Did you know that you can save your remote desktop credentials to an RDP file and use it to quickly open a remote desktop session directly? Here’s how.
If you use the built-in remote desktop tool to access other Windows computers over the network, you know how simple it is to use it. All we have to do is open the remote desktop tool, select the remote system from the drop-down menu, and click “Connect”. Of course, if it’s the first time you’re connecting to a remote system, you need its IP address/computer name and its credentials.
While the remote desktop tool, by default, makes connecting to remote systems easy, you can further simplify the process by saving its connection settings and credentials to a special RDP file. Once saved, simply double-click the RDP file to automatically launch the remote desktop tool and log in to the remote system. This eliminates the need to launch the Remote Desktop tool manually, select the machine you want to connect to, and press the “Connect” button.
In this quick and easy guide, I will show the steps to save remote desktop connection settings and credentials for quick login in Windows. Let’s get started.
Save Remote Desktop Connection Settings & Credentials to an RDP File for Quick Login
- Open the Start menu by clicking the “Windows” icon.
- Search for and open “Remote Desktop Connection“.
- Type the computer name or IP address in the “Name” field.
- Click “Show Options**”.
- Type the remote username in the “User name” field.
- Select the “Allow me to save credentials” checkbox.
- Click the “Save as” button.
- Go to the folder of your choice.
- Type a name in the “File Name” field.
- Click the “Save” button.
- Find and double-click the saved RDP file.
- Type the password of the remote system when prompted.
- Select the “Remember me” checkbox and click “OK“.
- With that, you have saved the remote desktop connection to an RDP file.
- From now on, you can use it to launch a remote desktop session for that remote computer quickly.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the remote desktop tool. You can do this by searching for “Remote Desktop Connection” in the Start menu or by entering “mstsc.exe” in the Run dialog (press the Windows key + R).
Once it opens, enter the computer name or IP address of the remote computer in the “Computer” field.
Next, click the “Show Options” option in the bottom left corner. Type the user name of the remote computer in the “User name” field, select the “Allow me to save credentials” checkbox, and then click the “Save As” button.
The above action opens the “Save As” dialog. Here, go to the folder where you want to save the file, type a name of your choice in the “File name” field, and click “Save“. In my case, I’m saving the RDP file on the desktop.
With that, you have saved the remote connection as an RDP file. Now, double-click the saved RDP file.
When prompted, type the password of the remote computer and select the “Remember me” checkbox. Click the “OK” button. This is a one-time process, provided that you selected the “Remember me” checkbox.
That is it. The remote desktop session opens automatically. From now on, whenever you want to connect to the remote session, simply double-click the saved RDP file, and it will launch automatically. No need to launch the remote desktop app, select the computer, and click “Connect”.
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That is all. It is that simple to save the remote desktop connection and credentials to an RDP file for quick login. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
