How to enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11

Do you need to access your files and apps remotely on Windows 11? If so, use these steps to enable the Remote Desktop feature.

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@Pureinfotech
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Windows 11 Remote Desktop settings
Windows 11 Remote Desktop settings
  • To enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Remote Desktop, turn on the “Remote Desktop” toggle switch, and click “Confirm.”
  • Alternatively, you can also configure the feature through Control Panel or with commands using PowerShell and Command Prompt.

UPDATED 10/30/2023: On Windows 11, you can enable the “Remote Desktop” feature to access a computer from another location using RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) to offer assistance or control another device without being physically present at the site using the modern “Remote Desktop” or legacy “Remote Desktop Connection” app.

If you must connect to a device remotely, Windows 11 includes multiple ways to configure the feature using the Settings app, Control Panel, Command Prompt, and PowerShell commands.

This guide will teach you how to enable the feature to remotely manage other computers on Windows 11.

Important: This feature is not a feature available on Windows 11 Home, only on Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise. If you have the Home edition of Windows 11, you can use the Chrome Remote Desktop as an alternative.

Enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11

To enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11 from the Settings app, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on System.

  3. Click the Remote Desktop tab.

    Remote Desktop settings

  4. Turn on the Remote Desktop toggle switch.

    Remote Desktop enabled

  5. Click the Confirm button.

Once you complete the steps, you can connect to your computer using the modern Remote Desktop app (recommended).

Using the Remote Desktop feature, use the “Network Level Authentication” option to make the connection more secure. Also, the settings page displays the current Remote Desktop port in case you need to configure a router to allow remote connections outside the network. If nothing changes on your device, the port number should always be 3389.

Enable Remote Desktop from Control Panel

To turn on Remote Desktop with Control Panel, use these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.

  2. Click on System and Security.

  3. Under the “System” section, click the “Allow remote access” option.

    Control Panel allow remote access option

  4. Under the “Remote Desktop” section, select the “Allow remote connections to this computer” option.

    Allow remote connections option

  5. Click the Apply button.

  6. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you can use one of the available clients from another computer to connect to your device remotely.

When you enable the feature using the Control Panel, the option to require “Network Level Authentication” also gets selected by default, which is an option you want to allow anyway.

Enable Remote Desktop from Command Prompt

To enable the remote desktop protocol with Command Prompt on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to enable the remote desktop protocol and press Enter:

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

    Command Prompt enable Remote Desktop

  4. (Optional) Type the following command to enable remote desktop through the Windows Firewall and press Enter:

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

Once you complete the steps, the features will be enabled, and the firewall will be configured, allowing you to access the computer remotely.

Enable Remote Desktop from PowerShell

To turn on the Remote Desktop feature with PowerShell commands on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to enable the remote desktop protocol and press Enter:

    Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -name "fDenyTSConnections" -value 0

    Enable Remote Desktop with PowerShell

  4. (Optional) Type the following command to turn on the remote desktop feature through the Windows Firewall and press Enter: 

    Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

After you complete the steps, you can use the Remote Desktop app on Windows 11 to access the device from a remote location, even when the firewall is enabled.

Update October 30, 2023: Added video instructions and revised the steps to make sure they are still accurate.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.