Remote Desktop Connection is a built-in feature of the Windows operating system that allows a user to connect to a computer remotely. Some users complain that Remote Desktop is not working in Windows 11 when they want to connect to the computer error. In this article, we will discuss what to do if you get the said error on your Windows computer.
Before moving to the troubleshooting guide, you should know that Remote Desktop is not available on Windows 11 Home Edition. If you want to use Windows’s built-in Remote Desktop tool, you must have Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise edition. In case, you are on Windows 11 Home, you need to unblock it using RDP Wrapper Library.
How to fix Remote Desktop not working in Windows 11
Generally, the Remote Desktop won’t work when there is a connection error. There can be many reasons for the said error. Maybe you have not enabled RDP service, or your firewall or Antivirus is blocking the service. Some users also reported that they encountered this error after updating their system. If you are one of them, follow the suggestions mentioned below if the Remote Desktop is not working on your computer.
- Enable Remote Desktop
- Allow RDP through Windows Defender Firewall
- Edit Registry
- Disable UDP in Group Policy
Let’s try to resolve the issue using the prescribed steps.
1] Enable Remote Desktop
Users do not check whether Remote Desktop Service is enabled or not before connecting to the remote computer and encountering the issue in question. Therefore, we are going to enable the Remote Desktop Service to resolve the issue, and here’s how you can do the same:
- First, open Services by searching it out of the Start Menu.
- Double-click on Remote Desktop Service.
- Select Automatic from the drop-down menu.
- Click on Start.
- Now select Apply > Ok.
Hopefully, this issue will be solved after enabling the Remote Desktop Service. In case the issue persists, check if Remote Desktop is enabled in Settings or not. To do the same, open Settings, go to System > Remote Desktop, and then enable Remote Desktop.
Related: Remote Desktop can’t find the computer
2] Allow Remote Desktop through Windows Defender Firewall
Windows in-built Firewall is one of the reasons why you are facing the issue as the Remote Desktop connection is getting blocked by it. In such scenarios, you have to allow RDP through Windows Defender Firewall to resolve the issue. Follow the steps prescribed below to do the same.
- First, click the Search button and then type “Firewall & network protection” in the search bar and press enter.
- Click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall
and then click on Change Setting. - Scroll down and select Remote Desktop and allow it through both Public and Private.
Hopefully, after allowing Remote Desktop through Windows Defender Firewall your issue will be resolved. In case you use a third-party antivirus, make sure to add an exception.
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3] Edit Registry
Some users say that the Remote Connection is not working after installing the 22H2 update. This could happen because there is a bug in the Remote Desktop client and it is only trying to use the UDP connection, not TCP. The solution to this issue is to disable UDP by creating a new registry value set to 1.
- Press Windows + R key to open the run dialog box, type Regedit, and press Enter. Locate this path below in the left pane:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services\Client
- Right-click on the Client folder and select New > DWORD(32-bit ) Value.
- Name it fClientDisableUDP.
- Now, double-click on fClientDisableUDP, set its value to 1 and click on the OK button.
Hopefully, your issue will be resolved after using methods.
Troubleshoot: Remote Desktop connection issues on Windows.
4] Disable UDP in Group Policy
In case you find the Registry Editor process a little difficult, and you have a Windows Pro version, another way to disable UDP that you can try is from the Group Policy Editor. To resolve this issue use the prescribed methods.
- Press Windows + R key to open the run dialog box.
- type gpedit.msc and press enter.
- Go to the below path:
Computer Configuration > Administration Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Connection Client
- Double-click on Turn off UDP on Client in the right pane.
- Now click on Enable radio button and click ok
Hopefully, you are able to resolve the issue using the solutions mentioned in this post.
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