How to connect to a Windows VPS using Remote Desktop (RDP)
How to connect to a Windows VPS? When it comes to connecting a Virtual Private Server or Dedicated Servers, the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the easiest way to connect. Remote Desktop Protocol is an extremely useful tool to access Windows VPS hosting. With RDP on Windows, you can interact with a remote desktop VPS like your own computer. You will have access to a complete Windows desktop and GUI that you are familiar with, even while the VPS is hosted on a remote computer and remote network.
How to connect to a Windows VPS from Windows
For RDP, the most popular client is RDC (Remote Desktop Connection) which comes pre-installed on all versions of Windows. So there is no need to install any additional software on your Windows computer to connect to your VPS. So let’s see how you can connect Windows VPS from your Windows computer using RDC (Remote Desktop Connection).
Step 1: To launch RDC, open the Start menu of your computer and search for “Remote Desktop connection. (If you can’t find it, you can start it manually with Start > Run > mstsc.exe).
Step 2: Enter your Windows VPS details (from the New VPS information email)
- Computer: [Main IP address of your RDP VPS or Windows Server]
- Click Connect
Step 3: RDC will prompt for your password. Enter the following:
- Username: Administrator
- Password: Password is supplied by your Windows VPS provider.
- Click OK
After connecting, your Windows Server’s remote desktop will appear. It should look something like this:
Now you can use the remote desktop like any other PC. When you close the window, the RDP VPS will remain online, even if you disconnect from the internet or turn off your computer.
Connecting to a Windows VPS from macOS X
macOS X users can also use Microsoft’s official RDC program, one of the best remote desktop apps for OS X. It is available for download here.
Step 1: Launch RDC. Click on the New button icon and it will start a new Remote Desktop Connection. We will need to enter the username and password.
Step 2: Double click on the Connection name to connect to the VPS. You’ll get a certificate warning. Click ‘Show Certificate’. Select the checkbox for ‘Always trust….’ to not get warned about the self-signed certificate in the future.
We also recommend the open-source application CoRD for OS X, which can be downloaded from here. The required login credentials will be the same as above.
Connecting from Linux
There are several RDP clients available for Linux, rdesktop being one of the most popular.*The required login credentials will be the same as above.
Connecting from Android & iPhone
Search the Android Market or App Store for “RDP” and select a remote desktop app. The required login credentials will be the same as above. Some of our favorites are:
- PocketCloud (Android)
- Microsoft RDC