Remote Desktop Windows 11 – How To Setup and Use It

Remote Desktop is still available for users running Windows 11, whether it be on a laptop or desktop. If you are wondering how to setup remote desktop protocol(RDP) or remote desktop into a Windows 11 PC running on the same network, this guide is for you.

Remote desktop connection is a feature that I love and have used for years. For someone with multiple computers on the same network, RDP makes it very easy and seamless to manage multiple PCs.

I faced some issues initially while installing RSAT on Windows 10 in the past so I opted for using RDP connections on Windows 11 directly instead.

As mentioned, this article is for computers that are connected on the same network, and no security features are enabled on the router/modem that might result in any discrepancies.

There are two parts to this guide.

First, you will have to setup the computer that is running Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise to accept remote desktop (RDP) connections.

However, you can connect to that computer from other computers as long as the client you are using has the Remote Desktop app or supports one.

1. Enable Remote Desktop Connection on Windows 11 Laptop or Desktop

If you are not sure what version of Windows 11 is installed on your system, please confirm that first.

Only devices with Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise version installed on them have this feature available, and if its a must you can always upgrade your current version to Windows 11 professional at a cost.

You can choose to enable remote desktop in a Windows 11 system via the UI (User interface) or the CLI(Command Line Interface).

In this guide, I have mentioned both of these methods. You are free to choose whichever you prefer or work on your Laptop or desktop.

1.1 Via The GUI Graphical User Interface

Open the start menu by either clicking on the windows icon on the taskbar at the bottom center of the screen or hitting the windows key on your keyboard.

Find and open “Settings”. You might have to do a quick search if it’s not listed under the start menu.

Alternatively, you can just search for “Remote desktop settings” in the start menu search bar and open that directly.

opening-remote-desktop-settings-start-menu

Under “System”, scroll towards the bottom of the window and click on “Remote Desktop”.

On the next page, you shall see the slider for Remote Desktop is “Off” and greyed out, click on it to enable this feature.

You will be asked to confirm if you would like to enable Remote Desktop Setting on that Windows 11 computer, click “Confirm”.

final-confirmation-window-to-enable-RDP

1.2 Enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11 Using Command Line Interface

For more advanced keyboard ninja warriors, here is how to enable remote desktop in Windows 11 via the Command line.

1.2.1 Using The Command Prompt

Search for CMD using the search bar, and make sure you run CMD as an administrator.

opening-cmd-as-admin-windows-11

Once the Command prompt is up and running, enter the following command as it is and hit enter.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

It should complete without any error and you should get a “The operation completed successfully” message as you see in the screenshot below.

enabling-remote-desktop-connection-windows-11-from-command-line

The remote desktop protocol RDP is now activated on your Windows 11 system but you cannot connect to it just yet.

You need to enable these RDP connections via the Windows firewall system. To do so, enter the following command into the same command prompt window followed by the enter key.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=Yes

1.2.2 Using The Windows Powershell

To activate the remote desktop protocol and allow remote desktop connection on your Windows 11 computer, do the following:

Start the Windows PowerShell will admin privileges in Windows 11.

Start > Search for "PowerShell" > Run as administrator
running-powershell-as-an-administrator

Type the following command or alternatively copy and paste into the PowerShell window and hit the enter key.

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -name "fDenyTSConnections" -value 0

You won’t see any confirmations but you should not see any error messages either.

Next, let’s enable RDP connections through the firewall with the command below.

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"
enabling-remote-desktop-windows-11-from-powershell-CLI

That’s how you can enable the Remote desktop protocol and enable remote desktop connection on a Windows 11 machine via the command line.

2. How To Connect To A Remote Windows 11 PC/Desktop/Laptop

Connecting to a remote Windows 11 PC is very simple as long as you have setup the host correctly.

Next thing you need is either the IP address of that PC or the PC’s name.

To find out both, open the command prompt on the PC you are trying to connect to that you just enabled RDP connections on.

Type the following commands to find out the respective information:

  • ipconfig – Displays all the internet adapter installed on your computer. Look for and find the IPv4 Address, you can use this to connect to this Windows 11 system.
    finding-ip-address-of-remote-computer-cmd-ipconfig
  • whoami – Reveals the name of the PC that you can use to connect to the PC from another client PC.
    whoami-computer-name-of-the-host

While connecting to that PC, you can do it from any operating system. Assuming you are using a windows machine, regardless if you have windows 7, windows 10, or Windows 11, you can use the default Remote desktop client.

There are a couple of ways you can start the RDP client. For simplicity and make it easier for everyone regardless of which version of windows you are using, do the following:

Go to Start and open “Run” or hit the Windows + “R” key on the keyboard.

starting-run-from-start

Enter mstsc and hit enter. This starts the Remote Desktop Client on Windows.

starting-RDP-cleint-from-run-windows-11-10-7-mstsc

In the textbox next to “Computer:” either enter the Windows 11 PC”s name or the IP address that you found using the command prompt commands earlier.

Finally, click on “Connect”.

connecting-to-windows-11-remote-host-using-rdp-client

Note: If you have multiple monitors, you can make use of multiple monitors in a remote session with Windows 11 too.

If the remote Windows 11 machine that you are trying to connect to is properly configured, you should receive a prompt to enter user credentials.

This is the username and the password you would normally use to login into that Windows 11 PC/desktop/laptop.

That’s how you can enable remote desktop protocol on Windows 11 and remote desktop into it from other PCs locally connected on the same network.

Prajwal is a senior editor @Windowslovers. A Tech enthusiast who loves to read and write articles that aid users in getting the most out of their gadgets and tech it easy.

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