Logon attempt failed with RDP from remote location

Question

It used to work flawlessly for the past 3 years, but now I'm getting a "logon attempt failed" when trying to connect via RDP to a Windows Server 2016 with Essentials Experience from a remote location. However, if I use RDP from a computer on the local network, I have no problem establishing a connection.

I'm using the same credentials, the domain administrator account, in both situations.

I need help to figure out the source of the problem.

I checked the event log and found that RDG seems to authorize the connection. If so, it would mean that the credentials are refused at the server level. Then why does it work when RDPing locally.

I always use the domain admin account, whether I logon directly on the server (ctrl-alt-del), RDPing from a local PC or RDPing from a remote PC.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community forum.

First confirm your network environment: When you try to connect from a remote location, are you connecting to the server via RDP from an external network? What kind of network connection do you configure (VPN or port forwarding)?

Pay special attention to the following aspects when troubleshooting this problem:

1. Check that the router or firewall is correctly configured to allow RDP traffic from a remote location, usually port 3389.

You can run the Ping command or other test tools to test the network connectivity. If you configured an RD gateway, check its Settings again.

2. Ensure that network level authentication (NLA) is not the cause of the problem. Try temporarily disabling NLA to see if the issue is resolved. You can uncheck "Only allow computer connections running remote desktops with network level authentication" in the System Properties > Remote TAB.

Reference:

Remote Desktop - Allow access to your PC from outside your network | Microsoft Learn

I hope this helps. If you have any follow-up questions, please contact us.

Best regards

Jacen