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Virtual servers

Connect over Remote Desktop

Sign in to a Windows virtual server with Remote Desktop, download the ready made profile, and fix the usual reasons a connection is refused.

Last reviewed 2026-10-04

A Windows virtual server listens for Remote Desktop on port 3389. You sign in as Administrator.

Find your details

Open your server and look at the How to connect card on the Overview tab. For a Windows server it shows:

  • Address, the IPv4 address
  • Port, which is 3389
  • User, which is Administrator

There is also a copyable command for the built in Windows client:

text

mstsc /v:203.0.113.10:3389

The ready made profile

Click Download .rdp profile on the same card. Open the file and Remote Desktop starts with the address and the user name already filled in.

The file carries the address and the user name only. Remote Desktop asks for the password itself, so nothing secret is written to your disk.

Sign in by hand

On Windows, press the Start button, type Remote Desktop Connection and open it. Put the address in the Computer box, click Connect, then enter Administrator and the password.

On macOS, install Microsoft's Windows App from the Mac App Store, add a PC with the address, then sign in as Administrator.

On Linux, use a client such as Remmina or FreeRDP.

You will see a certificate warning the first time. That is expected on a fresh Windows install, which uses a self signed certificate. Accept it and carry on.

Getting the password

Click Show the password on the Overview card, type the hostname to confirm, and the Administrator password appears with a copy button. Every reveal is written to your activity log.

To set a new one, open the Access tab and use Generate a new password, or Set one myself.

Two things about Windows passwords:

  • The server has to be running before the Administrator password can be changed. Start it first.
  • Windows refuses passwords it considers too simple. If your own password is rejected, make it longer and mix in digits and symbols.

A Windows server holds no SSH keys, so the SSH keys section on the Access tab does not apply to it.

If the connection is refused

  1. Is the server running? Check Server state on Overview and press Start if it is off.
  2. Has Windows finished its first boot? A freshly installed Windows server spends a few minutes setting itself up before Remote Desktop answers. Wait, then try again.
  3. Is port 3389 allowed? Open the Security tab. A new Windows server starts with the Windows server preset, which allows 3389 and ping. If you have changed the rules, make sure port 3389 is still allowed. See The firewall.
  4. Use the console. Open the console in your browser to reach the desktop even when the network side is wrong.

The evaluation licence

Both Windows images we install are Microsoft evaluation media. They stop working 180 days after installation unless you supply your own Windows licence. Activating the server with your own key is your responsibility, and you should do it well before the 180 days are up.