Connect to a Windows VPS via RDP (Windows, macOS, Linux, Mobile)

In short

Connecting to your Raff Windows Server takes 60 seconds: open your RDP client, paste the IP from your Raff dashboard and username Administrator, enter the password you set during VM creation, accept the certificate warning. This guide covers the connection from Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, plus the five errors that trip up most people on their first connection.

What you'll need

• A Raff Windows Server that has finished provisioning (status Running in your dashboard)
• The Administrator password you set during VM creation, and the VM's IP address from the dashboard
• An RDP client on your local machine (built into Windows; free apps for everything else)
• Outbound TCP port 3389 open from your network (home and office networks usually allow this; corporate networks often block it)
• Estimated time: 5 minutes for the first connection, under 30 seconds after that

Step 1 — Get your IP address and password ready

Raff handles credentials differently from hosts that auto-generate and email you a password. You set the Administrator password yourself during the VM creation form, and Raff never stores or displays it afterward. This is deliberate: if we don't hold your password, we can't leak it. Save it in a password manager before you close the creation tab.

To find your VM's IP address, log into app.rafftechnologies.com, go to Compute → All Virtual Machines, and click your VM name to open its details page. The Public IPv4 address is shown in the VM Information panel on the left, and also in the header next to the Windows Server version and region.

If you forgot your password, open the Actions tab on the VM details page and find Reset Password under the Access & Security section. Confirm in the dialog that appears. Raff generates a new Administrator password, applies it to the VM, and emails it to your Raff account email. The new password becomes active immediately. If the reset fails for any reason, email support@rafftechnologies.com with your VM name and we'll reset it manually.

The default username is Administrator unless you changed it during creation.

Step 2A — Connect from Windows

Windows includes the Remote Desktop Connection client (mstsc.exe) by default, so no install is needed. This is still Microsoft's recommended client for connecting to traditional Windows Server instances.

1. Press Win + R, type mstsc, press Enter
2. In the Computer field, paste your VPS IP address
3. Click Show Options, then the General tab, and set User name to Administrator
4. Click Connect
5. When prompted, enter the Administrator password you set during VM creation
6. Accept the certificate warning (this is normal for new servers — the VPS hasn't yet been issued a trusted cert)

You're in. Default screen resolution matches your local display.

Save the connection for next time: click Show Options, then General, then Save. Saved .rdp files connect with a double-click. Store them in your password manager if your team shares access.

Step 2B — Connect from macOS

On macOS, Microsoft retired the "Microsoft Remote Desktop" app in September 2024 and replaced it with Windows App. Install Windows App from the Mac App Store — the old Remote Desktop listing now redirects there.

1. Install Windows App from the App Store
2. Open the app, click +, and choose Add PC
3. PC name: paste your VPS IP address
4. User account: click the dropdown, choose Add User Account, enter Administrator and your password
5. Click Add
6. Double-click the new connection to launch
7. Accept the certificate warning

Windows App supports clipboard sharing, folder redirection (set under the connection's Folders tab), and multi-monitor. The underlying RDP protocol is unchanged from the old Microsoft Remote Desktop app; only the name and UI are new.

Step 2C — Connect from Linux

Remmina is the most common RDP client on Linux. Install it:

bash# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp

# Fedora
sudo dnf install remmina remmina-plugins-rdp

# Arch
sudo pacman -S remmina freerdp

Then:

1. Open Remmina
2. Click + to add a new connection
3. Protocol: RDP - Remote Desktop Protocol
4. Server: paste your VPS IP
5. User name: Administrator
6. Password: your Administrator password
7. Click Save and Connect

Remmina's RDP plugin supports clipboard sharing and shared folders. To share a folder, edit the connection, go to Advanced, and set Share folder to the local path you want to expose.

If you prefer the command line, xfreerdp works too:

bashxfreerdp /v:203.0.113.42 /u:Administrator /p:'YourPasswordHere' /cert:tofu /size:1920x1080

/cert:tofu means trust-on-first-use. Avoid /cert:ignore for anything beyond throwaway testing — it skips certificate checks entirely.

Step 2D — Connect from iOS / Android

Both Microsoft mobile RDP clients were also renamed to Windows App alongside the macOS rebrand.

• iOS / iPadOS: Windows App
• Android: Windows App (public preview at time of writing — still usable, but occasionally missing features compared to the iOS build)

The workflow matches macOS: tap +, choose Add PC, enter the IP, then Add User Account with Administrator and your password.

iOS works well with a Smart Keyboard; Android is usable with a Bluetooth keyboard. Both are fine for quick admin tasks, not for sustained work.

Step 3 — Verify it worked

Once the session opens, you'll see the Windows Server 2025 desktop. Three quick checks to confirm everything's wired up:

1. Right-click the desktop, choose New → Folder. If you can create one, you're an admin.
2. Open PowerShell (right-click Start → Windows PowerShell (Admin)) and run:

powershell   Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object CsName, OsName, OsVersion, OsBuildNumber

You should see the server name and Windows Server 2025 (build 26100 or later depending on cumulative updates). 3. Server Manager auto-launches on first login on Server 2025. The Local Server section shows network configuration, time zone, and Windows Update status — a good starting point for initial configuration.

Common errors and how to fix them

These five problems cover the common errors we see on first-time connections.

"The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication, which your computer does not support."

Your local RDP client is too old. NLA has been required since Windows Server 2012. Update your local Windows or RDP client. If you can't update the local machine immediately, you can temporarily disable NLA server-side — but only for testing, and re-enable it straight after:

powershell# Disable NLA (testing only)
(Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_TSGeneralSetting -Namespace root\cimv2\TerminalServices).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(0)

Re-enable after the test:

powershell(Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_TSGeneralSetting -Namespace root\cimv2\TerminalServices).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(1)

"Your credentials did not work."

Three causes, in order of how often we see them:

1. Wrong username format. Try Administrator, then \Administrator, then <IP>\Administrator.
2. Caps Lock. Passwords are case-sensitive.
3. Password mangled by paste. Some RDP clients normalise smart quotes, dashes, or non-breaking spaces pasted from password managers. Type the password manually if paste fails.

"RDP — this computer can't connect to the remote computer."

Network reachability problem. Diagnose in this order:

1. Can you ping the IP? ping 203.0.113.42 (ICMP may be blocked by default, so this isn't a definitive test)
2. Is the VPS actually running? Check the Raff dashboard.
3. Is port 3389 reachable from your network?

bash   # macOS / Linux
   nc -zv 203.0.113.42 3389

powershell   # Windows
   Test-NetConnection 203.0.113.42 -Port 3389

4. Are you behind a corporate firewall or VPN? Many corporate networks block outbound 3389. Connect from a personal hotspot to rule this out.

"An authentication error has occurred. The function requested is not supported."

This is the CredSSP encryption oracle remediation error (CVE-2018-0886). It's now rare: the fix has shipped in every Windows cumulative update since March 2018, so the error only appears when one side of the connection is on an unpatched build of Windows 10 1809 or older. The fix in 2026 is to run Windows Update on your local machine. The GPO workaround that sets encryption oracle to Vulnerable is widely documented online; don't use it — it disables a security patch to solve a problem that a cumulative update fixes properly.

RDP session disconnects after a fixed period

Base Windows Server has no active-session time limit by default, so if sessions are dropping after a consistent window (30 minutes, 2 hours), something is explicitly enforcing it — usually a local GPO, an inherited domain policy, or an RDS Collection setting if you've set up the RDS role.

To find and adjust it on a standalone server, open gpedit.msc and navigate to:

Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Session Time Limits

The relevant policies are Set time limit for active but idle Remote Desktop Services sessions and Set time limit for active Remote Desktop Services sessions. To remove a limit entirely, set the policy to Enabled with value Never, or to Not Configured so the system default (no limit) applies. This path is identical on Windows Server 2022 and 2025.

Tested on

Tested on: Raff Windows Server Production plan (4 vCPU / 8 GB DDR5 / 120 GB NVMe, US East / Vint Hill), Windows Server 2025 Standard build 26100, connecting from macOS 26.3.1 via Microsoft Windows App, 2026-04-20. Tester: Serdar Tekin.

What's next

• Multi-user RDP on Windows Server: 2 admin sessions vs RDS Session Host — when 2 sessions isn't enough
• RDP performance tuning: get smooth remote desktop on a 1080p screen — colour depth, codec, and network tweaks
• Windows Server 2019 vs 2022 vs 2025: which version should you choose? — picking the right OS

Sources

• Microsoft Learn — Welcome to Remote Desktop Services
• Microsoft Learn — Configure Network Level Authentication for Remote Desktop Services Connections
• Microsoft Support — CredSSP updates for CVE-2018-0886
• Microsoft Learn — Troubleshoot unexpected RDS session locks or disconnections
• Microsoft Tech Community — Windows App general availability
• Remmina official documentation — remmina.org
• Date last verified: 2026-04-20