Windows 11 Remote Destkop Cannot log into Microsoft Accounts but can to local accounts

Question

I am using windows 11. Q35 + ICH9, 2009 Version 24H2 OS 26100.7171

I am unable to use any Microsoft accounts per login with RDP. Using VNC though VASTLY different and more accessible, has no issues at least seeing there are multiple accounts.

Troubleshooting so far.

1. Checking if remote desktop was turned on
2. Checking to make sure users were added to the remote desktop users
3. Making sure I had admin rights and checking things like net user
4. Confirming account was listed within net user
5. Confirming object was found when double checking user was added to remote desktop
6. Checking Fire wall rules for inbound
7. Enabling and Disabling Network Level Authentication
8. Checking Registry for any special limiting rules.
9. Checking event viewer logs.
   9a. Seeing that we are hitting the account but wrong username / password
   9b. logging into said username and password on microsoft and verifying credentials work.
10. Complete and utter frustration

Answer 1

I have confirmed the issue was the MSDNS account passwords being out of sync. using powershell and something like useas micosoftaccount{useremail} then entering a password on prompt fixed the issue

Answer 2

Hello,

Close Remote Desktop if it is open. Open mstsc, select Show Options, and in User name type exactly MicrosoftAccount\******@domain.com. Connect and when prompted choose Use a different account if you see a cached one, then enter the Microsoft account password for that email.

If you still get wrong username or password, clear any cached entries for this host before trying again by opening Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials and removing entries for the target PC and any MicrosoftAccount items, then reconnect using MicrosoftAccount\******@domain.com and the password.

If the remote PC currently forces Windows Hello only, you need password sign-in available for RDP. On the remote PC, sign in locally, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Additional settings, and turn Off the option named For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device. Then try the RDP sign-in again with MicrosoftAccount\******@domain.com and the password.

Tell me how it goes and we can continue from there if needed.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're experiencing issues logging into Microsoft accounts via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on Windows 11, while local accounts work fine. Here are some potential areas to investigate based on common issues with RDP and Microsoft accounts:

1. User Rights Assignment: Ensure that the Microsoft account has the necessary permissions to log in through RDP. Check the Local Security Policy or Group Policy settings to confirm that the account is included in the Allow log on through Remote Desktop Services policy.
2. Account Restrictions: The message indicating wrong username/password might suggest that there are restrictions on the account itself. Verify that the account is not restricted from logging in remotely.
3. Network Level Authentication (NLA): Since you've already toggled NLA, ensure that the client and server are compatible with NLA. Sometimes, older accounts or systems might have issues with NLA.
4. Credential Guard: If Credential Guard is enabled, it may restrict access to certain accounts. Consider checking if this feature is causing the issue.
5. Event Viewer Logs: Since you mentioned checking the Event Viewer, look specifically for any logs related to RDP connections that may provide more insight into the authentication failures.
6. Firewall Settings: Double-check that the firewall settings are not blocking RDP connections for Microsoft accounts specifically, even if local accounts are working.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, as they can provide more targeted help for account-specific issues.

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References:

• Troubleshooting access denied and user not authorized issues in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services