How to Enable Remote Desktop in Windows 11

To enable Remote Desktop in Windows 11, open Settings > System > Remote Desktop, turn on Remote Desktop, and select Confirm. Do this on the PC you want to access, using an administrator account. The steps use Windows 11 menus, and hosting requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education.

Turn on Remote Desktop in Settings

On the target PC, open Start, select Settings, then open System > Remote Desktop. Turn on Remote Desktop and select Confirm. Record the name shown under PC name for the connection later, and keep Network Level Authentication enabled.

For a shortcut to the same page, press Windows + R to open Run. Enter this command, then press Enter.

ms-settings:remotedesktop

Turn on Remote Desktop and select Confirm. The command opens the setting; you still need to enable it yourself. The same edition and administrator requirements apply.

On Windows 11 version 25H2 and later, you can also open Settings > System > Advanced and locate Remote Desktop in Virtual Workspace. If that category is missing, use System > Remote Desktop. That direct page provides the toggle and confirmation sequence above.

Upgrade a Home PC before enabling hosting

Windows 11 Home cannot host incoming Remote Desktop connections, even if you install a client app. It can connect to another PC, so only the target computer needs an edition that supports hosting. The following upgrade routes require activated Windows 11 Home.

Open Start > Settings > System > Activation. If you already have a valid Windows 11 Pro product key, select Change beside Change product key. Provide administrator credentials and select Yes when Windows requests authorization. Enter the 25-character key, select Next, and complete the upgrade.

To purchase the upgrade on an eligible Home device, expand Upgrade your edition of Windows on the Activation page and select Open Store. Purchase the Pro upgrade with your Microsoft account, complete installation, and restart as instructed. Sign in only through Microsoft’s own app or website, and never share a code, password, or remote access with someone who contacts you.

Microsoft also provides the retail product through its Windows 11 Pro product page; existing Home users can use the Store upgrade route above. After either upgrade route, open Settings > System > Remote Desktop, turn on Remote Desktop, and select Confirm.

Authorize your account and prepare the PC

Administrators already have Remote Desktop access by default. To authorize another account, open Settings > System > Remote Desktop > Remote Desktop users. Select Add, enter the username, and select OK. Adding an account grants permission, but the main hosting switch must also be on.

Keep the target PC powered on, awake, and reachable from your connecting device. Check these conditions before leaving it behind. You do not need to download a client app merely to enable hosting on an eligible Windows 11 PC.

If Microsoft's firewall blocks the connection, open the Windows Security app, select Firewall & network protection, and then select Allow an app through firewall. Select Change settings, select the check box next to Remote Desktop, then select OK and try connecting again. Other firewall products have their own rules.

Connect from another device

On the connecting Windows 11 PC, search for Remote Desktop Connection and open it. Enter the target PC name you recorded, then select Connect. Sign in with an account authorized on the target PC. The connecting PC can run Windows 11 Home.

You can also get Windows App from Microsoft Store for a supported connecting Windows device. Open Windows App and select Add a remote PC on its welcome page. This configures a connection to a host that already has Remote Desktop enabled.

Use Control Panel as an alternative

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, open Control Panel > System and Security. Under System, select Allow remote access. On the Remote tab, under Remote Desktop, select Allow remote connections to this computer.

Select Apply, then select OK. Keep Network Level Authentication enabled, and make sure the account, firewall, and connectivity requirements are met.

Enable hosting with administrative tools

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can enable hosting through the registry and configure the firewall separately. Organization policy can override the registry setting. For the PowerShell route, open Windows PowerShell as administrator and run this command.

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name 'fDenyTSConnections' -Value 0

Next, enable the Remote Desktop firewall rules with the command below. The display-group name is localized, so the English name must match the group on your installation.

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup 'Remote Desktop'

If you prefer Command Prompt, open it as administrator. Run this command to enable incoming connections through the same registry value.

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

Then run the firewall command below. Its firewall group name is also localized; if the English group name does not match your installation, use the Windows Firewall steps above.

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

For a manual registry change on an RDP-capable edition, open Registry Editor as administrator and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server. Set fDenyTSConnections to 0. Permit Remote Desktop through the firewall separately, using the steps above.

Microsoft describes remote registry administration in its Windows Server troubleshooting instructions: select File > Connect Network Registry, enter the target computer name, select Check Names, and select OK. This route requires an existing administrative network connection. It cannot establish initial access to an unreachable PC.

Configure hosting through management policies

For local Group Policy on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education, or applicable IoT Enterprise editions, open the policy editor with the command below. For domain policy, have your organization's administrator edit the appropriate domain GPO instead.

gpedit.msc

Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections. Open Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services. Select Enabled, select Apply, then select OK. Ensure the firewall rules and user permissions also allow access.

For managed Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, or IoT Enterprise LTSC devices, your administrator can enable ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/RemoteDesktopServices/AllowUsersToConnectRemotely through MDM, including Intune. This is an ADMX-backed string policy requiring Microsoft's documented SyncML format, rather than an ordinary Boolean payload. Deploy the firewall and user-access configuration as well; the management-console menus depend on the MDM product.

Configure scripts and deployment images

If you administer an RDP-capable Windows client exposing the applicable provider, a script can invoke SetAllowTSConnections on Win32_TerminalServiceSetting in Root\CIMv2\TerminalServices. Pass AllowTSConnections=1 and ModifyFirewallException=1 to enable incoming connections and the corresponding firewall exception. The method returns an error when Group Policy controls the setting, so handle that configuration through policy instead.

For a deployment image with the applicable component and an edition supporting hosting, configure Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager during a supported configuration pass. Include the following setting in the answer file.

<fDenyTSConnections>false</fDenyTSConnections>

Also enable the Remote Desktop firewall group in the deployment configuration. This route prepares Windows during deployment; for an existing personal PC, use the Settings procedure.

Fix a connection that still fails

Start at the target PC and confirm that it is powered on, awake, and reachable. Check that Remote Desktop is on, then compare the recorded PC name with the name entered in the client. For a nonadministrator account, check its permission under Remote Desktop users. If the target runs Home, complete a Pro upgrade before trying to host a connection.

If you used a registry or command-line method, check the firewall permission separately. On a managed work or school PC, ask your administrator to check the Remote Desktop policy, because organizational policy can override a local registry change. If an English firewall command fails because the group name differs, use the graphical firewall steps above.

A VPN, router forwarding, or a browser gateway can provide network connectivity, but each has deployment-specific setup requirements. Enabling the Windows hosting switch does not configure those connections. Check the network path separately when the target is enabled but unreachable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use WMIC commands from an older tutorial?

Use Settings or PowerShell on updated Windows 11 24H2 and later. Microsoft has removed WMIC from updated releases and removed the Feature on Demand reinstall option. The supported WMI API is a separate administrative option.

What replaced the old Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app?

Use Windows App or the built-in Remote Desktop Connection client. Microsoft ended support for the old Remote Desktop Store app on May 27, 2025, and its download is no longer available. That retirement does not apply to the built-in Remote Desktop Connection client.

Do I have to sign in to Windows App before adding a remote PC?

Remote PC connections do not require signing in to Windows App itself. You still need an authorized account on the target PC when connecting to it.

Where do I add a remote PC in Windows App on a Mac or iPad?

On macOS, open Devices, select +, then select Add PC. On iOS or iPadOS, select +, then select PC. These actions configure a client connection to your already-enabled Windows host.