Here’s how to enable it:
- In the search box, type “Run” and press “Enter”. It will open the Run dialog box.
- Type “sysdm.cpl” and click “OK”.
- Go to the “Remote” tab and check the “Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer” box.
- Also, select the “Allow remote connections to this computer” option.
- Click “OK” to save changes.
After making these changes, try to initiate the Remote Desktop again. You should now be able to successfully establish a remote connection.
2. Change Windows Firewall Settings
Windows Firewall is known to cause many network-related problems. It could be blocking the Remote Desktop connection request. By default, Remote Desktop is not allowed in the Windows Firewall. So, if you are using it for the first time on your computer, you have to allow it through the Firewall.
Here’s how to do it:
- In the search box, type “Windows Security” and hit the “Enter” button.
- Now, tap on “Firewall and network protection” from the left panel.
- Click “Allow an app through firewall”.
- Find “Remote Desktop” and check both the “Private” and “Public” boxes next to it.
- Finally, click “OK” to save changes.
Initiate the remote desktop connection request again and you should be able to take control of another computer.
If you have installed additional antivirus software, check if that is blocking the Remote Desktop connections.
3. Check Your Internet Connection
Your internet connection could be the source of the problem. To use the Remote Desktop feature, you require a stable internet connection. Not just on your device, but the computer also you are trying to connect to. You should therefore check the internet connection status on both devices before making a remote desktop connection request again.
If you are facing issues with the internet connection, reboot the router once. It is good enough to fix common router problems. You can reboot the router using the device’s settings or simply unplug the power cable for a minute and plug it in again.
4. Turn off Custom Scaling
The custom scaling option seems to have caused issues with the Remote Desktop feature on many computers. Disabling it has helped many users in fixing issues with Remote Desktop. You should therefore give this solution a try.
Follow these steps to turn off custom scaling:
- Right-click on the Windows logo at the bottom and select “Settings”.
- Tap on “System”.
- Under the “Scale and layout” section, you’ll see the message “A custom scale factor is set”. This message won’t show up if you haven’t changed the used custom scaling. On Windows 11, you can find this option by going to Settings > System > Display > Scale.
- If custom scaling is set, tap on “Turn off custom scaling and sign out” to turn it off.
Once you turn off custom scaling, you’ll be signed out. Now, sign back into your account, and try using the Remote Desktop feature to check if the problem is fixed.
5. Add a New Key in Registry Editor
Adding a new key in the Registry Editor could fix the Remote Desktop not working issue. Make this small change to the registry and you should be able to use Remote Desktop.
Here are the required steps:
- Open the “Run” dialog box by using Windows + R shortcut.
- Type “regedit” and hit the “Enter” button. It should open the Registry Editor window.
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client.
- Right-click on the blank space on the right side and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Set “RDGClientTransport” as the name of the new DWORD.
- Double-click on the newly created DWORD to open its properties.
- Now, set the Value data to “1” and click “OK”.
After completing these steps, restart your computer and start using Remote Desktop.
6. Remove Saved Credentials
Perhaps, the credentials have changed since the last time a connection was established. You should remove the saved credentials. This solution has worked for many people and hopefully, it will also work for you.
Here’s how to do it:
- In the search box, type “Remote desktop connection” and press Enter.
- The Remote Desktop Connection window should appear on your screen. Go to the “Advanced” tab.
- Tap on “Settings” under “Connect from anywhere”.
- Now, click “Delete Credentials”.
Wrapping It Up
Remote Desktop is a useful feature to access a computer from anywhere in the world. But, there can be times when it won’t work. In this detailed guide, we discussed the reasons that could be causing issues with the Remote Desktop feature and the effective solutions to deal with it. We hope one of the solutions fixed the issues on your computer.
