How do I automatically connect to remote desktop?

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  Is there a setting that will automatically connect to an RDP machine when I select that remote desktop from the menu bar>Remote desktops? Currently I have to select the machine and then I must click Session>Connect.

  Thanks

  Jeff Powell CPIM,CSCP Sr. Support Escalation Engineer Microsoft Dyanmics AX

  Saturday, November 26, 2016 6:29 PM

So, What Is A Remote Desktop?

A remote desktop is a feature of an operating system, such as Microsoft, that allows users to log in to and access computers that exist on the same network. From there, it’s possible to view a screen, control where the mouse goes, and conduct keyboard tasks, all from a virtual desktop and operating system!

Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol [RDP]

One of the most common tools for establishing remote desktop connections is Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol. For system administrators out there, RDP is an invaluable tool that allows users to manage workstations, servers, clusters, and other remote systems, all from one single location, all within a convenient remote desktop app.

It provides an all-inclusive remote display and input capabilities that are put in place via network connections, designed for Windows-based applications that happen to be running on a particular server.

RDP is among the most popular remote desktop protocols by now regarding remote access to Windows devices and machines. Over 4.5 million RDP servers are operating on the internet alone. In addition, there are many more RDPs that are accessed daily from specific internal networks as well.

For some roles, it’s commonplace to need to establish more than one remote desktop connection at a time. We’ll delve into how to do that now.

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How to configure a remote desktop connection in Windows

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on March 30, 2020, 9:31 AM PDT

How to configure a remote desktop connection in Windows

Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection tool offers various settings you can tweak for better performance, reliability, and overall experience.

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

With more people working from home due to the coronavirus, there’s a greater need to connect to remote workstations and servers. One handy tool for accessing remote PCs is Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection [RDC]. Built into Windows and available for other platforms, RDC lets you configure and use remote sessions to work with PCs in other locations.

Using RDC’s basic features, you can easily establish a connection to each remote PC. But by using some of the more advanced features and settings, you can fine-tune the performance, reliability, and overall experience of each session.

If you work for an organization, your IT department may already control these settings through Group Policy or other means; so, this process is more applicable to individuals and smaller businesses that don’t centrally manage these options.

SEE:How to work from home: IT pro’s guidebook to telecommuting and remote work[TechRepublic Premium]

Launching the Remote Desktop Connection differs based on your version of Windows. In Windows 10, click the Start button, scroll down the list of apps, open the folder for Windows Accessories, and click the shortcut for Remote Desktop Connection. In Windows 8.1, press the Win key+S to launch the Search tool. In the search field, type windows remote desktop, and click the result. In Windows 7, click the Start button, open the Accessories folder, and select the shortcut for Remote Desktop Connection.

At the Remote Desktop Connection window, enter the computer name or IP address for the remote machine you want to access. Then, type your username in the appropriate field, and click the Connect button. But before you do that, let’s check out some of the different settings. If you can’t see the more advanced settings, click the Show Options button. The RDC window organizes its settings into different sections–we’ll go through them one by one.

1. General tab

In the General tab, you can check or uncheck the box for Always Ask For Credentials. Unchecking this box spares you from having to enter your password each time you connect to the same machine. If you’re concerned about this for security reasons, leave the box checked. If you’ve already saved your credentials and need to change or delete them, make sure the box is unchecked, and click the edit or delete link in the sentence above it.

The option to Save The Current Connection Settings To An RDP File is useful if you want to use the same remote connections on a different PC. If so, click the Save or Save As button, and copy the RDP file to your other PC. There, you can open the RDP file to access the same sessions so you don’t have to reestablish them [Figure A].

Figure A

2. Display tab

Click the Display tab. In the area for Display Configuration, you can set the initial size of your remote desktop session. By default, the session opens full screen with full resolution to use your entire monitor screen. If you’d like to see the session in a smaller, resizable window at a lower resolution, drag the slider bar to the left. Further, if you have a multi-monitor setup, you can check the box to Use All My Monitors For The Remote Session.

In the area for Colors, you can change the color depth of the remote session. Typically, you’ll want to keep this set to Highest Quality, but if bandwidth issues slow down the performance of the connection, you can experiment with lower color settings as a possible remedy [Figure B].

You should opt to Display The Connection Bar When I Use The Full Screen, so that you can easily access the different controls for your remote session in full-screen mode.

Figure B

3. Local Resources tab

Go to the Local Resources tab. In the area for Remote Audio, click the Settings button. Here, you can choose if and where sounds from the remote computer will be heard. If the audio from the remote PC is important, change the settings to Play On This Computer so you can hear them. You can then also decide whether to allow remote audio recording. If you changed the setting here, click OK.

In the area for Keyboard, click the drop-down menu button. Here, you can determine when and where any Windows keyboard shortcuts you press will apply, either on the remote PC or on your current PC.

In the area for Local Devices And Resources, you can check the boxes for any local resources you want to use during a remote session, such as your local printers and clipboard. Click the More button to view and select other devices you might want to use locally, such as ports, disk drives, and plug and play devices, and then click OK. Checking these boxes means that the remote PC has access to your local resources. For security reasons, you should limit the resources made available this way to only the essential ones [Figure C].

Figure C

4. Experience tab

Click the Experience tab. In the Performance area, click the drop-down menu to choose your connection speed. By default, you’ll want to keep this set to Detect Connection Quality Automatically. However, if you are running into performance issues with your sessions, you can play with other types of connections to see if the speed improves.

The setting for Persistent Bitmap Caching should remain checked as this option tries to speed up performance by storing the same remote images locally so they don’t have to be transmitted again and again. The setting for Reconnect If The Connection Is Dropped should also stay checked if you wish to reestablish a dropped connection automatically [Figure D].

Figure D

5. Advanced tab

Finally, move to the Advanced tab. In the area for Server Authentication, click the drop-down menu. This setting determines how to handle connections to computers that aren’t verified. Depending on the types of machines to which you’ll connect [e.g., workstations versus servers], you typically want to keep this set to Warn Me so you have some control over it.

The area for Connect From Anywhere applies if your organization uses a Remote Desktop Gateway to allow connections to internal PCs from outside the firewall. If so, this would be a setting determined by your IT department. Click the Settings button to see how this is configured. Unless instructed otherwise, leave it set to Automatically Detect RD Gateway Server Settings [Figure E].

When done, you can connect to a remote PC or close the RDP window.

Figure E

Lance Whitney

Published: March 30, 2020, 9:31 AM PDT Modified: March 24, 2020, 8:25 AM PDT See more Software

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How to allow remote connections on Windows 10

The Remote Desktop app is easy to use to connect to other devices. However, the configuration you need will depend on whether you're trying to connect in the local network or through the internet.

Enable remote connections on Windows 10

When trying to start a remote connection from within the local area network [LAN], you only need to make sure the computer you're trying to access has the option to allow remote desktop connections enabled.

Control Panel

To enable remote connections on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.

3. Under the "System" section, click the Allow remote access option..

   Source: Windows Central

4. Click the Remote tab.

5. Under the "Remote Desktop" section, check the Allow remote connections to this computer option.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Check the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication option.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Click the Apply button.
9. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, remote desktop connections will be allowed on the device. Windows 10 will even add the necessary rules in the built-in Microsoft Defender Firewall, but you may need to configure the rules manually if you have a third-party firewall.

Settings app

You can also enable the Remote Desktop feature using the Settings app with these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Remote Desktop.

4. Turn on the Enable Remote Desktop toggle switch.

   Source: Windows Central

5. Click the Confirm button.

If you're setting up a remote desktop using an internet connection, continue with the steps below. If you're trying to connect to another device within the local network, you can skip to the steps below, and continue with the start a remote desktop connection instructions.

Enable remote connections on router

If you have to access the computer over the internet, you will also have to configure the router [modem] to allow the remote connection. A process that also requires knowing the public address to contact the remote computer.

Configure static IP address on Windows 10

Computers usually get assigned dynamic IP addresses from the DHCP server [router], which means they can always change. If you plan to use remote desktop often, you may want to configure a static IP address to avoid reconfiguring port forwarding on the router when the computer gets a new address.

Control Panel

To set a permanent IP address configuration, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on Network and Internet.

3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.

   Source: Windows Central

4. Click the Change adapter settings option from the left navigation pane.

   Source: Windows Central

5. Right-click the active adapter and select the Properties option.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 [TCP/IPv4] option.

7. Click the Properties button.

   Source: Windows Central

8. Click the General tab.
9. Select the Use the following IP address option.

10. Specify a valid local IP address outside the local DHCP scope to prevent address conflicts. For example, 10.1.4.201.

    Source: Windows Central

    Quick tip: Typically, you'll find this information on the router inside the DHCP settings section. The routers' interface is always different per manufacturer, which means that you may need to consult your manufacturer support website for more specific details. If you're unsure of the configuration you have to use, you can use your current TCP/IP configuration as a reference, which you can find running the ipconfig /all command in Command Prompt.

11. Specify a subnet mask for the network [for example, 255.255.255.0], but the system usually fills this infomration for you based on the "IP address" you entered earlier.
12. Specify the default gateway address, which is the router's address—for example, 10.1.4.1.

13. Under the "Use the following DNS server addresses" section, in the "Preferred DNS server" field, specify the IP address of your DNS server, which in most cases is also the address of the router —for example, 10.1.4.1.

    Quick tip: If you can't connect to the internet, you may also want to try using one of the Google Public DNS addresses [such as 8.8.8.8] for the "Alternate DNS server" option.

14. Click the OK button.
15. Click the Close button.

After you complete the steps, the new network configuration will apply, and the IP settings will never change.

Some routers include a feature to make the current TCP/IP configuration static. If you want to use this option instead, you can consult your manufacturer support website for specific steps on how to complete this task.

Determine network public IP address

You'll also need the remote network's public IP address to contact the device over the internet.

To find the IP address assigned by the Internet Service Provider [ISP], use these steps:

1. Open web browser.
2. Visit Bing.com or Google.com.
3. Search for "What's my IP."

4. Confirm your public IP address in the first result.

   Source: Windows Central

Usually, for residential customers, internet providers also offer dynamic public IP addresses, which means that your public IP address may change from time to time.

If you need a more reliable solution, there are "Dynamic Domain Name System" [DDNS] services [such as DynDNS, OpenDNS, No-IP, Asus.com [for Asus routers]], which can track the public IP changes. Alternatively, you can also contact your ISP to request a static IP address, but it might costs you additional since this is typically a feature reserved for business.

Forward port on router

You must also forward the TCP port 3389 on the router to allow a remote connection over the internet to the computer in the local network.

Quick note: The interface to change the router settings are different per manufacturer, and sometimes even per model. However, you can use the following instructions as a reference to configure your router. You can always check the manufacturer support website for more specific details.

To forward a port on your router, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

3. Type the following command to view the current TCP/IP configuration and press Enter:

   ipconfig

4. Under the "IPv4 Address" field, confirm the device address. For example, 10.1.4.100.

5. Under the "Default Gateway" field, confirm the device gateway address [the router address]—for example, 10.1.4.1.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Open web browser.
7. Type the IP address of the router [Default Gateway] in the address bar and press Enter.

8. Sign in to the router using the correct username and password.

   Quick tip: If you have never done this, and you are using the router provided by the ISP, you can find the information on a sticker attached to the device.

9. Browse to the Port Forwarding settings page.
10. Confirm that the Port Forwarding service is enabled [if applicable].

11. Under the port forwarding list, click [in this case] the Add profile button.

    Source: Windows Central

12. Create a new port forward with the required information. For example:

    • Service name: Specify the reference name for the service. For instance, OfficePC Remote [optional].
    • Protocol: TCP.
    • External Port: 3389.
    • Internal Port: 3389.
    • Internal IP Address: Specify the IP address of the computer you're trying to connect. For instance, 10.1.4.100
    Source: Windows Central

13. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the port will open on the router, allowing remote desktop connections through the internet to that specific computer.

Have AnyDesk Installed on Both Devices

To use AnyDesk, it will need to be installed on both devices. If you want to connect remotely to a few different devices, they will also need the program installed.

Set Password on Remote Device

– Open AnyDesk on the remote device.

– Next click on the ‘Security’ tab found in the menu on your left.

– Then make sure to check the option to ‘Enable Unattended Access’.

Now click on ‘Set Password for Unattended Access’.

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