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Connect to your Windows VPS with Remote Desktop

Log in to your Windows VPS with Remote Desktop (RDP) from Windows, macOS or Linux, with tips for your first login and your own password.

EliteStarHosting Team2 November 20263 min read

You control your Windows VPS with Windows Server 2022 through Remote Desktop, also called RDP. You then see the desktop of the server in a window on your own computer, as if you were sitting in front of it.

What you need

With your order you get the IP address of your VPS, the username (usually Administrator) and the password. This guide uses 203.0.113.10 as an example. Always fill in the IP address of your own VPS.

From Windows

Remote Desktop Connection is in every edition of Windows, Home included.

  1. Type Remote Desktop Connection in the search box on the taskbar and open it. You can also press Windows key+R and type mstsc.
  2. Fill in the IP address of your VPS at Computer and click Connect.
  3. Log in with Administrator and the password. If Windows suggests your own account, choose to use a different account.
  4. You get a message that the identity of the remote computer cannot be verified. For your own new server that's normal: click Yes.

From macOS

  1. Install Windows App from the Mac App Store and open it.
  2. Click + and choose Add PC.
  3. Fill in the IP address of your VPS at PC Name and click Add.
  4. Double-click the PC, log in with Administrator and the password and accept the certificate message.

From Linux

Use Remmina. On Debian and Ubuntu you install it like this, on other distributions through your software center or Flathub:

sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp
  1. Open Remmina and choose the protocol RDP in the bar at the top.
  2. Type the IP address of your VPS in the bar and press Enter.
  3. Log in with Administrator and the password and accept the certificate.

Tips for your first login

  • Server Manager opens by itself when you log in. You can simply close the window.
  • Install the updates first: search for Windows Update in Start and restart when Windows asks for it.
  • Microsoft Edge is already on Windows Server 2022, so you can download software right away.
  • If you close the Remote Desktop window, your programs keep running on the VPS. Handy for a game server. Want to close everything? Then sign out through Start.
  • Running a game server or website? Then open its port in Windows Firewall. You can do that in PowerShell, for example for TCP port 25565:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Gameserver" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 25565 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

If your game uses UDP, create another rule with -Protocol UDP.

Change your password

Replace the password from your order with your own strong password. Open PowerShell from Start and type:

net user Administrator *

Type your new password, and then once more to confirm. You see nothing while you type, that's normal. You can also use Ctrl+Alt+End (on a Mac: Fn+Control+Option+Backspace) and choose Change a password. Then update the saved password in your RDP app and keep it in a password manager.

Not working?

  • No connection? Check the IP address. If you just ordered the VPS, wait a few minutes.
  • Is your password refused? Use Administrator as the username and watch out for capital letters.
  • Still stuck? Contact support. Never send your password.

Do you have a Linux VPS? Then read Connect to your Linux VPS with SSH. There is more about Remote Desktop at Microsoft.