In this tutorial we will show you how to set up a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) shortcut on your server.
Important Notice 🧑💻 :
We would like to draw your attention to the following issue:
For users who have only an IPv6 address and do not have a dedicated IPv4 address, the RDP client connection is not supported.
This means that if a customer connects from a device with an IPv4 address, the RDP client connection will work as expected.
Warning ⚠️: You need to have a server purchased from AppOnFly to get the RDP shortcut working. This feature is not supported for test servers.
For new servers purchased after January 2025 or reinstalled, you need to enable the RDP feature in the center (see screenshot below). It takes a few minutes to activate. After activation you will see HOST (IP address) + username (default - Administrator) and access password.
How to enable RDP
Step 2
Open the Server Manager (start > Server Manager) and click 'Local Server' on the middle. On the right, you will now see a large number of options and the status of the server.
Step 3
One of the options which is visible is Remote Desktop, whose status is 'Disabled' by default. Click it to enable Remote Desktop.
Step 4
You will now see the 'System Properties', change the selected option from 'Don’t allow remote connections to this computer' to the option below, 'Allow remote connections to this computer'.
A prompt about the Windows Firewall appears. Click 'Windows Firewall with Advanced Security' to go to the firewall settings (you can also do this later).
Step 5
Click the 'Inbound Rules' in the upper left corner to adjust the firewall rules for inbound traffic. Scroll down to the rules for 'Remote Desktop'.
Then click the three different lines below one by one and on the right side click 'Enable Rule':
- Remote Desktop - Shadow (TCP-In)
- Remote Desktop - User Mode (TCP-In)
- Remote Desktop - User Mode (UDP-In)
Step 6
Close the Windows Firewall screen. The window to enable RDP is shown again. Click 'Apply' to enable the RDP connection to the server.
It may then take a few seconds, but after, the Remote Desktop status in the Server Manager should change to Enabled.
