How to Connect to a Windows VPS with Remote Desktop
Open the RDP port, launch Remote Desktop Connection, and get a full Windows desktop on your server in about two minutes.
Remote Desktop gives you the actual Windows desktop of your server in a window on your own machine. You click, type, and install software exactly as if you were sitting in front of it. Here is how to get connected.
Before you start
You need three things, all of which are on your service page in the client portal at portal.virtualized.gg:
- The IP address of your server
- The administrator username, usually
Administrator - The password
Remote Desktop is enabled by default on Windows Server, so there is nothing to turn on at the server end.
Step 1: Open port 3389 in the Firewall Manager
Ports are closed by default on the Virtualized network, so RDP will not reach your server until you allow it.
In the client portal, open Services, then Firewall Manager. Select the IP address of your Windows server and click New Rule.
Set the protocol to TCP, set the destination port to 3389, tick Whitelist, and click Create Rule.
Give the rule 1 to 15 minutes to propagate before you try to connect. A rule that looks correct usually just needs another few minutes to go live across the network.
Step 2: Open Remote Desktop Connection
On Windows, search the Start menu for Remote Desktop Connection, or press Win + R and run:
mstsc
On macOS, install Windows App from the Mac App Store. On Linux, use Remmina or FreeRDP. All three take the same IP, username, and password.
Step 3: Enter your server address
Type the IP address of your VPS into the Computer field and click Connect.
If you want to save the settings, click Show Options first and fill in the username under User name before connecting. That way you only enter the password next time.
Step 4: Sign in
You will be prompted for credentials. Enter the administrator username and the password from your service page.
You will then see a certificate warning saying the remote computer could not be authenticated. This is expected on a fresh server using a self-signed certificate. Click Yes to continue.
Your Windows desktop loads, and you are in.
Step 5: Change the default password immediately
This matters more than anything else in this guide. Port 3389 is one of the most heavily scanned ports on the internet, and the default administrator credentials on a brand-new server are the first thing an automated attack tries.
Once you are logged in, press Ctrl + Alt + End (not Ctrl + Alt + Del, which your local machine intercepts), choose Change a password, and set something long and unique.
Two more things worth doing while you are there:
- Restrict the firewall rule to your own IP if your home connection has a static address. In the Firewall Manager, set the source to your IP instead of leaving the port open to the world.
- Rename the Administrator account in Computer Management, so attacks have to guess the username as well as the password.
To disconnect
Clicking the X in the blue bar at the top of the window disconnects your session but leaves it running on the server, along with everything you have open. That is usually what you want.
To sign out properly and free the resources, use Start → your account → Sign out inside the remote desktop instead.
If it will not connect
"The remote computer could not be reached" almost always means the firewall rule has not propagated yet, or it was added to the wrong IP. Check the address in the rule against the address on your service page.
"The credentials did not work" usually means the username needs qualifying. Try .\Administrator, with the leading dot and backslash, instead of Administrator on its own.
It connects and immediately drops is often another session already logged in. Wait a minute for the old session to time out, then reconnect.
If you are still stuck, open a ticket in the client portal with your IP and the exact error text.