote desktop not working issue arises, it can disrupt your work and daily tasks. However, before we start going through the possible fixes, it is useful to highlight the reasons why they appeared in the first place. This way, you will understand why you need to try the fixes that we are going to explain in the following section.
In more detail, the most common reasons for remote desktop not working are the following:
| Wrong credentials | Basic Check |
| Wrong Windows version | Check the Windows Version |
| Slow network connection | Check the Network Connection |
| Firewall settings block the computers’ IPs | Allow RDP Traffic in Firewall |
| Remote Desktop is disabled | Enable Remote Desktop Services on Remote Computer |
| User permissions are lacking | Check and Grant Permissions |
| Inappropriate display settings | Check Display Settings |
| DNS or IP problems | Check DNS and IP Settings |
| Other unknown problems | Restart Computers |
Part 2. How to Fix Remote Desktop Not Working?
There are many reasons why the remote desktop can't connect to the remote computer. Below, we will see some possible fixes for all of these cases.
1Basic Checks
The first thing that you can do to fix this issue is to perform some basic checks. First and foremost, make sure that the remote computer is turned on, working, and not in another remote connection. If the computer is turned off or is already controlled by another PC, then you won't be able to establish a remote connection.
Another thing that you also need to check is the credentials you are using. Find the IP address of the computer you are trying to access remotely and compare it to the one you have typed in the Remote Desktop Connection app. If they don’t match, make the appropriate changes and try again.
2Check the Windows Version
One more thing that you need to check is the version of the Remote Desktop server. This is a piece of information that many users overlook, but the Remote Desktop services are not available to all Windows editions. To be more precise, the PC that you are connecting to must run a Windows Pro edition. However, this doesn't apply to the client that can run either Pro or Home editions.
If you go to Settings > System > About, you will be able to check your Windows editing under the "Windows Specifications" section.
3Check the Network Connection
Having a stable network connection is essential for using Remote Desktop. That's why you need to ensure that it works properly on both computers. An easy way to determine if your network is working is to send a ping. Here is how to do that:
- Step 1.Type command prompt on the search bar and launch it.
- Step 2.Type ping 8.8.8.8 and hit Enter.
- Step 3.Wait until the check has ended. If you receive a Destination host unreachable message, then your network configuration is incorrect and you must contact your network provider.
4Allow RDP Traffic in Firewall
As we have mentioned, there are cases where the firewall is blocking the RDP traffic. If that's the case for the remote desktop not working issue, then you need to change your firewall settings. The steps for doing that are the following:
- Step 1.Type Windows Defender Firewall on the search bar, and then click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall that you will find on the sidebar.
- Step 2.Find Remote Desktop on the list and check the box that is before it.
- Step 3.Click the OK button to save the changes.
5Enable Remote Desktop Services on Remote Computer
Sometimes Remote Desktop Connection is not working because you haven't enabled Remote Desktop Services. Therefore, you can solve the issue by changing the settings.
Go to Settings > System > Remote Desktop and toggle the switch to enable them. If you have a Windows Home edition, thus being unable to use Remote Desktop as we have explained above, you will see an appropriate message.
6Check and Grant Permissions
Another reason why Remote Desktop is not working on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computers is that they lack permissions. You can easily assign them by following these steps:
- Step 1.Launch Command Prompt as an administrator and type gpresult /H c:\gpresult.html.
- Step 2.Open the file gpresult.html.
- Step 3.Then, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections > Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services.
- Step 4.Change the policy to either Enabled or Not Configured.
- Step 5.Launch Command Prompt as an administrator and type the command gpupdate /force
- Step 6.Finally, delete the blocking policy.
7Check Display Settings
In some cases, the display settings can cause an issue like a black screen. For this reason, you can try changing them to see if it works for your case.
Here are some checks you can perform:
- Step 1.Launch Remote Desktop Connection and click the “Show Options” button.
- Step 2.Go to the Display tab and choose High Color (16 bit) from the drop-down menu.
- Step 3.On the same tab, change the display configuration to match the server with the client.
8Check DNS and IP Settings
The following fix requires you to check your DNS and IP settings. You can check your IP configuration by going to the Command Prompt and typing the command “ipconfig”. This will display all of your server’s network connections. Then, do the following:
- Step 1.Go to your Control Panel and click Network and Sharing.
- Step 2.Click the Change Adapter Settings option from the sidebar.
- Step 3.Right-click on your network and click Properties from the menu.
- Step 4.Find and click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then click Properties.
- Step 5.Select the Obtain DNS server address automatically option and click OK.
9Restart Computers
If none of the above solutions work, you can try restarting both computers. In some instances, there are bugs that will be solved by a simple reboot. If this doesn’t work, then you should contact Microsoft Support. Go to https://support.microsoft.com/ to reach out to the company and request help.
Conclusion
If you encounter the “remote desktop not working” issue, try all of these solutions. If you can’t find a way to fix it, you can also use some remote support software to establish a remote connection.
FAQs about Remote Desktop Not Working
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