Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP (10 Ways)
Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP (10 Ways). Regularly updating account passwords is one of the best practices for any PC user, especially a system administrator. The important thing is not to forget it afterward. So you’re not alone if you’re having trouble figuring out how to change your passwords, particularly for remote desktops on Windows.
Most individuals become perplexed when they try to change their password using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Alt + Del,” and it fails. What causes this to happen? This occurs because that function is inaccessible via “Remote Desktop Connection.” Fortunately, there are alternative methods for changing the password in the RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) session. This carefully written tutorial will walk you through it.
Shall we start with Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP (10 Ways).
What is RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)?
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a secure network connection mechanism created by Microsoft. It provides users with remote access to their physical work desktop computers and allows network managers to diagnose issues that specific users encounter remotely.
Employees who need access to work computers at home or on the road can use RDP. It is frequently used by administrators performing system maintenance and support technicians who must remotely diagnose and fix a user’s system.
When connecting to a distant Windows PC or server running RDP server software, a user or Administrator must utilize RDP client software to use a remote desktop session. The remote user or admin edits files and open applications as if they were in front of their desktop, thanks to a graphical user interface.
Features of RDP
The features of RDP are a reflection of how it functions. These include things like smart card authentication, bandwidth optimization, using multiple displays, sending audio from the host computer to the client computer, printing documents from remote data using local printers, 128-bit encryption for data sent from the keyboard and mouse using the RC4 encryption, sharing clips between computers, and more.
Users can use up to 64,000 distinct channels for data transmission using RDP, and since they can reduce bandwidth, data transfer is still possible even under unfavorable network conditions. However, it is important to know that some of these functions are only available in the upgraded sessions. Here are some of the features in detail:
RDP Benefits
- The Remote Desktop Protocol has a smart card authentication feature that enables users to validate their identity through smart cards, which are physical security credentials that include an embedded chip.
- Another function of the Remote Desktop Protocol is that it frequently delivers decreased bandwidth because only a small portion of the user’s screen is refreshed, preventing the need for retransmission.
- Virtual desktops can be delivered remotely via LANs using a set of protocols called RemoteFX that are part of RDP. Since it enables advanced code and graphics virtualization, RemoteFX gives a higher quality user experience.
- Administrators also benefit from it because they can connect to the devices and display numerous users via the Remote Desktop Protocol. They can also momentarily stop using the service without logging off.
- RDP enables redirection for an audio, file system, port, and printer. Audio redirection enables audio from remote desktops to be redirected to the user’s computer. At the same time, file system redirection enables files stored locally on a device to be sent to and used on remote desktops. Printer redirection ensures that you can use printers located in local networks during remote desktop sessions. Also, port redirection enables applications used through a remote desktop session to access local ports.
Now it is the main part of the article about Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP Session (10 Ways).
10 Ways to Change Password on RDP
As stated earlier, you cannot send the “Ctrl + Alt + Del” command to the remote computer while in a Remote Desktop session because your local PC will record the key combination. Then you won’t be able to access the remote computer’s “change a password” panel. Don’t be discouraged. There are simpler yet effective techniques to change a user’s password in a Windows RDP session. Let’s explore them below:
1. Use Ctrl + Alt + End Instead of Ctrl + Alt + Del for Changing Password
This is the simplest method for changing the remote computer’s password during a Remote Desktop session. All you have to do in the Remote Desktop Connection box is press “Ctrl + Alt + End” on your physical keyboard at the same time. The Security Options box will then appear. To access the “Change a password” interface, click Change a password.
However, the key sequence to open the Security settings should be “fn + Control + Option + Backspace” if you connect to a Windows computer via Remote Desktop on a Mac using the Mac keyboard.
You must now enter the new password twice and the old password once, and you must click the arrow icon to put the new password into effect. A notification stating that your password has been changed will appear after a while. To return to the remote computer’s desktop, click OK.
2. Change the Password Using the On-Screen Keyboard
You can use the on screen keyboard to change the password remotely by connecting to the desktop. Type “On-Screen Keyboard” or “OSK” into the Start menu to launch the on screen keyboard.
Hold down the ALT + CTRL keys while the on screen keyboard appears, then use the mouse to click the Del button. You’ll get a dialog box and need to choose “Change password” on your own. To change the password, you must provide the username, the old password, and the new password.
3. Change Password Using the Command Line
You can also directly change passwords in Remote Desktop sessions using command lines. Firstly, on the remote computer, search for “cmd” in the search bar, which is on the taskbar. Then, on the right click menu, select Run as Administrator.
Then, to change the password of the remote computer, type “net user + username + your new password” and press Enter. For instance, if your username is Administrator and your new password is 123, you must enter “net user administrator a1/12.”
If you don’t want the password displayed on the command prompt screen, you can change it without the new password appearing. You must run the “net user username” command twice and enter the new password each time.
4. Change Password Using a VBS Script or PowerShell
To use a VBS script to access the password change window, create the WindowsSecurity.vbs file and insert the following lines of code:
set objShell = CreateObject(“shell.application”)
objshell.WindowsSecurity
After double clicking the VBS script, a dialog box will pop up where you must select “Change password.” To change it, you must enter the username, the old password, and the new one twice. Additionally, you can use PowerShell to open the password change window by launching PowerShell from the Start menu and entering the command:
New-Object -COM Shell.Application).WindowsSecurity()
After that, a dialog window will appear in front of you, and you must choose “Change password.” To update it, you also need to specify the username, the previous password, and the new password.
5. Change Password from Computer Management
You can reset your password in Remote Desktop from Computer Management if you don’t want to utilize a VBS script or PowerShell. On the remote desktop, you must right click “This PC” and select Manage.
Afterward, go to System Tools, Local Users and Groups, and Users. Then select the account you want to change the password and right click it. After clicking Set Password, a warning will appear. Click Continue, then type your new password twice and click OK.
It should be noted, however, that these instructions are only for Windows 10/11. The procedure for changing the password in a Remote Desktop session on Windows Server 2012/2016/2019 may differ slightly.
6. Change Password with Remote Desktop Web Access
With Windows Server 2012 /R2 and later versions, remote users with Remote Desktop Web Access features can change their passwords via a unique web page on the Remote Desktop Web Access server. The Remote Desktop Web Access role provides remote password changing functionality on the server, although it is deactivated by default.
To enable this feature, launch the IIS Manager server administration console and navigate to (Name of your Server)> Sites > Default Web Site > RDWeb > Pages, then click the Application Settings button. Change the value of the option “PasswordChangeEnabled” in the right pane to “true.”
Therefore, to check the availability of the password change page, go to:
(https://[RD-WEB-1]/RDWeb/Pages/en-US/password.aspx)
After successfully updating the user’s password, a notification recognizing your password change will appear.
7. Change Password from Control Panel
It is also possible to change the password of a remote computer via RDP from the Control Panel. To begin, type Windows + R on the remote computer, enter “control panel,” and hit Enter. Then, on the pop up window, select User Accounts. Next, navigate to Manage another account > Change password and choose the user account whose password you wish to change.
8. Change Password with CredSSP and NLA
RDP uses Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) to protect against DDoS cyber attacks and unauthorized process operations. At the same time, a feature of Remote Desktop Services called Network Level Authentication (NLA) necessitates self authentication by the connecting user before the user can establish a session with the server.
One crucial aspect of RDP’s Network Level Authentication (NLA) option and Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) protocol is related to changing a user password that has expired. Beginning with Windows Server 2012/Windows 8, all versions of Windows have CredSSP with NLA for RDP enabled by default. Before starting an RDP session with the server, NLA performs user authentication to secure the RDP server.
RDP login will fail if the user’s password has expired or if the user’s AD administrator has enabled the “userAccountControl” option, which requires a password change at first login. This prevents the user from accessing the RDP server and changing the password.
Therefore, in this scenario, a user can set up Remote Desktop Web Access (RDWA) with a password change page, as previously suggested. Or a user can create a separate server for changing user passwords so that the user can change the password themselves. To be able to change the password on this server, you must turn off the NLA feature.
9. Change the Password by Creating a Shortcut Link to the Windows Explorer Shell Extension
To open the change password dialog box, you can create a shortcut with a link to the Windows Explorer shell extension. You must first build a shortcut and give it the appropriate path:
C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
After that, you must create the label and choose a name. You need to select “Change password” in the dialog box that appears after you double-click this shortcut. The username, the previous password, and the new password must all be stipulated to change the password.
10. Change Password Using Active Directory Tools
You can also adopt Active Directory Users and Computers to change the password while logged in to a computer with active directory tools installed. However, to do so, you must access the user account. First, go to your start menu and launch Active Directory Users and Computers. Next, localize the account by right clicking at the top level and selecting Find. After that, right click the account and select Reset Password.
Thank you for reading Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP (10 Ways). We shall conclude.
Remote Desktop Change Password Tutorial – RDP (10 Ways) Conclusion
Users have various options and methods to modify their current password within an RDP (Remote Desktop) session. You can replace Del with End. You can also use an on-screen keyboard, Control Panel, command lines, Computer Management, and more.
And among these and others mentioned above is the simplest one. Hence, the tutorial and the steps discussed above will be very user friendly, and any user can easily follow them. All you have to do is select the one you prefer.
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