Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) has been part of Windows since the XP Pro days. It allows you to easily connect remotely into other computers on your network or over the web. Here’s a look at using Remote Desktop using Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
Having the ability to remotely access your Windows PC is a convenient way to access files and programs. It’s also a good way to troubleshoot and remotely support a workstation – provided the network isn’t the issue. Being able to do it from a tablet or smartphone is even better. When Windows 8 and Surface with Windows RT came out, there was already a nice Modern style app for Remote Desktop. Microsoft has released a RDP app for bothiOS and Android too. This is actually a good way to run programs and applications from a Surface RT since you can’t install desktop applications on a Surface RT or Surface 2.
Setup Windows 8.1 to Accept Remote Connections
Editor Note: Home versions of Windows don’t allow incoming remote connections via RDP. You are able to use Remote Desktop to connect to other computers, just not the other way around. You will need to be running Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise or the Pro version of Windows 8.x.
To set up your Windows computer to accept remote connections, start by open Control Panel > System then click “Remote Settings” from the left pane.
In Windows 8.1 you can also get there by searching for remote settings in the search box on the Start screen as shown below.
Then under the Remote Desktop section, select the option to allow remote connections as well as Network Level Authentication for better security. On Windows 7, right-click Computer and select Properties to get to the same place.
Remotely connect to Your PC from an Android Device
First you’ll need to download the Microsoft Remote Desktop app. Now it’s time to connect to your PC from your Android tablet — or if you’re in a pinch a smartphone will do. Launch the app and from the Remote Desktops tab located on the left, tap the “+” icon at the upper left corner to add a new PC connection.
Next enter in a name for the computer you’re connecting to, its host name or IP address, and the login credentials for that computer, then tap Done.
The first time you start a connection, you’ll see a screen like the one below advising it’s an untrusted certificate. I am going to assume that since you’re remoting into a PC from your tablet, you know the one you want to connect to, so tap Trust Always.
Now you’ll see the desktop of the computer you’re connected to. At the top you have a Pan Control that allows you to zoom in on the screen and move it around easily. If you need the onscreen keyboard you can easily pull that up by tapping its icon. In this example I connected to my Windows Home Server.
Or if you’re connecting to a Windows 8.1 computer, as shown in this example, there’s a handy utility bar available to toggle between the modern UI and the desktop. When connecting to the modern UI, a lot of the same swipes and touch controls work the same as they do on a touch-enabled device. For instance here I’m using the split screen feature, and a swipe from the right side of the screen brings up the Charms bar.
That's it..!!
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