Remote Desktop Password Incorrect Windows 10

Question

Hi all, I have a problem with 2 PC’s both running Win 10 Pro x64.

Let’s call them Tower & Laptop.

The issue is with remote desktop connections, & shared folder access.

I have a peer to peer network which has been running fine for several years.  Due to the imminent end of life of Win7, I have started moving over to Win10.

My “office” computer is moved fine as is my wife’s.  They are both running Win 10 Pro x64.  I can connect to my wife’s computer with remote desktop OK & vice versa.

I have just updated my laptop and that is where the issue is.

I can connect by remote desktop, from the laptop to the tower OK.

I cannot connect from the tower to the laptop.

They are both on the same network and IP pool, they are both visible on the network, and, I can ping one from the other, by IP address & computer name.  They can both access the same network shares.

I have set a share up on the local disk of each and shared with “everyone”.  When I try to access the laptop share from the tower I cannot as it rejects the username &/or password combination, just like it does in Remote Desktop.

When I try and access the tower share from the laptop it will work with the truncated local user name “short username”, & my Microsoft account password.

I can log into my Microsoft account online OK with the password, & it is definitely right as it is copied and pasted.

It seems to be a configuration issue on the laptop, but I cannot find it.

Remote connections are enabled as is sharing, both computers have the network connections set to private.  As the laptop can access the tower, I have copied as many of the settings as possible, but still no joy.

It seems to be a mis match in credentials or settings with regard to the user account on the laptop?  However, I cannot find this.

I have deleted all credentials from Credential Manager and they have been re-created automatically.

I know the password is correct as I have checked by logging into my Microsoft account online with it.

I have tried various combinations of username, from:

“short username”, “laptop\short username”, “laptop\firstname.lastname”, “laptop*@hotmail.co.uk”, “MicrosoftAccount\short username”, “MicrosoftAccount*@hotmail.co.uk”

Where “short username” is the name of the local user directory, i.e. the first 5 letters of the Microsoft account name & firstname.lastname is the name used in the Microsoft account.

This is not my first foray into remote desktop, and prior to wiping the laptop to install Win10 it was working fine with the tower machine remote controlling it, so it’s a software issue with Windows somewhere, I also have another Win7Prox64 machine yet to be updated & a Win10ProX64 machine which I can connect to from the tower, so the tower seems to be OK.

Can anyone suggest anything to help please?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Wow! that's great it helped. You just have been trying since late September? I had been stuck with this issue for months but couldn't find a solution. Always seen Microsoft reps replying to the posts which never helped. I just used to try searching for it after every couple of weeks with no gain at all. Today it just clicked me. So here is my full take on this issue. Not sure about anyone else but I verified this multiple times before posting here.

Short Solution: This is only if you have enabled 2FA. Just log out on the remote computer, then sign back in with your Microsoft account password instead of your PIN. That's it. Now try accessing the machine remotely.

**Long Story:**First of all, it's not directly related to 2FA. But it's involved very easily to produce this issue. The actual problem, I think, is with how Windows stores your Microsoft Password and makes it available for remote access.

• Take one thing in mind that when you enable 2FA on your Microsoft Account, you get an option during the sign-in flow, to use Authenticator App for login without providing your password.
• So when you link your Windows Account with your 2FA-enabled Microsoft Account, the first-time default option is likely to use Authenticator App to log in, unless you click the option below to "Use Password Instead" or something like that in the sign-in dialog.
• When you do not provide Microsoft Account password during this process, Windows probably is not storing your password because it's only authenticated via the Authenticator App and you set your PIN right away for your ease.

Considering the above, I tried the following three scenarios and had the results as I expected.

• Microsoft Account (without 2FA) only needs a password to sign in. linked to Windows ---- Remotely Accessible.
• Microsoft Account (2FA enabled) authenticated with Authenticator App, linked to Windows --- Remotely NOT Accessible.
  • Sign-in on Remote computer with the Microsoft Account (only once) instead of the PIN --- Remote Access Starts Working.
• Microsoft Account (2FA enabled) authenticated using MS Account Password, linked to Windows -- Remotely Accessible.

So when all the above I tried was on a new test framework, I only had to Sign-in on my actual remote machine with my actual Microsoft Account password (for once) instead of the PIN. Now I have the Remote machine running on my second screen right, when I am writing this.

With all that, I believe Microsoft has to fix this as I think it's only the issue that Windows has no idea about your Microsoft Password. So when you try to remote access this certain machine, it fails because this does not directly interact with Microsoft servers to validate your credentials. Once you actually provide your password on the remote machine (for once only), Windows stores the password (though in encrypted form) and knows it, it all starts working...

Else Microsoft knows well, what's going on there.

Answer 2

Sorry, no, I have also just replied to you on my other thread.

Just before putting my fix in here. can you please tell me if you have enabled Two-Factor Authentication on the Microsoft Account that you have used with your Windows?

In case you have, I believe your issue could be fixed like mine. Just head over to the Remote computer, log in with your Microsoft Account Password instead of the PIN. Then try from the other computer. Hope it will work.

Answer 3

Try to use the actual User Name when login via Remote Desktop.... It worked for me....

https://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=136261.0 - Simple Answer from this link

Answer 4

Sorry, no, I have also just replied to you on my other thread.

Just before putting my fix in here. can you please tell me if you have enabled Two-Factor Authentication on the Microsoft Account that you have used with your Windows?

In case you have, I believe your issue could be fixed like mine. Just head over to the Remote computer, log in with your Microsoft Account Password instead of the PIN. Then try from the other computer. Hope it will work. 

You are my hero.

So, this wasn't exactly my solution, but it fixed it for me. When I chose to log into Windows with my password instead of my PIN, it told me that my password was incorrect (despite it working on every other service that I use with my Microsoft account). 

What I did at that point, though, was click the "Forgot my password" button on the Windows log in page. It used both of my 2FA methods that I have set up to confirm my identity, made me choose a new password, then let me log in. When I tried to use that password for remote desktop at for SMB, it worked. 

Thank you again. This has been troubling me since late September so I'm so happy to this to bed.

Answer 5

Hi All,

Thanks for the tips & advice on this, I have sorted it! ;)

I kind of suggested it was a password issue myself earlier in this thread, but it didn't dawn on me!

So, my route was as follows:

1. Shut down laptop
2. Try the "forgot password" option on the log in screen on "tower".
3. Change password as required.
4. Log into "tower" with new password - error, password not recognised!
5. Logged into "tower" with PIN - OK.
6. Went online to Microsoft Account page.
7. Turned off 2FA.
8. Logged out of Tower & back in with PIN, just to check it still worked, it did.
9. Went through Windows "All Settings > Accounts > Manage My Microsoft Account" logged in with the password I had changed in 3, worked OK.
10. Changed password for something simple, to aid troubleshooting.
11. Logged out of MS account page.
12. Logged out of "tower"
13. Logged back in with PIN - still worked OK.
14. Logged out of "tower".
15. Logged in with password set in 10.
16. Worked OK! ;)
17. Logged out, & back into "tower" with Windows Hello to check it worked it did.

So now I can log into "tower" via hello, password or PIN OK, great, "laptop" next.

1. Started laptop and logged in with PIN, OK.
2. Logged out, & logged back into "laptop" with fingerprint recognition OK.
3. Logged out, & logged back in to "Laptop" with password, it was a bit slow first time, but it logged in! :)

So now I can log into "tower" & "laptop" with PIN, PW & biometrics.

Next is to try remote desktop.

So, using "MicrosoftAccount\user.name@h*tm**l.co.uk" as the user name and the password set in the first point 3 above, these were saved s a use in RD.

This was done first on the "tower" which allowed me to access the "laptop" then set on the "laptop" which allowed me to access the "tower".

As I now had a very simple dictionary based password of just 9 characters I went through the same rout as first stated above, via Windows Settings and set a secure password.

I then logged into each machine in turn with this, which worked and set this as the user password in RD and that worked too.

So, at this point I have a secure PW, can log into "tower" & "laptop" with this secure PW, PIN & biometrics, and each can remote into the other across the local network.

The only thing that remains was to re-enable 2FA, which I then did, and it all still works, as does the 2FA.

I've written this in as much detail as I can in an attempt to help anyone else suffering the same problems.

Extreme thanks to the posters above who set me on this road, your help is immensely appreciated.

This only came up as I was setting my laptop up after installing Win10 & with the tower keyboard etc. I didn't have room on my desk, so I stuck it elsewhere on a shelf, thinking I can remote in and put the software on via remote & the network connection, how wrong I was at that time!

When I searched for info, I found several instances of people with this problem, but no solutions.

I hope this thread helps somebody else to fix this.

Anyone from MS reads this, perhaps you can make it sticky, or even, find out why this happens and fix it?...

Or, at least put an FAQ somewhere perhaps, where people who are struggling can find it?

Thanks again to those who have helped.