6 Fixes for "The Remote Device or Resource Won't Accept the Connection"

Sometimes, when you are trying to connect to a network, you might encounter an issue. While running the Windows troubleshooter might usually be enough to fix it, you might also see the "remote device or resource won't accept the connection" message. Fortunately, there are ways to fix this error message and connect your device to the network.

In this article, we will explain the most effective fixes for the "remote device won't accept the connection" error.

Part 1. Possible Reasons for “The Remote Device or Resource Won’t Accept the Connection”

The message “the remote device or resource won’t accept the connection” often appears when you are trying to establish a connection on your device. Therefore, it is worth noting all the possible reasons that prevent this connection. Below, you will find a table and a detailed explanation of the possible causes for this error.

Network Connection Issue

Since the “remote device won’t accept the connection” error appears when you are trying to connect to a network, then it’s logical that one of the possible causes is network-related. For example, the DNS settings might be off or the network connection might be unstable. In addition to this, multiple devices might try to connect to the network, using the same IP address, which might lead to this message.

Firewall or Antivirus Settings Issue

Another common cause for connection issues is the firewall or antivirus software on your computer. Sometimes, the settings prevent the connection because they consider it a privacy threat. In this instance, you can simply change the firewall settings or disable it altogether to successfully establish the connection.

Proxy Server Issue

If you are using a proxy server to connect to the network, then this might be the cause of this error message. For instance, your proxy server configurations might not match the settings on the server you are trying to connect. In that case, simply disabling your proxy for a while or changing your proxy configurations might do the trick.

IP Address Issue

This is yet another issue that relates to your network connection. In some cases, it is possible that your IP address creates conflicts that prevent the connection. Therefore, by altering it you might eliminate these conflicts that interfere.

Group Policy Issue

If you have recently made some changes in your proxy server settings, then the group policies might not have yet been updated. If that’s the case, then this is the reason why you get the “remote device won’t accept the connection” message as it will detect a mismatch in the configurations. Try to force update group policies to solve the error.

Server Issues

Finally, the “remote device or resource won’t accept the connection” message might appear due to server-related issues. The server might be down for maintenance, or down because it can’t handle any more connections. In that case, there is nothing wrong with your device or the network and the error message will continue to appear until the server is up and running.

Part 2. Fixes for "The Remote Device or Resource Won't Accept the Connection"

As you can see, the "remote device or resource won’t accept the connection" message appears for a variety of reasons. Luckily, there is a possible fix for each one of these causes and below we are going to give you step-by-step guides on how to use it.

Fix 1. Check Network Connections

When you see the "remote device won't accept the connection" error message, the first thing that you should do is check the status of your network connection. If you notice that the issue lies there, you can reset your connection settings or run the network troubleshooter.

To reset your network, follow these steps:

Another possible fix is to run the network troubleshooter. You can do that by following these steps:

Fix 2. Disable Firewall

The next fix requires you to disable your antivirus and firewall as they might interfere with the connection. First of all, we will show you how to disable Windows' built-in antivirus:

Apart from that, you can also disable the Windows Defender Firewall to fix this error message. The steps to do that are the following:

Fix 3. Disable Proxy

If you encounter “the remote device or resource won’t accept the connection” because of a proxy server, then disabling it will fix the issue. Here is how to achieve that:

Fix 4. Reset IP Address

Another possible fix for this error is to reset your IP address. The steps for this method are the following:

Fix 5. Update Group Policy

As we have already mentioned, outdated group policies might be the cause of the error. For this reason, you can solve it by force updating them. The steps to do that are the following:

Fix 6. Check Server Status

If none of the above methods works, then you should probably check your server’s status. When the server is down or overloaded, you will see the “remote device won’t accept the connection” message and there is nothing you can do about it, until the server is fixed. The simplest way to determine whether the server is working is to access it through your browser or using the “ping” command on the command prompt.