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VPS: Accessing Windows Server via Remote Desktop (RDP)

This guide was created with the following products:

(Details may vary with products from different providers but the main concepts remain the same)

Introduction

Windows OS uses the Remote Desktop (RDP) protocol to easily facilitate connecting remotely to other Windows systems. In this guide, we will go through the simple connection process via RDP to your Windows server.

Preparing Connection Details

Regardless of the application used to access the Windows server, you will always be required to enter credentials to connect to the server.

Begin by going to your server's web interface panel and heading over to the Access & Security section. On this page, you will be able to view all the necessary information, mainly your server's IP Address and user connection credentials. Your user credentials is composed of the Username field which should be Administrator and the Password field.

If your server is new, you will be able to access your initial ranomly-generated password on this page via a prompt. Otherwise, the password is redacted for security reasons, but if you forget the password at any point, simply generate or set a new one on the same page.

Now that you have your connection information ready, head over to the next section to select an appropriate application to connect.

Connecting via Windows

Since the inception of RDP, Windows OS has the Remote Desktop Connection application installed as a core system application. You can access this simply by searching for this in the Windows search bar or by pressing the Windows key/icon and using the start menu search bar.

In the new window, fill in the Computer field as your server's IP Address and press Connect. You should now see a Windows native credentials prompt display, where you should input the Username as Administrator and the Password which is the password for your Windows server.

Now press OK and you should be able to remote connect to your Windows server. If you are facing issues, double check that the credentials you inputted are correct.

info

You may see a certificate error appear when connecting for the first time. This is normal and can be safely ignored.

You have successfully connected to your Windows Server.

Other Remote Connection (RDP) Apps

Desktop Apps

The following programs are great alternatives that are suitable for connecting to your Windows server through the Remote Desktop protocol (RDP). We highly recommend using the built-in application if you are accessing the server from Windows (as seen in the previous step) as it reduces the hassle and works well.

  • Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
  • mRemoteNG
  • RoyalTS
  • Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
  • DameWare Mini Remote Control

Mobile Device Apps

In modern times, Microsoft provides an official Remote Desktop (RDP) app for both major mobile operating systems. We recommend using these on mobile as they have alot of useful features.

The app can be found here respectively to the platform: Android and iOS