[Four Ways] Fix “Your Credentials Did Not Work” on Remote Desktop

What is the “Your credentials did not work” error in Remote Desktop Connections?

Some of you may encounter problems when using Remote Desktop Connection (RDP). One of the most common problems reported by most users is the error saying, “Your credentials did not work. Please enter new credentials. The logon attempt failed.” while trying to connect to another server via RDP. This means that the Server’s authentication policy does not allow connection requests using saved credentials. In the following part, the causes of the error will be briefly analyzed.

What causes the “Your credentials did not work” error?

Disconnection can be caused by many reasons. When facing this kind of situation, the first thing you need to do is to verify whether the credentials are correct or not. If you are pretty sure that the credentials are correct, then the cause of the error must be sought elsewhere. Here’s another cause behind this issue.

• Change of system username. Some of you may change the username for the system but forget to change it for the RDP after you reinstall your operating system. In this case, the error may appear as the user is not on the server. Therefore, in order to troubleshoot the problem, remember to check whether the username is the same as the system name you’ve changed.
• Windows security settings. Some users also reported that RDP worked perfectly when they were using system versions like Windows 7, but might get this error with Windows 10 or after they have reinstalled their system versions. It can be inferred that the problem might be due to the Windows security settings which prevent non-admin users from signing in.

In conclusion, if you are facing a “Your credentials did not work” on Windows 11/10, please remember to verify whether the credentials are correct or not and check whether the username is the same as the system name you’ve changed. If the credentials and username are both correct but your computer still says “Your credentials did not work”, then the problem must be caused by the Windows security settings. The other four options are mentioned below expecting to fix the issue.

How to fix the “Your credentials did not work” error [4 ways]

Now that the causes of the "your credentials did not work, the logon attempt failed" error are clarified, four options are offered in this part to help you troubleshoot the problem.

Way 1. Edit Windows Security Policy

As mentioned above, this error might occur after reinstalling your operating system. It might be due to the Windows security policies which prevent non-admin users from signing in. So if you want to allow non-admin users to use RDP, you need to modify this policy. Please make sure you follow the steps in the same order as provided.

Step 1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type in “secpol.msc” and press OK. This will open up the Local Security Policy window.

Step 2. Expand Local Policies and then select User Rights Assignment.

Step 3. Locate and double-click Allow log on through Remote Desktop Services in the right pane of User Rights Assignment.

Step 4. Click  Add User or Group.

Step 5. Type in Remote Desktop user names and click OK.

Way 2. Edit Local Group Policy

If the above-mentioned solution does not help you solve the "Your credentials did not work" problem, you can try to isolate the issue by modifying a few Local Group Policies. What you need to do is to change some security settings under the Local Group Policy Editor window. Please make sure you follow the steps in the same order as provided.

Step 1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type in “gpedit.msc” and press OK. This will open up the Local Group Policy Editor window.

Step 2. Next, in the Local Group Policy Editor snap-in window, navigate here: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options 

Step 3. Click on the Network security: LAN Manager authentication level.

Step 4. Changed LAN Manager authentication level piece by piece in Local Security Setting, below 3 options do work:

Send NTLMv2 response only

Send NTLMv2 response only. Refuse LM

Send NTLMv2 response only. Refuse LM & NTLM

Way 3. Change the network profile from public to private

As reported by many users, the error “Your credentials did not work” normally appears in RDP when the network profile was set to public. This is because when it was set to public, it means that your computer is protected when taking it in public hotspots and it won't allow any incoming connections. Please make sure that you follow the following steps to set the network profile to private to resolve the problem.

Step 1. Navigate here: Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Status.

Step 2. Click on the “Change connection properties” option.

Step 3. Change the Network Profile from Public to Private.

Way 4. Turn to a Remote Desktop alternative

If all the above-mentioned solutions do not work out for you, here is another option for you, find a Remote Desktop alternative. You can download another remote desktop software called AnyViewer to help you achieve remote desktop connection easily and effectively.

The biggest advantage of AnyViewer is that it is very easy to set up and operate. You don’t need to change any settings of both computer systems. It requires no IP address, computer name, or computer password. You could even achieve a remote connection even if the two computers are under different networks, which is impossible for RDP without port forwarding or VPN.   

✍ Note: To access computers from iPhone or iPad, you need to download the AnyViewer iOS app from Apple Store. 

Follow the steps listed below to start your remote connection easily.

Part 1. For unattended remote access with one-click

Step 1. Download, install, and launch AnyViewer on both computers. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)

Step 2. Fill in the signup information.

Step 3. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.

Step 4. Log in to the same AnyViewer account on another device. On the local device, choose the remote device from the list and achieve an unattended remote connection by clicking One-click control.

Part 2. Two more connection methods of AnyViewer 

If the two devices are not logged in to the same account, you can read the following steps to learn two more connection methods. But we should note you that you are not allowed to transfer files between computers if you don't log in to the same account on both computers.

Step 1. On the remote computer, click on Setting and then Recipient. Tick the third option. Then set the security code you want in the box. Then click OK to finish the set-up process.

Step 2. On the local computer, enter the device ID of the host computer. After entering the device ID, you’ll be given two options.

Method 1. You can send a control request; then the remote computer will receive a pop-up request. People sitting in front of the remote computer could either allow it or deny it.

Method 2. You could also input a security code of your remote PC to achieve a remote connection directly. You can either input a permanent security code or a temporary security code.

Notes:✎...

You can upgrade your account to a Professional or Enterprise plan to enjoy more rights:

Initiate more concurrent connections.

Faster file transfer speed. Transfer speed for a free account is 500 KB/s, and for a paid account is up to 10 MB/s.

Increasing number of files transferred in a single time. 

Larger size of a single file that can be transferred. 

More devices can be assigned to the same account for unattended remote access.

More Currently connected devices are displayed for management.

Connect in privacy mode to protect privacy.

Summary

In summary, four solutions are mentioned in this post to help fix the error message “Your credentials did not work” and please enter new credentials in RDP. You can give it a go to see if the first three solutions help out. If the problem persists, you may also choose to download another remote desktop software for Windows. Hope this post can help you out.