Hey everyone, I need some help with setting up Remote Desktop on my new laptop to connect to my desktop PC. Both devices are running Windows 11 Pro, but I can't seem to get it to connect.
Here's what I've done so far:
- RDP is enabled on both devices for private networks, though WebSocket isn't turned on.
- The network profile is set to Private (it was changed from Public).
- Initially, I couldn't ping my desktop, but I fixed that by adjusting the firewall settings (I enabled file and printer sharing for the Private network).
- The firewall has 'Remote Desktop (TCP-In)' allowed for the Private network.
- My user account has admin privileges and is part of the Remote Desktop Users group.
- Both my laptop and desktop are on the same subnet.
- I checked the router and confirmed there's no isolation between devices; the laptop isn't on a guest network.
Despite all this, when I try to connect using `mstsc`, I get an error message saying, "Remote Desktop can't connect to the remote computer for one of these reasons: 1. Remote access to the server is not enabled..." I'm totally stumped and would appreciate any suggestions!
3 Answers
It sounds like a pesky issue! First off, are both your devices on the same workgroup or a domain? If they’re just on a workgroup (like a home network), make sure you enter the username in the format `DEVICEUsername`. If that doesn't work, try using both `CLIENTdeviceUsername` and `SERVERdeviceUsername`. Just double-check the computer name you're using for the remote connection; maybe it’s not recognized because it’s incorrect. You might need to just find the exact name after checking in the system settings.
It could be that network discovery is turned off on your desktop. To check, go to File Explorer, click on Network, and see if you get a pop-up about network discovery. If it’s disabled, right-click to enable it. Just remember to restart your laptop after making changes to see if that helps!
Have you tried running a quick network test in PowerShell? Use the command `Test-NetConnection *Your_DesktopPC_IP* -Port 3389`. It’ll tell you if the port is open or if there are any connection issues. If it fails, then there’s definitely some underlying issue preventing access.
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