Remote Desktop Setup on Windows 11: Complete Guide

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Use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows 11 PC from anywhere

Co-authored by Nicole Levine, MFA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: February 16, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Enabling Remote Desktop
|
• Creating a Firewall Rule
|
• Forwarding the Port
|
• Connecting with Remote Desktop
|
• Changing the Port
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

You can use Remote Desktop on Windows 11 to allow people to connect to your desktop remotely. As long as you're using Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise edition, Remote Desktop setup is easy, whether you only want to accept local network connections or allow anyone to connect over the internet. This wikiHow guide will walk you through Remote Desktop setup in Windows 11, including how to allow RDC through your firewall and router.

You will need Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise Edition to make this work. Home Edition will not have this feature.

Quick Steps

1. Go to Settings > System > Remote Desktop.
2. Enable the "Remote Desktop" switch and click Confirm.
3. Click the arrow next to "Remote desktop."
4. Make note of the port number and PC name.
5. Click Remote Desktop Users and add users.
6. Allow the Remote Desktop port through your firewall.
7. Forward the port on your router if needed.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Enabling Remote Desktop in Settings

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1. 
   1
   Make sure you're using Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise edition. Unfortunately, Windows 11 Home edition does not include Remote Desktop. To see if your version of Windows 11 supports Remote Desktop:

   • Click the Start menu and select Settings.
   • Click the About tab.
   • Look for your version of Windows 11 under "Editions."
   • If you have Windows 11 Home, you can upgrade to Pro to get Remote Desktop access.
   • If you have Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise already, you can continue setting up Remote Desktop.
2. 
   2
   Open your Settings and click the System tab. You'll see the System tab at the top-left corner of Settings.
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3. 
   3
   Click Remote Desktop. It's near the bottom of the right panel.
4. 
   4
   Click the "Remote Desktop" switch to enable Remote Desktop. A confirmation message will appear.
5. 
   5
   Click Confirm. This turns on Remote Desktop.
6. 
   6
   Click the arrow next to "Remote Desktop" and adjust your settings. First, make a note of the port number and PC Name, as you may need these later. For security purposes, check the box next to "Require devices to use Network Level Authentication."

   • By default, the port number is 3389. If you want to use a custom port, jump to Changing the Remote Desktop Port.
   • If older devices need to connect to this one, you may need to disable Network Level Authentication in the future.
7. 
   7
   Click Remote Desktop Users. You'll see this toward the bottom of the right panel. This allows you to choose which users of this system can connect using Remote Desktop.
8. 
   8
   Click Add. This will take you to another small window labeled "Select Users."
9. 
   9
   Add users to Remote Desktop. Make sure these users already have accounts on this PC before adding.

   • After adding the users' names, click OK to close the window.
   • Click OK on the Remote Desktop Users window to close it.
   • These users should now be able to connect to this PC using Remote Desktop on your local network. However, if people will be connecting from outside the network (over the internet), you will need to make additional changes. Jump to Allowing Remote Desktop Through Your Firewall to set up external connections.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Allowing Remote Desktop Through Your Firewall

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1. 
   1
   Open Windows Defender Firewall with advanced security. Depending on your network setup, you may need to allow the Remote Desktop port through the Windows 11 firewall. To get started, type "Windows Defender Firewall," then click Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security in the search results.
2. 
   2
   ClickInbound Rules. It's on the left side of the window.
3. 
   3
   Click New Rule. It's on the right panel.
4. 
   4
   Select "Port" and click Next.
5. 
   5
   Enter the port information. Select the "TCP" option, choose "Specific local ports," and enter the port number (3389 by default). Then, click Next to continue.
6. 
   6
   Select "Allow the connection" and click Next.
7. 
   7
   Keep all defaults checked and click Next. No need to make any changes here.
8. 
   8
   Enter a name for the rule and click Finish. For example, “My remote computer access" or "Remote Desktop".

   • The new rule will be added to the top of the rule list in your firewall settings.
   • You may need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
   • Depending on your network, you may also need to forward the port on your router.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Port Forwarding on Your Router

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1. 
   1
   Open your router's admin website. If you need to forward the Remote Desktop port on your router, you can do so using your router's admin interface. Log in to your router using the admin username and password to get started.
2. 
   2
   Assign the Remote Desktop PC a static IP address. If your router is using DHCP to assign IP addresses to devices on the network, you'll need to assign the Windows 11 PC that's running Remote Desktop a static IP address instead. The steps to do this will vary by router model, but you'll usually find the option to do it in a section called Devices or similar.

   • Once you find the right location, select Reserved IP or similar.
   • If an IP address is not already prefilled, you can use the private (local) IP address currently assigned to your PC.
3. 
   3
   Go to the Port Forwarding area of your router's interface. You may find this on a tab called Application, Firewall, or similar.
4. 
   4
   Add a rule for your Remote Desktop port.

   • For the Start Port, enter the port number you're using for Remote Desktop. The default is 3389, but if you changed it, enter the new port number.
   • Under End Port, type the same port number.
   • Under Type, choose the option “TCP” or “BOTH”.
   • Under Server IP, insert your Windows 11 computer's static IP address.
   • Enable and save the rule.
5. 
   5
   Get the Public IP address from your Windows 11 computer. For others to connect to the PC from outside the network, they will need to know the IP address of your computer. However, you'll need to identify the public IP address instead of the private one. To do so, go to whatismyipaddress.com.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Connecting with Remote Desktop

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1. 
   1
   Open the Remote Desktop Connection app on the computer that's connecting. Once the Remote Desktop setup is complete, you can use these steps to connect from a remote computer. To open the app, type "remote desktop" into the search bar, then click Remote Desktop Connections to launch it.

   • You can also use the Remote Desktop app for Android or the Windows app for Mac to connect.
2. 
   2
   Enter the IP address of the computer you're connecting to. If you're connecting over the internet (not on a local network), enter the public IP address here.

   • Click Show Options to continue.
3. 
   3
   Click the Local Resources tab and choose your settings. On this tab, you can choose whether to allow keyboard shortcuts, access to your printers, and more, over Remote Desktop.
4. 
   4
   Click the General tab and make some changes. In the "Computer" box, type the IP address of the computer, followed by a colon, and then the port number. For example, “122.123.145.100:15275” or “122.123.145.100:3389” for the default port forward number. You'll also want to add the username you want to log in with.

   • Click Connect to start your connection.
5. 
   5
   Enter your password and click OK. A warning message will appear.
6. 
   6
   Click Yes. This connects you to the Windows 11 computer remotely.
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Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Changing the Remote Desktop Port

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1. 
   1
   Open the Registry Editor. If you want to assign a different port to Remote Desktop, you can do so with this method. Start by opening the Registry Editor on your Windows 11 PC. To do so, type regedit into the search bar and press Enter.

   • This is totally optional.
   • Two main reasons to change the Remote Desktop Port from the default port "3389":
     • If you have more than one computer that will use Remote Desktop on your network, both cannot use the same port.
     • You may also want to change the default port so hackers cannot try to access your computer on that port.
   • Warning! Do not, unless you are fully aware of what you are doing, edit or remove any folders in the Registry. It can cause file and system corruption.
2. 
   2
   Go to the registry key. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp. A new window will open that is divided into two sides, where the left side has multiple folders.

   • Follow the folders below to expand each one to reach the final folder of "RDP-Tcp" without skipping any of them.
     • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
     • System
     • CurrentControlSet
     • Control
     • Terminal Server
     • WinStations
   • Double-click the RDP-Tcp folder. You will see a number of extensions on the right side of the window.
   • In the right section, double-click PortNumber.
   • A new window will pop up called "Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value".
3. 
   3
   Change the port number. Select "Decimal" to change the Value data into a decimal number, then replace the default port number (3389) with one with a large value (e.g., 15275). Make sure to save that number for future use.

   • Click OK and then restart your PC.
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