Remote Desktop Password Incorrect Windows 10

Anonymous
2019-10-16T16:19:59+00:00

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

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2019-12-29T21:08:18+00:00

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.

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Anonymous
2019-12-29T18:07:53+00:00

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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-01-19T15:48:04+00:00

    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.

    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.

    Thank you! I logged in with my password and now remote desktop is working! Thanks!

    I did not need to turn off 2fa.

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    9 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2020-01-21T20:44:19+00:00

    Thanks everyone for troubleshooting this issue. So in summary, log out / lock the remote desktop PC, sign back in using (microsoft live) password, done.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-10-22T05:18:54+00:00

    Hi Paul,

    Thank you for your response and I apologize for delay in response,

    As we came to a conclusion that the issue is related to the user account and not the connection, which is a good progress.

    However, by now you might have posted the issue on our TechNet forum.

    We were researching on our end and we came across one thing, as you have mentioned in your last post that the local user account worked out in establishing a remote desktop connection from the tower.

    We would like you to perform these steps on the laptop as a temporary trial and check how it works.

    1. Login to the Microsoft user account on the laptop.
    2. Press Windows + I key to launch Windows Settings. Select Accounts option.
    3. Click on Your Info from the left pane. Click on “Sign in with a local account instead”
    4. Enter your current Microsoft Account password to authenticate and hit ‘Next’.
    5. Select a new username and password for your local account.
    6. Now login to the other local account where you were able to establish the remote desktop connection.
    7. Press Windows + I key to launch Windows Settings. Select Accounts option.
    8. Click on Your Info from the left pane. Select Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
    9. Restart the PC and sign in to the newly converted Microsoft account and check the Remote desktop connection.

    If the above steps are successful then we just need to transfer the data from one user to the other user.

    Let us know how it goes,

    Aditya Roy

    Microsoft Community – Moderator

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