The command line may not be the first point of call for many Windows RDP users, but it has its uses. Knowing how to enable, launch, and kill RDP from the command line is incredibly useful for automating setup across several computers. This guide will explain how to do all of these step-by-step.

How to enable RDP from the command line

Before attempting other commands, ensure that RDP is activated on both your chosen system and the remote server. In Windows, RDP can be enabled via two command-line methods: the Command Prompt (CMD) and PowerShell.

How to enable RDP with CMD

The following should work on both your client and host PC:

1. Press Start and type "CMD"
2. Right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as Administrator"
3. Paste the following command to enable RDP in your registry and press Enter.

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

If you get the message "Updated 3 rule(s)", then RDP is successfully turned on.

You may also need to allow it through the firewall with netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=Yes

How to enable RDP using PowerShell

PowerShell users have a similar command:

1. Press Start and type "PowerShell"
2. Right-click on PowerShell and choose "Run as Administrator"
3. Enter this command and press Enter to enable RDP in the registry:

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

You may need to allow RDP through the firewall using Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop".

How to launch RDP from the command line

You can run RDP from the command line to automatically start the tool on startup, with the possibility to even connect to open a connection to your host PC with a command.

The command to open the RDP application in CMD is:

mstsc /f

Alternatively, you can open an RDP console session using mstsc /console

Or, more conveniently, open RDP and connect directly to your server with:

mstsc /v:your.server.ip

This will open the RDP application to the logon screen.

How to kill RDP from the command line

You can disconnect from or kill an RDP session from the command line using TSDISCON, a built-in tool for this purpose.

The command syntax is as follows:

tsdiscon <Session ID> /server:<your.server.ip or domain name>

The query session command can be used to find the session ID of the RDP connection. To query, you'll need Windows 10 Pro or higher.

The final command would look something like this:

tsdiscon 3 /server:123.45.67.89

The session will be terminated as soon as you press Enter.

Killing an RDP connection with the logoff command

Another alternative is using the logoff command, which has the same effect as tdiscon and similar syntax. Run:

logoff <session ID> /server:<your.server.ip or domain name>

This will, again, disconnect the user instantly.

Need a Windows RDP server? Sign up here and launch one instantly.

Encryption is a key part of RDP's security posture, helping to ensure that connections between clients and hosts are not spied on or tampered with. There are three different "levels" of RDP encryption, and it may be worth checking which you are running:

• High encryption: This 128-bit encrypts data sent between the server and the client and the client and the server.
• Client compatible encryption: Encrypts data between the server and the client at the strongest level the client supports.
• Low encryption: Uses very weak 56-bit encryption. This is not recommended.
• FIPS compliant: All data between the client and server is protected using Federal Information Processing Standard 140-1 validated encryption methods.

How to check your RDP encryption level

If you're unsure what encryption level your RDP server is using, the easiest way to check is through the group policy editor. Here's what the full process looks like:

1. Click the search bar and type "group policy editor". Open it.

2.  Go to "Computer configuration > Windows components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security" and check the "State" field next to "Set client encryption level". If the setting is "Not configured", then your encryption level is the default, which is "Client compatible".

How to change your RDP encryption level

If you want to increase or decrease your current encryption level, the group policy editor is still your go-to:

1. Click the search bar and type "group policy editor". Open it.

2.   Go to "Computer configuration > Windows components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security". Double-click on "Set client encryption level".

3.   Select "Enabled" and choose the relevant option in the "Encryption Level" dropdown below.

Forcing TLS RDP encryption

There is one final RDP encryption option available that is not controlled by the above group policy: TLS.  This generally provides stronger security and it is better to rely on this than falling back to default RDP security. We can go again to the group policy editor to force TLS:

1. Click the search bar and type "group policy editor". Open it.

2. Go to "Computer configuration > Windows components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security" and double-click "Require use of specific security layer for remote (RDP) connections.

3. Select "Enabled" and then choose "SSL" in the security layer dropdown below.

That's it! To improve the security of your server further, see:

How to change your RDP port on Windows 10

Changing your RDP port is an important mitigation against brute force attacks. Here’s how to do it.

RDP.NETRDP.Net Team

The remote desktop connection: an internal error occurred message is frustratingly general. It's a catch-all error that occurs when an RDP client cannot connect to the host due to a configuration issue. Since no additional information is provided, you may need to do some troubleshooting to find the root cause. To aid in this, we'll list the most common reasons this happens. It's likely that you'll have some idea of which are the most likely based on your actions immediately before the error occurred.

1 - Remote Desktop Connections are not allowed on the host

If you received this error the first time you tried to connect to your RDP server, this is likely the culprit. It's a common oversight, but you must enable the "allow remote connections" setting before you can RDP into a remote PC or server.

You'll find the setting on Windows 10 Pro by searching for "Remote Desktop Settings".

On Windows Server 2022, open the Local Server menu in Server Manager and ensure "Remote Desktop Connection" is enabled.

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2- The Remote Desktop service has crashed

It's possible that the remote desktop service itself has stopped functioning as intended. In such cases, restarting the service can be enough to fix it. The most intuitive way to do this is via the Services app. Open it, find "Remote Desktop Services", and press "Restart".

3 - Network Layer Authentication issues

The Network Level Authentication requires the client to authenticate before connecting to the host. This is an important security measure to prevent denial of service and remote code execution attacks such as BlueKeep. However, it can cause connection issues on PCs running old versions of Windows or those running RDP 6.0 or lower. Issues can also arise when connectivity is lost to a domain controller. You may want to temporarily turn off Network Layer Authentication to see whether this resolves the issue.

However, we should emphasize that this is not a permanent solution. Leaving this off can leave your server exposed to the vulnerabilities mentioned earlier. This should only be used as a troubleshooting step before you determine and fix the root cause of the NLA issue.

4 - Firewall misconfiguration

If the firewall on your server does not allow TCP traffic on your given RDP port, the connection will fail. This can happen when you change your RDP port via the registry without enabling a firewall rule first or because you accidentally blocked the wrong port.

Open "Windows Defender Advanced Security" and look for "Remote Desktop" in the Inbound rules section. "Remote Desktop - User Mode (TCP-In)", should be enabled using the default RDP port, 3389. Check this port against the one listed in "Remote Desktop Settings > Advanced settings" and adjust it if needed.

5 - Proxy server issues

If you have a proxy server enabled on your local PC or RDP server, you may need to disable it before you can connect. This can be achieved using the Internet Options tool:

1. Search for and open Internet Options

2. Open the "Connections" tab and click "LAN Settings..."
​

3. Untick "Use a proxy server for your LAN

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4. Try connecting to your server again

If this doesn't work, try disconnecting from any Windows VPNs and trying again.

Your MTU value is too high

If you are using a VPN to connect to your RDP server (and you probably should) the default Maximum Transmission Unit value of 1500 may cause connection issues in rare cases. Cisco recommends an MTU value of 1458 on the client PC in these scenarios. You can change it with a single command in PowerShell:

netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Ethernet" mtu=1458

The RDP service does not run on start up

If you started to experience issues after you restarted your RDP server, check your services. It's possible that somebody mistakenly set the RDP service to not start automatically. You can check this by opening the "Services" program, double-clicking "Remote Desktop Services," and ensuring that the "Startup type" is set to "Automatic".

Click "Apply" and restart the server.

DDoS or brute force attacks

The default RDP port of 3389 is a common target for brute force attacks. Bots may try to log in thousands of times, trying to guess the RDP password. This high number of login requests can naturally cause issues. You can check for failed login attempts in the Event Viewer to confirm this. Just open the "Security" heading and sort by event ID. The ID 4625 signifies failed login attempts.

If you do not have many attempts but suspect an intentional DDoS attack, install software such as Wireguard to monitor your traffic.

If you find signs of an attack, do not worry -- it is easy enough to mitigate. Changing your RDP port will significantly reduce the number of automated login attempts, or you can restrict RDP access to specific IP addresses.

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Like most of Google's products, Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) is an incredibly user-friendly and useful tool. Though Microsoft's RDP is easily the most common way to connect to remote PCs and servers, Google's tool has become popular among casual users. But what about in a professional context? Many business owners wonder whether Chrome Remote Desktop is safe enough to use with important systems and information.

Chrome Remote Desktop security: How does it work?

Though it has "Remote Desktop" in the name, CRD uses a different protocol and security setup to Microsoft's tool. On the server or remote PC, the admin installs the Chrome Remote Desktop browser add-on and sets a PIN. By default, to connect, the user:

1. Logs into their Google Account
2. Clicks on the device in their list and enters the PIN

This is great in terms of usability, with end users not needing to install any software or input IP addresses. However, there are some concerns with this setup in regards to security.

Is Chrome Remote Desktop safe?

Ultimately, the security of your Chrome Remote Desktop server highly depends on the security of end-user accounts. You likely do not have control over how secure the user's password is, their 2FA, or other security issues on their local device.

Once a user's account is compromized, the attacker only needs to enter a numerical PIN to access the server. For context, here is how long it takes a mid-tier gaming PC to crack numerical passwords of different lengths:

In other words, if you are connecting to your server with your own user account which you can verify is secure, then you do not need to worry too much (though, watch out for attacks such as session hijacking). However, once you start throwing employees, friends, etc. into the mix, Chrome Remote Desktop's account-based security could cause some major issues. If your PIN is not over 18 characters, it will provide very little protection.

Recommendations

Generally, we advise you to use Windows RDP over Chrome Remote Desktop. With a few modifications such as a changed port number and proper VPN setup, Windows RDP can be quite secure.

Chrome Remote Desktop can be a suitable alternative if you are the sole admin/user of a server and have strong Google Account security or if the data on your server is not sensitive. However, you should still make sure that your PIN is at least 20 characters (we recommend 25+) and you should still be using a VPN.

Windows Remote Desktops are accessible from a wide range of devices and operating systems, including the system Microsoft once saw as a bitter threat – Linux.

You can RDP from Linux to a Windows server with relative ease, requiring just a minute or two's setup. This blog will explore connecting using the widely recommended Remmina app.

How to RDP from Linux to Windows with Remmina

Remmina is the swiss army knife of remote connections on Linux. It has a fantastic interface, is easy to use, and supports not just RDP, but also VNC, NX, XDMCP, and SSH. This makes it an invaluable tool for those who use remote desktops often.

Installing Remmina

You can install Remmina via the vast majority of package managers and stores. Here is the command to install it on a few distros:

• Ubuntu: sudo apt-add-repository ppa:remmina-ppa-team/remmina-next  
sudo apt update  
sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp remmina-plugin-secret
• CentOS/RHEL:
  wget http://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
rpm -ivh epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
• Fedora/Red Hat:
  dnf copr enable hubbitus/remmina-next
dnf upgrade --refresh 'remmina*' 'freerdp*'
• OpenSUSE: zypper in remmina remmina-plugin-rdp

Connecting to your RDP server with Remmina

To RDP from Linux using Remmina, just paste the IP address into the RDP field and press Enter.

You will be prompted to enter your username and password, at after which you'll have successfully connected to your RDP server.

Chrome Remote Desktop is an excellent alternative to the Remote Desktop Connection application for those without a supported OS or in environments when the RDP app is disabled. For the uninitiated, the Chrome Remote Desktop client is entirely browser-based, which makes it a useful way to connect to a remote server from any PC.

This blog will cover how to set up Chrome Remote Desktop and then how to use Chrome Remote Desktop to connect to your server.

Before we start, let's cover the (very basic) prerequisites. You'll need:

1. An RDP server to connect to. We recommend our very own RDP.net servers!
2. A server with a Chromium-based web browser installed
3. The ability to install browser extensions on your server
4. A computer or mobile device with a Chromium-based web browser installed

How to set up Chrome Remote Desktop

It's incredibly easy to set up Chrome Remote Desktop on your RDP server:

1. Go to the Chrome Remote Desktop webpage and press "Access my computer"

2. Press the download icon underneath "Set up remote access"

3. Click "Add to Chrome" in the pop-up extension page

4. Choose a name for your server

5. Finally, enter a PIN that is at least 6 digits long (we recommend at least 12)

How to use Chrome Remote Desktop

With everything ready on your host machine (the server) all that's left is to connect from your client PC.

1. Go to remotedesktop.google.com and open the "Remote Access" tab while signed into the same Google account

2. Click on your newly named server to connect to it

3. Enter your server's PIN to access your RDP desktop

So far on this blog we have talked a lot about Windows RDP. How to connect to them, why you should use them, changing your RDP port, and more. What we haven't done, however, is sit down and talk about the basics. In this blog we'll talk a bit about what Windows RDP is and how it works in the context of servers.

What is Windows RDP?

The RDP in Windows RDP stands for "Remote Desktop Protocol". This proprietary set of rules determines how to transmit, format, and receive data in a way that allows two Windows computers to securely connect to one another via a graphical user interface.

For the user, this means the ability to use a remote PC as if it were their home desktop, the desktop streamed to their local PC while their mouse and keyboard activity is transmitted, encrypted, to the remote server.

Usually, RDP is used for one of three things:

• Remote desktop access (accessing a home/office PC from another location)
• Troubleshooting - corporate or otherwise
• Administration of a remote server (for web hosting, game hosting, etc.)

It's the third function that we focus on primarily here at RDP.net.

How does RDP work?

RDP works by establishing a secure network channel between the client and the server. The server sends elements such as the desktop display and audio to the RDP channel and transmits it to the client, and the client sends mouse and keyboard movements. to the server via TCP/IP. As you would imagine, most of the information flows from server to client, with communication encrypted with RC4 block cipher.

The connection sequence to an RDP server looks something like this:

We'll save the detailed explanation of each step for the official documentation.

Where can I buy a Windows RDP server?

For high-performance, private, and secure Windows RDP servers, sign up here at RDP.net.

Windows 10's default RDP port is, famously, 3389. This is a fact known to admins, but also to attackers. As a result, brute force attacks will always target this port first. Keeping it the same will result in more bogus login attempts and a higher chance of successful compromize.

It's a good idea, then, to change the RDP port on Windows 10 to one of your choosing. We're going to show you how to do so today using regedit.

Changing the Windows 10 RDP port with regedit

Though the Registry Editor can seem intimidating, changing the RDP port with it in Windows 10 is quick and simple:

1. Open the Registry Editor regedit by pressing 'Windows + R', typing 'regedit', and pressing 'Enter'

2. Paste `Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp` into your registry editor search bar and double-click the 'PortNumber' DWORD.

3. Change the 'Value data' to your new port number (between 1025 and 65535). Make sure the 'Base' is set to 'Decimal' and press 'OK'.

Allowing the new port through the Firewall

You've specified your new RDP port, but for it to work traffic must be allowed to pass through it in the Windows Firewall:

1. Open the Windows Defender Firewall App and select 'Inbound Rules > New Rule...'

2. Choose 'Port' on the 'Rule Type' screen and press 'Next'

3. Select 'TCP' and type your port in the 'Specific local ports' field

4. Click 'Next' until you see the 'Name' field, and then call it 'RDP port'. Click 'Finish'.

Now your RDP port has been changed and the Firewall adjusted to allow inbound traffic from that port through the Firewall. All that's left is to restart your Windows RDP server and connect via the new port. We recommend restarting via the start menu rather than your VPS control panel to minimize the chance of data loss.

TeamSpeak is two decades old now, but don't let that fool you. While there are popular modern alternatives like Discord, TeamSpeak holds several advantages, including a proprietary, efficient voice protocol and the ability to self-host.

Self-hosting is naturally more involved, but it brings several benefits. Users don't have to hand their data over to a large company, and that company does not have control over what they can and cannot post in their own server. You also don't have to rely on someone else to keep your server maintained, secure, and online.

Thankfully, though self-hosting requires more maintenance, setting up a TeamSpeak server on a Windows RDP VPS is still very easy. Here's the step-by-step process:

How to Set up a TeamSpeak 3 Server on Windows

1. Download the official 64-bit server files here. Right-click the download .zip file and press 'Extract All'.

2. Right-click the .exe file called 'ts3server.exe' and run it as an administrator.

3. Accept the TeamSpeak 3 Server License

4. Accept the Windows Firewall prompt to allow TeamSpeak to and send traffic properly.

5. Your TeamSpeak 3 server window will launch with your account information. Take note of the Server Query Admin Account login info and Admin Token so that you can use it in the client later.

Windows servers are designed with a security-first mindset. This is important if you’re offering a product or service and uptime and data protection is key. If you’re just using your RDP server for casual tasks, however, the additional mitigations can get frustrating. Case in point: Internet Explorer Enhanced Security.

If you are a Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, or 2019 user, you will have most likely run into the “Content from website listed below is being blocked by the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration” error. It will stop you from navigating to any site that is not on your whitelist. We’re going to show you how to disable it completely so that you can browse any site.

How to Disable IE Enhanced Security

Though it comes with some security risks, disabling IE enhanced security is quite easy. You can do it in less than a minute:

1. Open the Server Manager

You can do this by searching for Server Manager in your Start menu.

2. Click on "Local Server" in the sidebar

3. Find the "IE Enhanced Security Configuration" field and press “On”

4. Toggle "Administrators" and/or "Users" to off

That's it. Your admins and/or users will be able to browse as normal.

When purchasing pretty much anything, it’s always tempting to get the free version if it’s available. This is why free-to-play games are so popular, why the majority of apps on your phone are free, why ad-funded internet services remain dominant, etc. Sometimes, however, the limitations and frustrations of a free service outweigh the benefits to your wallet. We think this is the case with free RDP servers.

Take it from us – hosting and maintaining a server infrastructure is not cheap.  You have to wonder, then – what are you giving up to make it worth the free provider’s time? Usually, more than you bargained for.

Intentionally bad experiences

Usually, genuine free RDP providers are offering a “free-tier” below their existing services. It is in their best interests to make sure that you’ll have to upgrade from this free tier at some point. Otherwise, you’ll just be cutting into their profits.

Usually, this comes in the form of an incredibly slow experience, with specs that do not even meet Windows’ minimum requirements at the resolution you’ll want to be running it at. This makes it pretty much useless once you start to factor in the additional resources of running an application or webserver.

Another tactic is to severely limit the amount of traffic a user can have to their server and then lock them out when they hit the cap unless they pay more. This cap is often magically reached even when the user does not reach the requirements or gets exceeded by illegitimate bot activity. After putting in all the hard work to build up their service, most users fold and pay, and get worse service than they otherwise would have for the price.

Even when a free provider is not shady about the specs, you can’t expect the same level of support as a paying customer. Chances are, you’ll experience frequent downtime, poor security, and any number of other issues as a result.

Privacy

The age old saying is that if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product. There are some exceptions to this rule, but free RDP servers are not one of them. Some ‘free’ sites don’t provide servers at all, instead just take your information and sell it on. If you do go for a free RDP server, make sure it’s from a known entity. More nefariously, some companies may deliver you the server but spy on your activity and pass that on. They may not even say they’re doing it in their privacy policy.

Free trials

A lot of ‘free’ RDP servers are just free trials. You get a limited amount of free credit or time until your server expires and you’re forced to pay. And this is fine – if you’re just looking to test to the service. However, you’ll find that some providers market themselves as free and don’t tell you that just means ‘free trial’ until you complete the sign up process. This is just frustrating and a waste of your time.

Alternatives to free RDP servers

Even the cheapest RDP server is going to do you better than a ‘free’ one. We aren’t just acting in our own self-interest when we say it’s worth paying if you can.

If you can’t, however, any old Windows PC you have lying around will probably do a better job. You can set it up as a server and run it on your local connection. If you don’t, a $35 Raspberry Pi 4 will serve you much better than a sub 1GB RAM free server with less than a 1 GHz of processing power.

Of course, while your local connection will probably be fine to host a media server or a game server for a few friends, it’s unlikely to work well at scale. A paid provider will net you that coveted 1gbps connection and won’t be affected by whatever else you’re doing on your network.

The Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut is many people’s first point of call when their PC stops functioning as it should. Granting access to Task Manager, user switching, lock, sign out, and shutdown tools, it can prove very useful. However, anybody who has tried to use Ctrl + Alt + Del on a Windows RDP server will know that it doesn’t work as it normally does.

We’re going to show you several methods to send the Ctrl + Alt + Del command in Windows RDP so that you can use it once more.

1 - Enable the shortcut in settings

If the Ctrl + Alt + Del shortcut is burned into your muscle memory, the best choice is to tick a setting before you connect to your RDP server that will re-enable it. This will also restore other Windows shortcuts such as Alt + Tab and Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Just be aware that these commands may not function correctly on your local PC while your server is in focus. Here’s how to enable the option:

1. Open the RDP app and click ‘Show Options'.

1. Open the ‘Local resources’ section and change ‘Apply Windows key combinations:’ to ‘On the remote computer’.
   

1. Press ‘Ctrl + Alt + End’ on your server.

Yes, that’s not a typo - you ‘ll have to use Ctrl + Alt + End instead of Ctrl + Alt + Del. This isn’t ideal, but it’s at least right next to the delete key.

2 - Using an on-screen keyboard

If you’re already connected to your server and don’t want to go through the hassle of logging on and off, you can use the on-screen keyboard to send Ctrl + Alt + Del. Just do the following:

1. Search for and open the ‘On-Screen Keyboard’ app.

1. Press and hold ‘Ctrl + Alt’ on your physical keyboard, but press ‘Del’ on the on-screen one.

Windows PC from XP onwards comes with the RDP app pre-installed and uses the username/password authentication that everyone is used to.

Even so, new users may not necessarily know where to go or how to set their server up for RDP connections. This guide is designed to show you how to connect to a Windows RDP VPS in a pain-free way.

Allowing your server to accept RDP connections

If you’re using a server from RDP.net you do not have to worry about configuring your server to accept RDP connections. Your server will work with RDP out of the box with no additional work required on your part. You can safely skip to the next section.

If you are using a different provider or configuring a personal PC, however, you’ll want to ensure that your system is set up to allow remote access. This is thankfully an easy process that can be performed entirely through the UI:

1. Search for the Control Panel app, open it, and click on ‘System and Security'

2. Under the ‘System’ heading, click ‘Allow remote access’

3. Tick ‘Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer’ in the ‘Remote’ tab of your system properties.

How to connect to a Windows VPS with the RDP client

Once your server is set up to accept remote connections, you can utilize the RDP app on your local PC to connect to it. If you’re on Windows, you’ll have an RDP app already. If you’re on Linux or macOS, you may have to download one from your relevant app store. We recommend the official client for macOS and Remmina on Linux.

Once you have an RDP client, connecting is really simple:

1. Open the Remote Desktop Connection app

2. Press ‘Show Options’ in the connection dialog

3. Enter the server IP in your control panel in the ‘Computer’ field, and your username in the ‘User name’ field.

At RDP.net, the default username is ‘Admin’.

4. Press ‘Save’ under the ‘Connection settings’ heading, and then ‘Connect’.

5. Enter your password when prompted. Press 'Yes' to the certificate prompt.

6. Enjoy using your Windows RDP server. Press the ‘x’ in the toolbar at any time to disconnect.

Wondering what to use your RDP server for now that it's set up? Here are 5 popular reasons to use one.

The world has changed a lot since Microsoft introduced Windows RDP two decades ago. Home computers are more powerful than they used to be, internet connections are better. Despite this, Windows RDP servers remain just as popular and relevant. So, what are some of the reasons people use an RDP server in 2022? We're going to take a look in this blog.

1 - For remote work

The pandemic accelerated the work from home movement, with many businesses forced to adopt new technology to survive. Those that relied heavily on Windows had three real options – buy employees entirely new devices, let employees RDP into their office PC from home, or rent an RDP server.

For many, the latter option made the most sense. Renting an RDP server allows you to completely decouple your work machine from any physical hardware you have, increasing resilience while avoiding the need to maintain an on-premises infrastructure. To use a Windows RDP server to work, users can just enter its IP address and user details and work as they would normally.

The advantages of using a hosted RDP server for work are high availability (the server provider takes care of maintenance and uptime), and great performance with gigabit connection speeds. Businesses can also spin up dozens or servers at a moments notice to meet shifting demand between the office and home, allowing for more flexibility than on-site infrastructure.

2 - For a remote media library

Streaming services used to be a better deal than cable, but then the market fragmented. Now, to keep up with everything, you'll need to subscribe to Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, HBO Max – the list keeps growing. To cut down costs and exert more control over their movies, music, and shows, it's becoming popular to maintain a remote media library.

A Windows RDP server allows users to rip content from their physical media or download it at 1 gigabit per second and make it available to friends an family in the same place through a software such as Plex. The advantages of this approach are numerous – you only pay for the content that you want, don't have to keep track of dozens of subscriptions, and can see every show and movie available to you in one place.

3 - For application development

Windows accounts for ~75% of the desktop operating system market, making it a natural first choice to develop applications for. Not everybody who wants to develop for Windows has a Windows PC, however. A Windows RDP server allows them to build and test applications on the operating system of their choice without the need to invest in additional hardware.

Developers also gain the advantage of being able to spin up multiple servers to test their application on with ease. They can separate parts of its infrastructure or simulate a multi-user collaborative scenario. They can also scale their servers with their application, increasing its hardware resources to handle multiple compiles and builds at the same time with ease.

4 - For web development and hosting

While most web hosting is managed via Linux servers due to its low performance overhead, Windows hosting is still a solid choice. It's more intuitive due to its UI-based nature and resources are often geared towards less technical users.

Though you can technically host a website on your local PC, you wouldn't want to. A Windows RDP server will offer far better performance due to its fast connection speeds, physical location (in a data center), optimization, and uptime. Whether it's a WordPress blog or shop, hosting a website on an RDP VPS server is usually more reliable than shared hosting and more resistant to price hikes.

5 – For game server hosting

Various video games let users host their own servers so that they can play with their friends or develop their own large community to hang out with. Ark, Minecraft, SAMP, Arma 3, Terraria, DayZ, Rust, to name a few. Many of these game's servers run primarily on Windows, which is the platform their users are most familiar with. Hosting your game server with a Windows RDP provider enables 24/7 uptime, stable performance (not affected by whatever else you're doing on your pc), and a fast connection.

6 – For private cloud storage

The cloud is becoming an incredibly popular way to store files because of its resilience. It allows users to clear up space on their home devices while knowing that if they do run into a hardware issue, the data is backed up. Storage from the major providers is quite cheap, but it's also a bit of a black box. You can't see what measures the provider is using to keep your data safe, how closely they're looking at what you're storing, or what kind of analytics and tracking they're running.

Creating a cloud storage system via a Windows RDP server is more expensive and involved, but it's also more private. You can personally verify your server's security and be sure that you're the only with access to your information.

Final words

The use cases we outlined today are some of the most common, but the reality is that you can use a Windows RDP server for more or less anything you'd use a Windows PC for. General browsing, training AI models, you name it. If you'd like to dip your toes into Windows RDP, sign up to RDP.net today and take advantage of our free trial.