In today’s digital age, remote access is becoming one of the most important things, especially when you work from home or need to access other computers on your network. However, there are times when the “Remote Desktop” option on your Windows can be grayed out, meaning you can’t use it.
Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) is a built-in feature of Windows that allows you to access other computers remotely over the Internet. This feature is especially useful if you want to work from home, provide technical assistance, or manage servers.
However, sometimes you may find that the Remote Desktop Connection option is off or grayed out in Windows 11. This means that you cannot enable or disable this feature, nor can you change its settings.
This can be a very annoying problem. What are its causes and how to deal with them? Don’t worry, in this article, Bardimin will discuss the causes and solutions to overcome this problem.
Causes of Remote Desktop Connection Inactive (Grayed Out) in Windows 11
Several possible causes can make the Remote Desktop Connection option inactive in Windows 11, including:
- Versions of Windows 11 that do not support this feature. Remote Desktop Connection is only available on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. If you are using Windows 11 Home, you cannot use this feature at all. You can check your version of Windows 11 by going to “Settings > System > About”.
- Incorrect Group Policy settings. A group policy is a collection of rules that control the behavior of the system and users. If a Group Policy that is related to Remote Desktop Connection is set incorrectly, this feature may be disabled or restricted. You can access the group policy settings by pressing the keys (Windows + R) and typing “gpedit.msc”.
- Registry problems. The registry is a database that stores the configuration of systems and applications. If there are corrupted or incorrect registry entries that are associated with Remote Desktop Connection, this feature may not function properly. You can edit the registry by pressing the keys (Windows + R) and typing “regedit”.
- Third-party software issues. Some third-party software, such as antivirus, firewall, or VPN, can interfere with remote connections between computers. If you have such software, try to disable or remove it temporarily and see if the problem is resolved.
Solutions to Solve Remote Desktop Connection Inactive (Grayed Out) in Windows 11
Here are some solutions you can try to solve the Remote Desktop Connection not active issue in Windows 11:
1] Upgrade to a Version of Windows 11 That Supports This Feature
If you’re using Windows 11 Home, you can’t use the Remote Desktop Connection feature at all. The solution is to upgrade to a version of Windows 11 that supports this feature, such as Pro, Enterprise, or Education.
You can upgrade by purchasing a new license or using an authorized upgrade tool from Microsoft. However, before upgrading, make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements and backs up your important data.
While Windows 11 Home doesn’t have built-in Remote Desktop features like Pro or Enterprise editions, you can still use third-party apps like RDP Wrapper, Quick Assist, or AnyDesk to easily access remote computers.
2] Change Group Policy Settings
If you are using a version of Windows 11 that supports the Remote Desktop Connection feature, but this option remains inactive, there is most likely an incorrect group policy setting. To fix this, follow these steps:
- Press the keys (Windows + R) and type “gpedit.msc” to open the “Local Group Policy Editor”.
- In the left pane, navigate to “Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections”.
- In the right pane, find and double-click “Allow users to connect remotely using Terminal Services”.
- In the window that appears, select “Enabled” and click “OK”.
- Close the “Local Group Policy Editor” and restart your computer.
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3] Change Registry Settings
If the previous solution doesn’t work, there may be a registry issue that’s causing the Remote Desktop Connection option to be inactive. To fix this, follow these steps:
- Press the keys (Windows + R) and type “regedit” to open the “Registry Editor”.
- In the left pane, navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server”.
- In the right pane, find and double-click “fDenyTSConnections” to edit its properties.
- In the window that appears, enter 0 in the Value data field. A value of 0 means allowing remote connections using “Terminal Services”, while a value of 1 means prohibiting it. Click OK to save the changes.
- Close the “Registry Editor” and restart your computer.
4] Disable or Remove Interfering Third-Party Software
If the previous solution still doesn’t work, there may be third-party software interfering with the remote connection between computers. Such software can be antivirus, firewall, or VPN.
To check if this is the cause, try to disable or remove the software temporarily and see if the problem is resolved. If so, you can search for the appropriate settings in that software to allow remote connections or look for a more compatible alternative.
Conclusion
Remote Desktop Connection is a very useful feature in Windows 11, but sometimes this option can be inactive or grayed out and cannot be changed. This article has described some causes and solutions that you can try to resolve this issue.
Hope this article is useful and can help you re-enable the Remote Desktop Connection feature in Windows 11. If you have any other questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!