How do I re enable Remote Desktop?

If you want to use the Remote Desktop feature without opening the Windows Settings panel, then you can enable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. If you have a remote desktop client on your mobile or another computer, you will be able to connect it and use your PC remotely.

Remote Desktop is a well-known facility of Windows computers that lets you connect two computers or mobile so that an individual can access another computer remotely. You can fix some problems on the computer via mobile or do other jobs according to your requirements. You need a Remote Desktop client like Microsoft Remote Desktop or so on your mobile to connect two devices.

It is possible to enable to disable Remote Desktop via Windows Settings. You need to head to System > Remote Desktop to access the option. However, let’s assume that the Windows Settings panel is not opening due to some reasons, and you need to turn on the Remote Desktop feature. Then you can use this method to start the Remote Desktop using the command line.

Enable Remote Desktop using Command line

To enable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell, follow these steps-

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell with administrator privilege
2. Set value of fDenyTSConnections REG DWORD to 0
3. Add a Firewall rule
4. Restart your computer
5. Start using Remote Desktop in Windows 10.

The commands are not the same for Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell.

1] Enable RDP firewall using Command Prompt

To get started, open the Command Prompt with administrator privilege. You can search for it in the Taskbar search box, and click the Run as administrator option that appears on your screen. After that, enter this following command and hit Enter:

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

By default, the value of fDenyTSConnections is set to 1. This command will change the value to 0.

Next, execute the following command:

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

This command will add and update three rules in the Firewall so that you can start using the Remote Desktop.

2] Enable RDP using Windows PowerShell

You need to open the Windows PowerShell with administrator privilege and enter the following command and hit Enter:

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

This command will change the fDenyTSConnections value to 0. Now, you need to execute the following command to add rules in the Firewall:

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

After that, you will be able to use Remote Desktop in Windows 10.

In case you want to disable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell, you need to enter these steps.

Related: Remote Desktop option is greyed out.

Disable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt or PowerShell

To disable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell, follow these steps-

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell with administrator privilege
2. Set value of fDenyTSConnections REG DWORD as 1
3. Add a Firewall rule
4. Restart computer.

To know more, you need to read on.

Disable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt

You need to set the default value of fDenyTSConnections as 1. For that, use this command-

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Now you need to remove rules from the Firewall. For that, use this command-

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=No

Disable Remote Desktop using PowerShell

You need to change the value of fDenyTSConnections as 1. You can do that by using this command-

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server'-name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 1

The second command will let you remove the rules from the Firewall:

Disable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

That’s all! I hope this simple tutorial will be helpful for you.

You can use Remote Desktop to connect to and control your PC from a remote device by using a Microsoft Remote Desktop client [available for Windows, iOS, macOS and Android]. When you allow remote connections to your PC, you can use another device to connect to your PC and have access to all of your apps, files, and network resources as if you were sitting at your desk.

Should I enable Remote Desktop?

If you only want to access your PC when you are physically using it, you don't need to enable Remote Desktop. Enabling Remote Desktop opens a port on your PC that is visible to your local network. You should only enable Remote Desktop in trusted networks, such as your home. You also don't want to enable Remote Desktop on any PC where access is tightly controlled. Be aware that when you enable access to Remote Desktop, you are granting anyone in the Administrators group, as well as any additional users you select, the ability to remotely access their accounts on the computer. You should ensure that every account that has access to your PC is configured with a strong password.

Why allow connections only with Network Level Authentication?

If you want to restrict who can access your PC, choose to allow access only with Network Level Authentication [NLA]. When you enable this option, users have to authenticate themselves to the network before they can connect to your PC. Allowing connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with NLA is a more secure authentication method that can help protect your computer from malicious users and software. To learn more about NLA and Remote Desktop, check out Configure NLA for RDS Connections. If you're remotely connecting to a PC on your home network from outside of that network, don't select this option. See also: To be able to create a remote connection, you will first need to enable the Remote Desktop feature. This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable allowing Remote Desktop connections to your Windows 11 PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable Remote Desktop.

You can't connect to computers running a Home edition of Windows, but you can connect to Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows from any edition.

• Option One: Turn On or Off Remote Desktop in Settings
• Option Two: Turn On or Off Remote Desktop in Control Panel
• Option Three: Turn On or Off Remote Desktop using REG file
• Option Four: Enable or Disable Remote Desktop with Policy in Local Group Policy Editor
• Option Five: Enable or Disable Remote Desktop with Policy using REG file

1 Open Settings [Win+I].

2 Click/tap on System on the left side, and click/tap on Remote Desktop on the right side. [see screenshot below]

Open Remote Desktop settings

3 Turn On or Off [default] Remote Desktop for what you want on the right side. [see screenshot below]

4 Click/tap on Confirm. [see screenshots below]

5 You can now close Settings if you like.
1 Open the Control Panel [category view].

2 Click/tap on the System and Security link. [see screenshot below]

3 Click/tap on the Allow remote access link. [see screenshot below]

4 Do step 5 [enable] or step 6 [disable] below for what you want.

A] Select [dot] Allow remote connections to this computer. [see screenshot below]​

C] Click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below.​

6 Disable Remote Desktop Connections

This is the default setting.

A] Select [dot] Don't allow remote connections to this computer. [see screenshot below]​

B] Click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below.​

7 You can close the Control Panel and System Properties if you like.

This changes the same settings in Option One and Option Two.

1 Do step 2 [enable with Network Level Authentication], step 3 [enable without Network Level Authentication], step 4 [disable] below for what you would like to do.

2 Enable Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Enable_Remote_Desktop_with_Network_Level_Authentication.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server] "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:00000000 "updateRDStatus"=dword:00000001 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp] "UserAuthentication"=dword:00000001

3 Enable Remote Desktop without Network Level Authentication

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Enable_Remote_Desktop_without_Network_Level_Authentication.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server] "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:00000000 "updateRDStatus"=dword:00000001 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp] "UserAuthentication"=dword:00000000

This is the default setting.

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Disable_Remote_Desktop.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server] "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:00000001 "updateRDStatus"=dword:00000000

5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes [UAC], Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Five to configure the same policy.

1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor [gpedit.msc].

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. [see screenshot below]

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Connections​

3 In the right pane of Connections in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services policy to edit it. [see screenshot above]

4 Do step 5 [not configured], step 6 [always enabled], or step 7 [always disabled] below for what you want.

 5. Set Default "Not Configured" for Remote Desktop Policy

This will allow using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Select [dot] Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. [see screenshot below step 7]​

 6. Force Always Enable Remote Desktop

This will override and prevent using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Select [dot] Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. [see screenshot below step 7]​

 7. Force Always Enable Remote Desktop

This will override and prevent using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Select [dot] Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. [see screenshot below step 7]​

8 When finished, you can close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.

This option configures the same policy in Option Four.

1 Do step 2 [not configured], step 3 [always enabled], or step 4 [always disabled] below for what you would like to do.

 2. Set Default "Not Configured" for Remote Desktop Policy

This will allow using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Default_Not_Configured_Remote_Desktop.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] "fDenyTSConnections"=-

 3. Force Always Enable Remote Desktop

This will override and prevent using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Force_Always_Enable_Remote_Desktop_connections.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:00000000

 4. Force Always Disable Remote Desktop

This will override and prevent using Option One, Option Two, and Option Three.

A] Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

Force_Always_Disable_Remote_Desktop_connections.reg​

[Contents of REG file for reference]

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:00000001

5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes [UAC], Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it, Shawn Brink

Last edited: Feb 26, 2022

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