What Remote Desktop Connection Does

Remote Desktop Connection is a Windows tool that lets you see and control another computer from your own machine over a network or the internet. You type commands, move the mouse, and click buttons on the distant computer as if you were sitting in front of it. The other computer's screen appears in a window on your screen.

This is useful when you need to work on a computer that is not physically near you — a work machine at the office, a home computer while you are traveling, or a family member's computer when you are helping them troubleshoot. The connection is encrypted, so your keystrokes and screen content are not visible to others on the network.

Remote Desktop Connection comes built into Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. If you have Windows Home, you cannot use it to connect to other computers, though other computers can sometimes connect to yours using third-party software.

Key Takeaways

  • Remote Desktop Connection is built into Windows Pro and higher; Home edition cannot initiate connections to other computers.
  • The computer you want to control must have Remote Desktop enabled in its settings, and you need its IP address or hostname.
  • Both computers must be on the same network, or the distant computer must be set up to accept connections from the internet.
  • You open Remote Desktop Connection by typing "mstsc" into the Windows search box and entering the other computer's address.
  • The connection requires a username and password for the account on the distant computer.

Check Your Windows Edition and the Other Computer's Setup

Open Settings on the computer you want to control from. Press the Windows key, type "Settings," and open it. Go to System, then About, and look for "Edition." If it says Home, Remote Desktop cannot be enabled on that machine — you will need to use a third-party tool like TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop instead.

If the distant computer is Pro or higher, you need to turn on Remote Desktop there. On that computer, open Settings, go to System, then Remote Desktop, and toggle "Enable Remote Desktop" to On. Windows will ask you to confirm. Write down the computer's name — you can find it in the same Settings window under "Device name" — or find its IP address by opening Command Prompt and typing "ipconfig" (look for the IPv4 Address).

Both computers must be able to reach each other. If they are on the same home or office network, this usually works automatically. If you are connecting from outside the network — from a coffee shop or another city — the distant computer must be set up to accept connections from the internet, which requires router configuration and is more complex.

Open Remote Desktop Connection and Enter the Address

On the computer you are working from, press the Windows key and type "mstsc" (the program name). Click the Remote Desktop Connection icon. A small window opens with a field labeled "Computer."

Type the name or IP address of the distant computer. If you wrote down the device name, type that. If you have the IP address, type that instead — it looks like four numbers separated by dots, such as 192.168.1.50. Click Connect.

If Windows cannot find the computer, check that you typed the address correctly and that both machines are on the same network. If the distant computer is outside your network, you may need to type a full address that includes the internet-facing address and port number, which your network administrator can provide.

Enter Your Credentials and Start the Session

A login screen appears. Enter the username and password for an account on the distant computer — not your local computer. If the distant computer is part of a workplace domain, you may need to type the username as "DOMAIN\username" instead of just the username.

Click OK. Windows connects to the distant computer and displays its desktop in a window on your screen. The connection may take a few seconds. Once it opens, you can use the mouse and keyboard normally — everything you type and click goes to the distant computer, not your own.

The title bar of the window shows the name of the distant computer. If you want to switch back to your own computer, click outside the Remote Desktop window or press Alt+Tab to cycle between open windows.

Adjust Display and Performance Settings

Before you connect, you can change how the distant desktop appears. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Options to expand more settings. The Display tab lets you choose the resolution and color depth — lower settings use less bandwidth and are faster over slow internet connections, but the image is less sharp.

The Experience tab shows a slider for connection speed. If you are on a fast local network, choose LAN. If you are connecting over the internet or a slow connection, choose a lower speed option — this disables animations and background images on the distant desktop to make it feel snappier.

The Local Resources tab controls what parts of your computer the distant machine can access — your printer, your clipboard, your sound, and your hard drives. By default, your clipboard is shared so you can copy and paste between machines, but your printer and drives are not. Change these only if you need the distant computer to print to your printer or access your files.

End the Session and Disconnect

To close the connection, click the X button on the Remote Desktop window, or press Alt+F4. A dialog asks whether you want to disconnect or sign out. Choose Disconnect if you want to leave your session running on the distant computer — when you reconnect, your open programs and files will still be there. Choose Sign Out if you want to close everything and log out of that account.

The distant computer will return to its login screen or lock screen. Your local computer returns to normal, and the Remote Desktop window closes.

If the connection drops unexpectedly, Remote Desktop will tell you so. You can reconnect immediately by opening Remote Desktop Connection again and entering the address.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If you see "The computer cannot be found," check that you typed the address correctly and that the distant computer is powered on and connected to the network. Restart the distant computer if it has been asleep or in hibernation.

If you get "Access Denied" or the password does not work, make sure you are using the correct password for an account on the distant computer, not your local account. If the distant computer is on a domain, ask your network administrator for the correct username format.

If the connection is slow or laggy, lower the display resolution and color depth in the Options window, or choose a slower connection speed in the Experience tab. Closing other programs on the distant computer can also help.

If Remote Desktop is not available on the distant computer, check that it is running Windows Pro or higher and that Remote Desktop is enabled in Settings. If the distant computer is running Home edition, you will need to use a different tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Remote Desktop on a Mac or Linux computer?

Remote Desktop Connection is Windows-only software. Macs and Linux machines cannot be controlled with it. However, you can use Remote Desktop Connection from a Mac or Linux computer to connect to a Windows machine by installing a third-party client like Microsoft Remote Desktop (available for Mac) or Remmina (available for Linux).

Is Remote Desktop Connection secure?

Yes. The connection is encrypted, so passwords and screen content are not visible to others on the network. However, if you are connecting over the internet, make sure the distant computer is behind a firewall and that you use a strong password. Never share your password, and consider using a VPN if you are connecting from an untrusted network.

Can I connect to a computer that is turned off?

No. The distant computer must be powered on and connected to the network. Some computers support Wake-on-LAN, which lets you power them on remotely, but this requires special setup and is not a standard Remote Desktop feature.

What if I forget the password for the distant computer?

You will need to reset the password on that computer directly, or ask someone with access to it to reset it for you. Remote Desktop cannot bypass or reset passwords — it only lets you log in with existing credentials.

Can multiple people connect to the same computer at the same time?

Only one person can use Remote Desktop at a time on a standard Windows machine. If someone is already logged in at the distant computer, your connection will log them out. On Windows Server, multiple Remote Desktop sessions can run simultaneously.