How to enable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt on Windows 10

You can quickly enable or disable Remote Desktop and configure the firewall ports on Windows 10 using the command-line, and here's how.

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Windows 11 enable remote desktop commands

On Windows 10, you can use the Remote Desktop feature to remotely access a computer or server to help other users or manage services without being physically present at the location.

Although you can manage the feature through the Settings app, you can also enable or disable Remote Desktop on Windows 10 using commands with Command Prompt or PowerShell. You may want to use this method to create a script to configure Remote Desktop on multiple computers more quickly. Or you can send the script to a user, allowing them to automatically set up the feature without additional steps.

This guide will teach you the steps to use Command Prompt to enable or disable Remote Desktop and open the required firewall ports for a successful connection on Windows 10.

Important: Remote Desktop is not a feature available on Windows 10 Home. It is only on Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. It is also recommended you create a full backup of your computer before proceeding, as modifying the registry can cause irreversible damage to your system.

Enable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt

To enable the remote desktop protocol with Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 10.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to enable the remote desktop protocol and press Enter:

    reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

    Remote Desktop enable command

  4. (Optional) Type the following command to enable remote desktop through the Windows Firewall and press Enter:

    netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=Yes

Once you complete the steps, the protocol will enable on Windows 10, and you will be able to access the device remotely.

Disable Remote Desktop using Command Prompt

To disable the remote desktop protocol with Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to disable the remote desktop protocol and press Enter:

    reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

    Remote Desktop disable command

  4. (Optional) Type the following command to disable remote desktop through the Windows Firewall and press Enter:

    netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=No

After you complete the steps, the Remote Desktop service will be disabled, and the Windows Firewall port will be closed.

We focus this guide on Command Prompt, but you can use the same commands to manage the remote desktop protocol using PowerShell.