How to install RustDesk for remote desktop on Windows 11

To install RustDesk on Windows 11, open Command Prompt (admin) and run the winget install --id RustDesk.RustDesk command. Once installed, launch RustDesk to start a remote session.
For more control and privacy, you can self-host the server using the downloadable package from GitHub.

On Windows 11, RustDesk offers an alternative to the built-in Remote Desktop feature and the Quick Assist app, enabling secure remote access and assistance across devices, whether you’re managing your own machines or helping family and friends.

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop solution designed with privacy, security, and performance in mind. Unlike proprietary services like TeamViewer or AnyDesk, RustDesk supports self-hosting, allowing you to maintain complete ownership of your data and infrastructure.

This tool lets you view and control a remote computer, share files through an integrated file manager, and sync clipboards between devices. Connections are encrypted end-to-end using the TLS 1.3 standard, ensuring secure communication without relying on proprietary encryption schemes.

RustDesk works over the internet or VPN (Virtual Private Network), and if you host your own server, you can bypass the service’s public infrastructure entirely. Even when using public RustDesk relay servers, your session data remains inaccessible to third parties.

Built in Rust (a programming language known for speed, memory safety, and concurrency), RustDesk delivers high performance with minimal latency. It includes a custom video codec for efficient, low-lag remote desktop experiences.

By default, RustDesk clients connect through public servers, requiring no setup. However, advanced users can switch to a self-hosted configuration for more control and privacy, but it requires additional configuration.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to set up RustDesk on Windows 11 to connect remotely to other computers in the network. However, you can also use the client application on macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Although I’m focusing these instructions on Windows 11, you can set this solution on Windows 10.

Set up a RustDesk client on Windows 11
Set up a self-hosted RustDesk server on Windows 11
Configure the RustDesk client on Windows 11
Connect remotely to another PC using RustDesk on Windows 11

Set up a RustDesk client on Windows 11

To download and install RustDesk on Windows 11, follow these steps:

Open Start on Windows 11.
Search for Command Prompt (or Terminal), right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type this command to install Rustdesk on Windows 11 and press Enter:
```
winget install --id RustDesk.RustDesk
```

Once you complete the steps, you can start connecting to other machines remotely, but they will rely on the RustDesk public server for connection, authentication, and performance. If you want more security, privacy, control, and to improve the connection performance, you should set up the server option.

Set up a self-hosted RustDesk server on Windows 11

To download and install RustDesk server, follow these steps:

Open this GitHub page.
Click the download option for rustdesk-server-windows-x86_64-unsigned.zip packages and save it to your computer.
Open the folder where you downloaded the packages.
Select the package (zip folder) and click the Extract all button from the command bar.
Click the Extract button.
Right-click the RuskDeskServer.Setup.exe file and choose the Run as administrator option.

Quick note: Since this app isn’t signed, you’ll receive a warning. Click on the “More info” option and click the “Run anyway” button.
Continue with the on-screen directions to complete the installation.
Start the RustDesk server from the Start menu.
Click on Service and select the Start option to run the service (if applicable).
Select the “key” string and use the “Ctrl + C” keyboard shortcut to copy it.

After you complete the steps, you will have to configure each client to connect using your local server instead of the public RustDesk servers with the server IP address and key.

If you have to uninstall the server application, you won’t find the entry in the Installed apps page. However, you can use the uninstall shortcut from %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\RustDeskServer.

The role of the server is to act as a middleman to establish remote desktop connections and improve the remote access performance. It’s not involved in the actual rendering of the remote screen or the processing of your input. Actually, that’s the client’s role. Instead, its primary function is to act as a signaling and relay infrastructure that allows two clients to find and connect to each other.

Some of the server responsibilities include the creation and tracking of device identifiers and the IP address tracking of each computer.

Also, since you’re using the free self-hosted version, you don’t get access to the web interface that offers a set of tools to manage your clients. However, for a small number of computers or personal use, the free version is all you need.

As a side note, if you plan to set up the self-hosted version of this remote desktop solution, I recommend setting the server up on a computer other than the device you’re setting up the client to avoid possible connectivity issues. I had a few initial issues, but after restarting the server, connections from the local RustDesk server began to work normally.

Also, even though you can install the server directly into the operating system, RustDesk usually recommends using Docker.

Configure the RustDesk client on Windows 11

Once you install the application, you can start remoting in from another device immediately. However, if you’re setting this up for your devices, you may want to customize the connection name and configure a permanent password.

To configure the RuskDesk client, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for RustDesk and click the top result to open the app.
Click the Settings (three dots) button from the left pane.
Click on Security from the left pane.
Click the “Unlock security settings” button.
Select the “Use permanent password” option.
Click the “Set permanent password” button.
Confirm the password you want to use.
Click the OK button.
Click on Network.
Click the “Unlock network settings” button.
Click the “ID/Relay server” option.
Confirm the “ID Server” and “Relay server” with the RustDesk server IP address you copied earlier.
Confirm the key from the RustDesk server logs.
Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the device will contact the self-hosted RustDesk server to establish a connection with other devices in the local network. You may need to repeat the steps on all the computers that will participate in the remote connection.

The RustDesk client communicates with the ID (signaling) server (hbbs) to locate the remote device, then attempts to establish a direct peer-to-peer (P2P) connection. If a direct connection isn’t possible due to NAT traversal or firewall restrictions, the session is relayed through the relay server (hbbr).

You can connect over the internet using RustDesk, but this requires proper server and network configuration. Specifically, you’ll need to open firewall ports for both hbbs and hbbr.

The default core ports for this are:

TCP: 21115 (ID server), 21116 (relay server), 21117
UDP: 21116 (used for relay communication)
Web client (optional): TCP 21118 and 21119

If you prefer convenience, you can use RustDesk’s public servers, which don’t require server installation or port configuration. However, if you deploy a self-hosted server, you must configure your firewall to allow external devices to connect via the internet.

In other words, if you don’t install the server, the devices will connect with the public servers, and you won’t have to configure the firewall to connect from the internet.

Connect remotely to another PC using RustDesk on Windows 11

To establish a remote desktop connection using RustDesk, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for RustDesk, and click the top result to launch the app.
Confirm the name you assigned to the computer in the “Control Remote Desktop” setting.
Click the Connect button.
Confirm the password and click the OK button.

Once you’re connected, you can start controlling the computer remotely.

You can open the toolbar with the “down” arrow, where you’ll find different options to interact with the connection. Using these tools, you can transfer files, access the device camera, adjust the connection performance, start a chat, and even screen record the session.

RustDesk connection controls / Image: Mauro Huculak

If you’re using this remote desktop solution for your devices, I would only change the “Display Settings” to change image quality to “Good image quality” and choose the scaling option. You can learn more at the RustDesk GitHub page.