How to Use Remote Desktop on Windows 8

Using Windows Remote Desktop

1. Click the Start button on the computer you want to connect to. While you can start a remote connection from any Windows 8 computer, you can only connect to computers running specific versions of Windows.

   1. Be aware that this will only work on local networks. It will not work over the internet. If you need to connect to your computer over the internet, you can use Chrome Remote Desktop instead.

2. Type winver and press ↵ Enter. Typing while on the Start screen will automatically start searching.

3. Look underneath the Microsoft copyright for your Windows version. You'll see the name of your Windows version written out underneath the Microsoft copyright information. Only the following versions of Windows 8 can be connected to:

   1. Windows 8.1 Pro
   2. Windows 8.1 Enterprise
   3. Windows 8 Enterprise
   4. Windows 8 Pro

4. Click the Start button again on the computer you're connecting to. If you've determined that the computer will support a remote connection, you'll need to enabled incoming connections for it.

   1. If the computer you're connecting to is not running a Pro or Enterprise version of Windows, you can use Chrome Remote Desktop instead.

5. Type allow remote.

6. Click Allow remote access to your computer.

7. Allow connections from any version of Remote Desktop. Click the "Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop" option.

8. Click Select Users.

9. Click Add.

10. Click the Enter the object names to select field.

11. Type in the name of the user you want to allow. For example, if you want to be able to remotely access this computer yourself, enter your Windows username.

12. Click OK. The user you've specified will now be able to connect remotely to the computer.

13. Find the remote computer's name. You'll need the full computer name to connect to it remotely:

    1. Click the Start button.
    2. Type system and press ↵ Enter.
    3. Find the computer name in the "Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings" section.

14. Open the Remote Desktop app on your other computer. If you don't have this app, you can download it for free from the Windows Store.

    1. To quickly open the Remote Desktop app (if it's installed), click the Windows button, type remote desktop, and press ↵ Enter.

15. Type the name of the computer you're connecting to. Make sure to enter in the complete full name you found earlier.

16. Click Connect.

17. Control the remote computer from within the Remote Desktop app. Once you're connected, you'll see the remote computer's desktop in the Remote Desktop window. You can control the remote computer just like your own local computer.