How to Turn on Remote Desktop on Windows 10

Remote Desktop is a tool for Windows that lets you connect and access your computer from other devices, like a tablet. It’s useful when you need to quickly check files that you haven’t saved to USB drives or online storage. It’s also great for IT support. By default, Remote Desktop is disabled on Windows 10, but here’s how you can enable it so you can connect with other devices.

Note that Remote Desktop is not available in all editions of Windows. It’s only included in Windows Enterprise, Pro, and Ultimate. The Home edition only has the Remote Desktop client, so you can log in to other computers, but you can’t connect to a Windows Home PC remotely. This Tech Junkie article has more information comparing the different editions of Windows 10.

How to Enable Remote Desktop on Windows 10, 8.1, and 8

To enable remote desktop on Windows 10, 8.1, and 8, press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and click on System in the menu that appears. Then, click on Remote settings to open the window shown in the screenshot below. Please note that the window in the screenshot may not have Remote Desktop options, but it should be available in Windows 10 Enterprise.

If you’re using the Windows 10 Enterprise edition, you can now choose an option to allow remote connections to your computer. Just go to the Remote tab and check the box that says “Allow remote assistance connections to this computer” if it’s not already selected. Then click Apply to confirm the changes.

If you want to grant remote access rights to non-administrative users, you can also select users from the Select Users window. Just click the Add button and enter the username you want to give Remote Desktop access to. Then click OK on both the Select Users and System Properties windows.

Enabling Remote Desktop in Windows 7

If you’re using Windows 7, you can enable Remote Desktop from the System Properties window. Instead of using the Win + X menu, right-click the Computer button on the Start menu and select Properties. Then choose Remote settings to open the System Properties window.

The options on the Remote tab in Windows 7 are a bit different. You can choose to allow connections from any version of Remote Desktop or only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication. Selecting the middle option will allow remote connections from any Windows version, while the latter option only allows connections from Windows 7 and later. Make your selection and click Apply, then OK to close the window.

Also, make sure that your Windows Firewall settings are not blocking Remote Desktop. You can check the settings by searching for “firewall” in the Cortana or Windows 7 search box. Open Windows Firewall and click on “Allow an app” to access the window shown below.

To scroll to Remote Desktop on that window, I need to make sure that the check boxes for Remote Desktop are selected. If they’re not, the firewall will block it. So let’s click on the Change settings button and select both of the Remote Desktop check boxes if they’re not already selected. Once that’s done, we can click OK to apply the settings.

Details about IP Address

Now, I can access the Windows PC remotely either through the internet or a private network. However, in both cases, I’ll need the IP address details to enter into the Remote Desktop software on my device. If I want to set up a remote connection within a private network, I’ll need the local IP address of the PC where I enabled Remote Desktop. On the other hand, if I’m connecting via the internet, I’ll need the public IP address of the Windows PC.

If I want to find my public IP address, I can simply use Google. I’ll open Google on the laptop or desktop that I need the IP address for. Then, I’ll type ‘what’s my IP address’ into the search box and hit the Google Search button. The search engine will display my public IP address at the top of the page.

To find the local IP address, I’ll press the Win key + R and enter ‘cmd’ to open the Command Prompt. Then, I’ll type ‘ipconfig’ into the Command Prompt and press the Return key. The Command Prompt will show me the IP details, and I can find my IP address listed there as IPv4 Address.

So, now that you’ve got Remote Desktop up and running on your Windows PC and have all the necessary IP information, it’s time to set up your client device. There are plenty of remote desktop apps and software options out there, like TeamViewer, that you can use. Another app you can try is Remote Desktop, which you can add to your Windows client device. Simply input the IP details into the software, and voila! You can now log in to the PC desktop using your client device.