Remote Access — Windows (Remote Desktop)

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Windows - Remote Desktop Connection

Before you start: you'll need 3 things from us

  1. Computer name (the computer you're connecting to)
  2. User name
  3. Password

Don't have them yet? Submit a support request and ask for your remote access details.

Every time you connect

  1. Double-click your Remote Desktop shortcut.
  2. Check the computer name, tick Clipboard and Printers, and click Connect (step 8).
  3. Type your password if Windows asks for it (step 9).

The certificate box from step 10 should not come back. If it does, don't click Yes. Submit a support request first (see when not to dismiss a warning).

Set up once: steps 1 to 7

  1. Click on the "Start" button and then immediately start typing "Remote Desktop"
  2. Click on "Remote Desktop Connection" on the start menu
  3. Once the application opens, select "Show Options" (3)
  4. Enter in your "Computer" name and "User name" (4). Both are provided to you by your technician.
  5. Once your information is populated, click on "Allow me to save credentials" (5)
  6. Select "Save As..." (6) and save the Remote Desktop Connection somewhere where you can easily locate it (e.g., Desktop) The Remote Desktop Connection window. A small inset at the top right shows the window as it first opens, with Show Options marked 3. The main picture shows the window after Show Options, on the General tab. Under Logon settings, the Computer box (OFFICE-PC01.contoso.com) and the User name box (CONTOSO\jtaylor) are marked 4, and the ticked Allow me to save credentials box is marked 5. Under Connection settings, the Save As... button is marked 6, between Save and Open. Connect and Help are at the bottom right.
  7. Once the connection is saved, a new icon will be available for you to connect to your computer remotely

Connect: steps 8 to 11

  1. Double-click on the Remote Desktop icon. Before Windows connects to anything, a security box appears — usually headed "Caution: Unknown remote connection", with the publisher shown as "Unknown publisher". Check that the computer name it shows is the one your technician gave you, and tick the items you need during the session. The items all start switched off, and anything you leave unticked will not work once you are connected — for most people the ones to tick are "Clipboard" (copy and paste between the two computers) and "Printers". Then select "Connect". In the picture: Clipboard (1), Printers (2), Connect (3). The Remote Desktop Connection security warning box, headed Caution: Unknown remote connection. It shows Publisher: Unknown publisher, Type: Remote Desktop Connection, and Remote computer: OFFICE-PC01.contoso.com. Under Allow the remote computer to access the following resources on my computer, Clipboard is ticked and marked 1 and Printers is ticked and marked 2. Drives, Smart cards or Windows Hello for Business, WebAuthn (passkeys and security keys), Microphones and other audio recording devices, and Cameras and other video capture devices are left unticked. The Connect button is marked 3, next to Cancel. Your list may be longer or shorter. Tick only what you need.
  2. Enter in your password (provided to you by your technician), select "Remember Me" and then click "OK"
  3. A second box appears, headed "The identity of the remote computer cannot be verified." Select "Don't ask me again for connections to this computer" and then select "Yes". In the picture: the computer name (1), Don't ask me again (2), Yes (3). The Remote Desktop Connection certificate warning, headed: The identity of the remote computer cannot be verified. Do you want to connect anyway? Under Certificate name, the name in the certificate from the remote computer, OFFICE-PC01.contoso.com, is marked 1. Under Certificate errors: The certificate is not from a trusted certifying authority. Below the question Do you want to connect despite these certificate errors?, the ticked Don't ask me again for connections to this computer box is marked 2. The Yes button is marked 3, between View certificate... and No.
  4. You will then be brought to your remote desktop
The box in step 8 comes back every time, and that is normal. Since an April 2026 Windows security update, opening a saved Remote Desktop shortcut always shows that box, and Microsoft deliberately removed the "don't ask me again" option from it — so plan on ticking your clipboard and printer boxes each time you connect. The certificate box in step 10 is a different prompt, and that one does stay away once you tick its checkbox. Remote Desktop certificate warnings explains both boxes in full, including what "Unknown publisher" does and does not mean, and when a warning is worth reporting rather than dismissing.
The very first time you open a Remote Desktop file on a computer, Windows shows a one-time notice explaining what these files are and asking you to allow them for your account. Allow it once and it will not appear again — see Remote Desktop Notice: New Security Notice. Separately, if you ever connect by typing the computer name into Remote Desktop Connection instead of opening your saved shortcut, you will see an older version of the step 8 box that does carry a "Don't ask me again for connections to this computer" checkbox — tick it and select "Connect".
Tired of ticking those boxes every morning? That is a fix we can make from our end rather than yours: we can digitally sign your organization's connection files, and issue the server a certificate your computers already recognize. Submit a support request or email [email protected] and we will plan it properly.
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