You are sitting in front of your computer but you have to access a different machine at that same time. What do you do?
Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection tool will help you in this situation where you can access the required PC from afar. The computer just needs to be turned on and set up for remote connection and you are good to go.
You can all sorts of things, open a file, run an application or just remotely work on it.
Through this RDC tool, you can access many computers remotely, over the same network.
RDC is also a Windows 10 Universal app. If you would want to access it from other non-Windows devices, you can find the RDC app, by Microsoft, available for Mac, Android, and iOS.
Setting Up Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection
- The first thing that you need to do is physically sign into the PC that is to be remotely accessed.
- Now just turn on the Remote Desktop on this PC by opening Settings, then System, and then Remote Desktop.
- Right next to “Enable Remote Desktop” there will be a switch which you have to turn on. Then click on Confirm to enable the setting.
By default, you will have two options enabled, one which will make your PC available for connections and the other that will keep it discoverable on private networks. You can modify both options by clicking on the appropriate Show Settings link, but at this point, you might as well keep them both enabled.
- Click on the link for the advanced settings.
- Here check the box right next to “ Require computers to use Network Level Authentication(NLA) to connect”. This NLA adds very tight security for remote connections over the same network as here the users have to be authenticated before gaining access to the remote PC.
If you are connecting to a computer on the same network you might as well ignore the “External Connections” section. The Remote Desktop port sections show the default port where the connections are listened for and accepted.
- Now click the back arrow and you will return to the previous screen.
- Then scroll down through the Remote Desktop settings. If you have an administrative account on the remote PC you can easily access it.
- If you want to grant the rights to remotely access a different account, just click on the “Select users that can remotely access this PC” link which will be at the bottom of the screen.
- Then click on Add and enter the username of the account.
You need to remember the name of this computer, as you will need to remotely log in. You could also change the name of the computer to something easier to remember.
Connecting to Remote PC From Windows
Now you can connect to this PC from the comfort of your home.
- Just launch the Remote Desktop Connection tool by opening the folder for Windows accessories by clicking on the Start button.
- Then click on the shortcut for Remote Desktop Connection.
- Then on the RDC window, fill in the name or IP address of the remote PC in the Computer field.
- Then click on the Show Options button and fill in the username of the account that you will use to log in. Then click connect.
- At the credentials window, enter your password.
Now you are connected to the remote computer. You can open and work on files, run applications and perform different other tasks. The top of the screen has a blue connection bar which has various options.
When you are done you can click the Close icon and the connection will be ended.
Remote Desktop App for Windows 10
You can also use the RDC app in Windows 10. You just have to install the app from the Microsoft Store and launch it. Then just click on the Add button and select the option for Desktop to set up the connection.
Then type the computer’s name and click the plus(+) button and add your account. Add your username and password to the account window. Then double-click the icon and the remote PC is connected to it.
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Connect to a PC From a Mac, iOS, or Android
To connect to a remote computer from a Mac, iOS, or Android device, the steps are more or less the same.
First, You have to install the Microsoft Remote Desktop app from the respective app store of your device. It is available on all the three mentioned Operating Systems. Then just launch the app on your device and grant it the necessary permissions.
You can now add the PC name, which has to be the fully qualified domain name.
Then add your required credentials, the username of the PC, and the password.
For the User Accounts, you can choose whether the app is supposed to ask you every time for your credentials when you try to connect. If you think that is annoying you can check for an option on the screen here which will allow you to save your credentials, so that you don’t have to fill them in again and again.
Then you will be connected and you can work on the target computer remotely from your device.
