What is remote desktop and how can it be used?

The use of remote desktop con­nec­tions is now standard practice in many pro­fes­sions and has become in­dis­pens­able, es­pe­cial­ly for terminal services and helpdesk tasks. Remote desktop control also makes it easy and con­ve­nient to access an office computer from home. As the setup process is not always straight­for­ward, this article explains how to establish a remote desktop con­nec­tion step by step.

What does remote desktop mean?

A remote desktop con­nec­tion makes it possible to connect your own computer (client) to another computer (server). If the technical re­quire­ments are met, users can establish a remote desktop session from virtually anywhere. Depending on the per­mis­sions granted, they receive full access to the remote computer. You can picture it like this, from your home computer you can use remote access to access all programs, files, and network resources on your office computer, just as if you were sitting at your desk.

What are the re­quire­ments for a remote desktop con­nec­tion?

To establish a remote desktop con­nec­tion, several technical re­quire­ments must be met. Remote access only works if the target computer is connected to the same network or to the internet. Make sure the server is powered on when you attempt to connect and has an active network con­nec­tion. In addition, remote desktop access must be enabled on the server. You should also ensure that the relevant network can be reached from outside and that you have per­mis­sion to initiate a remote desktop session. This usually requires a valid user account and the cor­re­spond­ing password on the remote computer.

How to set up Windows Remote Desktop

Microsoft offers remote desktop ap­pli­ca­tions using its in-house network protocol, the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP is es­sen­tial­ly the control tool for terminal services (Remote Desktop Services) and ensures that remote desktop commands are executed. It controls both the terminal server and the terminal client, managing the trans­mis­sion of screen content as well as keyboard and mouse input over the network. A server version of Windows is not required.

Option 1: Windows Remote As­sis­tance

Windows Remote As­sis­tance is one way to enable remote desktop access. It allows users to invite an external person into the system. This is es­pe­cial­ly useful for remote main­te­nance sessions in which tech­ni­cians connect to a local system and can perform software repairs or system settings on the user’s behalf.

Step 1: Make sure Remote Desktop is enabled. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Open Settings, then select “System” in the left-hand menu, scroll down, and select “Remote Desktop”.
2. Enable Remote Desktop by switching the toggle to “On”.
3. Select “Confirm” in the dialog box that opens. A new menu item with your PC name appears in Settings.

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Confirm the security prompt that appears.

Step 2: Now invite an external person. To do this, type “msra” into the search box at the bottom of your screen, or follow these steps:

1. Use the search box to open “Control Panel” -> “System and Security”.
2. Under “System,” select the link “Start Remote As­sis­tance.”

This will open a prompt window. From there, select “Invite someone you trust to help you” to request as­sis­tance.

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Step 3: You can now send an in­vi­ta­tion to the external person. For this, Windows suggests various methods:

• “Save this in­vi­ta­tion as a file”: You save the in­vi­ta­tion file on your computer and then manually send it as an email at­tach­ment.
• “Use email to send an in­vi­ta­tion”: If you have a com­pat­i­ble email program, it opens au­to­mat­i­cal­ly and the file can be sent directly.

The Easy Connect option is sometimes shown, but it often can’t be selected because it no longer works in current Windows con­fig­u­ra­tions.

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A dialog box opens au­to­mat­i­cal­ly. Windows displays a time-limited one-time password and prompts you to forward it. Send the one-time password and the in­vi­ta­tion file sep­a­rate­ly to the person you want to invite.

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Step 4: The con­nec­tion is es­tab­lished. The external person can now view your desktop and request control. With your repeated approval**, they are granted full control. Using the password you provided, the external person can now connect to the remote computer and enter the password in the displayed window.

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Step 5: You are prompted to confirm the con­nec­tion. Click “Yes” to proceed. Any transfer of control requires your explicit approval.

Step 6: The con­nec­tion is es­tab­lished. The external person can now view your desktop and request control. With your repeated approval they are granted full control.

Option 2: Windows remote desktop con­nec­tion

With a remote desktop con­nec­tion, you can sign in to a host system without another person actively joining the session. In this setup, the local system acts as a server, allowing you to log in as if you were a local user. This option is par­tic­u­lar­ly useful in the home office, for example when you want to access your office PC from home. However, it requires a com­pat­i­ble Windows edition on the host system: Windows Pro, Education, or En­ter­prise. Devices running Windows Home cannot host remote desktop con­nec­tions; they only support remote as­sis­tance.

Step 1: As with the previous method, remote desktop access must be enabled. You can find the cor­re­spond­ing option under Settings → System → Remote Desktop.

Step 2: Launch the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client by searching for “Remote Desktop Con­nec­tion” or by typing mstsc in the search box. This will open the Remote Desktop Con­nec­tion window.

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Step 3: In the window, enter the name of the target computer and your username on that system.

To establish a remote desktop con­nec­tion on the local network, simply enter the computer name or the internal IP address of the target system. For con­nec­tions over the internet, use the host computer’s public IP address or the ap­pro­pri­ate host name con­fig­ured for remote access.

Step 4: In the window that opens au­to­mat­i­cal­ly, enter the username and the cor­re­spond­ing password for remote desktop access on the target system. Next, confirm the cer­tifi­cate security prompt. Once au­then­ti­ca­tion is suc­cess­ful, the full desktop of the target system will be displayed, allowing you to use it just like a locally used computer.

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Frequent Windows issues with the firewall and Wi-Fi router

Windows has an active firewall enabled by default, which protects your computer from unau­tho­rized access. However, with remote as­sis­tance or a remote desktop con­nec­tion, this pro­tec­tion can prevent con­nec­tions from being es­tab­lished, es­pe­cial­ly for access over the internet.

Issue 1: Firewall

Once you enable Remote Desktop in Windows settings, Windows typically creates the necessary firewall rules au­to­mat­i­cal­ly. The TCP port 3389 for RDP is opened, so manual ad­just­ments, as required in earlier versions of Windows, are usually un­nec­es­sary. However, it’s still useful to check the firewall manually if:

• Remote Desktop can’t be reached despite being enabled,
• ad­di­tion­al security software is installed, or
• Group Policy settings override the firewall con­fig­u­ra­tion.

In such cases, check whether “Remote Desktop” and “Remote As­sis­tance” are enabled under “Control Panel” -> “System and Security” -> “Windows Defender Firewall” -> “Allow an app through Windows Firewall.”

Issue 2: Wi‑Fi router

A Wi-Fi router can also pose a challenge and prevent a remote desktop con­nec­tion from being es­tab­lished. If the target computer is behind a router, it typically blocks incoming con­nec­tions from the internet by default. To enable direct RDP access, you will need to:

• set up a for­ward­ing rule in the router for TCP port 3389, or
• use a VPN con­nec­tion.

TeamView­er is an al­ter­na­tive to Microsoft

Microsoft Remote Desktop can be somewhat com­pli­cat­ed to use and requires some prior knowledge. However, there are several user-friendly al­ter­na­tives, par­tic­u­lar­ly popular with beginners. Es­tab­lish­ing a remote desktop con­nec­tion through third-party providers is often more straight­for­ward than using Microsoft services, as it typically doesn’t require firewall or router ad­just­ments.

TeamView­er is one of the most popular remote desktop tools, used by in­di­vid­u­als and busi­ness­es worldwide. With just a few clicks, you can quickly and easily conduct remote support sessions or pre­sen­ta­tions.

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Once the download is complete, you can launch TeamView­er im­me­di­ate­ly and begin. Upon opening, a temporary ID and password are generated au­to­mat­i­cal­ly. These can be viewed at any time in the display window and shared with your contacts.

To establish a remote desktop con­nec­tion, simply enter your contact’s ID in the “Par­tic­i­pant’s ID” field, followed by the cor­re­spond­ing password. If you need as­sis­tance, the process is just as simple by sharing your ID number and password with your contact. Ad­di­tion­al features like file transfer, chat, audio and video com­mu­ni­ca­tion, and contact man­age­ment further enhance the ex­pe­ri­ence. If the interface or feature set doesn’t meet your pref­er­ences, you can explore one of the many TeamView­er al­ter­na­tives.

Remote desktop con­nec­tions with other operating systems such as Linux and macOS

Wouldn’t it be useful if Windows users could access Linux or macOS systems just as easily? You can! Remote desktop con­nec­tions are no longer limited to Windows systems. Today, Linux and macOS computers can also be con­trolled remotely in a reliable and secure manner. Both cross-platform protocols and native clients are available for this purpose. The right solution depends on the operating system, intended use, and security re­quire­ments.

Remote desktop on Linux and using RDP instead of classic VNC

For modern Linux dis­tri­b­u­tions like Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS, it’s rec­om­mend­ed to use an RDP-com­pat­i­ble server. This allows you to access the Linux system directly with the Windows Remote Desktop client, without needing ad­di­tion­al viewer software. One well-es­tab­lished solution is xrdp, which natively supports the RDP protocol. In­stal­la­tion is simple and requires just a few steps. Open Ubuntu and enter the following commands one by one in the terminal window:

Step 1: Update the system

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install xrdp

sudo apt install xrdp

Step 3: Enable the service

sudo systemctl enable xrdp
sudo systemctl start xrdp

Step 4: Adjust the firewall (if active)

sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp

Afterward, you can sign in using Windows Remote Desktop Con­nec­tion (mstsc) by entering the IP address or hostname of the Linux system.

Remote desktop on macOS using Microsoft Remote Desktop

macOS does not provide its own RDP server, but it can easily be used as an RDP client. For this purpose, Microsoft offers the Windows App, a free remote desktop ap­pli­ca­tion available in the Mac App Store. The app in­te­grates seam­less­ly into the macOS en­vi­ron­ment and supports, among other things, multi-monitor mode, the clipboard, and file and resource redi­rec­tion.

After in­stal­la­tion, enter the target computer’s IP address or hostname, and then sign in to the remote system using the ap­pro­pri­ate cre­den­tials.