This post will cover how to configure Remote Desktop on the Surface Pro (sorry, it only works on the Pro) so you can connect to it from another computer.
In a later post, we’ll cover Remote Assistance and how you can use it to (mostly) replicate Remote Desktop functionality for a Surface RT tablet.
Configure Remote Desktop on Surface
- Make sure you’re logged on with an account that has Administrative Rights. If you aren’t you can still follow this process but you will be asked for the administrator password at some point. So you should at least make sure you have it
- Open the Charms Bar (swipe in from the right side of the screen)
- Select the Search Charm and search for “Control Panel“
- Select Control Panel from the search results.
- From the Control Panel, select System and Security
- Under the Security section select Allow Remote Access
- When the System Properties window appears, select the Allow remote connections to this computer option
- You’ll get a prompt about power options (below). The short version is that you can’t remotely connect to the machine if it’s off or in sleep mode. Click OK
- Click Select Users then Add
- Enter the usernames of the accounts you want to allow access to remotely control your Surface
- After you’re done, click OK on the open windows until you get back to your desktop
- You’re finished and your Surface is configured to allow remote desktop access
That wasn’t so bad, right? Now you can easily connect and control your Surface Pro from just about any Windows computer. If you want to connect to it from a different type of computer (like a Mac) you may need to find and download a Remote Desktop client for that platform.
Personally, I’ve found this to be a handy capability. There’s been several times I’ve been at my PC and needed something from my Surface that I didn’t sync in Skydrive. With Remote Desktop, I just connect right to my Surface and copy the files over.
I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any questions or comments, just hit reply.
Tim
