How to Connect to a Windows RDP from Any Device

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) lets you use a Windows machine in a data center as if it were in front of you. All you need is the address, a username and a password, which are in your welcome email.

Before you start

From the welcome email, note:

• Address, and a port if it isn’t the default 3389
• Username, usually Administrator
• Password

If your server uses a custom port, you’ll type the address as address:port, for example 203.0.113.10:40123.

From Windows

1. Press the Windows key, type Remote Desktop Connection and open it.
2. In Computer, enter the address, with :port if needed.
3. Press Connect, enter the username and password, and accept the certificate prompt the first time.

You can also start it from a terminal:

mstsc /v:203.0.113.10:40123

From macOS

1. Install Microsoft’s remote desktop app from the Mac App Store. It’s now called Windows App.
2. Add a PC, enter the address (with :port if needed) as the PC name, and save.
3. Double-click it and sign in.

From Android or iPhone

Install Microsoft’s remote desktop client from your app store (Windows App on iPhone and iPad; on Android, Microsoft’s Remote Desktop or Windows App, whichever is currently offered). Add a PC with the address and port, then sign in. Landscape mode and an external keyboard make it far more usable.

Lock it down straight away

RDP is a favourite target for password-guessing bots, so do these first:

1. Change the password to a long, unique one. Press Ctrl+Alt+End inside the session and choose Change a password.
2. Keep Network Level Authentication on. It’s on by default in Windows Server and makes brute-force attempts much cheaper to reject.
3. Install updates from Settings → Windows Update, and restart.

If it won’t connect

• “Remote Desktop can’t connect”: check the port. Most failures are a missing :port.
• Credentials rejected: the username is usually Administrator, and passwords are case-sensitive.
• Black screen after login: wait a minute on the first login while Windows finishes setting up the profile.

After the trial

The free RDP trial lasts 7 days. Upgrade before it ends to keep the server and everything on it.

How we made this: drafted with AI assistance, then edited. Technical testing is pending.