Real screenshot · Microsoft Cloud PC, Windows 11In short
On the PC you want to reach, open Settings, System, Remote Desktop, switch Remote Desktop on and note the PC name. On another Windows PC, open Remote Desktop Connection, enter that name and click Connect. The PC you reach needs Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education.
Remote Desktop shows the screen of one PC on another device and lets you work on it as if you sat in front of it. It is built into Windows, with one catch: the PC that is controlled must run the Pro, Enterprise or Education edition.
Where the Cloud PC shows something different, the step says so.
A Cloud PC is itself reached over Remote Desktop, so on ours the switch was already on and we left it alone.
5 of 5 steps show a real screenshot from our Microsoft Cloud PC.
Steps
- 1
Check the edition
On the PC you want to reach, open Settings, System, About and look at Edition under Windows specifications.
It must say Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education. On our Cloud PC it shows Windows 11 Enterprise.
- 2
Turn on Remote Desktop
Open Start, Settings, System and click Remote Desktop, which on our Cloud PC sits between Projecting to this PC and Clipboard.
Switch Remote Desktop on; Microsoft says to select Confirm when asked. Ours already showed On.
- 3
Note the PC name
The name is on the PC name row, below the Remote Desktop switch. You need it on the other PC. (We blurred ours.)
- 4
Check who may connect
Click Remote Desktop users, below PC name, to select who can remotely access this PC.
Microsoft says members of the Administrators group have access automatically.
- 5
Connect from another Windows PC
In the search box on the taskbar, type Remote Desktop Connection and open it.
Type the PC name in the Computer box and click Connect.
On our Cloud PC the box was empty, showing Example: computer.fabrikam.com, and User name read None specified.
If you do not see this option
- Edition says Windows 11 Home. Microsoft says the PC you connect to must run the Pro edition, and points to upgrading Windows Home to Windows Pro. Quick Assist (below) works without it. Sources: How to use Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop clients FAQ
- You cannot find the PC name. It is also shown at the top of Settings, System, About, next to the Rename this PC button.
If this does not work
- Connect does nothing. On our Cloud PC, with the Computer box left empty, the window shows: The computer name field is blank. Enter a full remote computer name.
- The remote PC cannot be found. Microsoft says to check the PC name, and that in many home networks you have to use the IP address of the remote PC instead.
- A firewall may be blocking it. Microsoft says to open Windows Firewall, select Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall, then Change settings, tick Remote Desktop and select OK. Other firewalls need port 3389 open.
- You see the sign-in screen but cannot sign in. Microsoft says your account may not be in the Remote Desktop Users group or an administrator group on the remote PC. Add it under Remote Desktop users (step 4).
Good to know
By name, the connection works inside the same network, for example at home. From outside you need a VPN into that network. Do not open the Remote Desktop port on your router to the internet: it is one of the most attacked services there is.
The remote PC must be switched on and awake. Set it not to go to sleep when plugged in, under Settings, System, Power & battery.
For helping a relative with a Home edition PC, use Quick Assist, which is built into every Windows 11: search for Quick Assist on both PCs and follow the code it gives.
A VPN into a work network: how to set up a VPN connection on Windows 11. Between Macs: how to share your Mac screen with another Mac.
About this guide
- Device
- Windows
- Shown on
- Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › System
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 5 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
Sorry about that. What happened?