Your Credentials Did Not Work on Remote Desktop on Windows Server 2016

Why does Your credentials did not work on Remote Desktop on Windows Server 2016?

A user posted on Spiceworks saying that recently, when he was trying to RDP into a Server, he received an error that Your credentials did not work on Remote Desktop on Windows Server 2016, as the following picture shows. This error message means that the present computer doesn’t allow the use of saved credentials to log on to the remote computer. Because the identity of the saved credential is not fully verified and new credentials are required.   

Then what causes your credentials did not work, the logon attempt failed issue? To troubleshoot the problem, the first thing you need to do is to verify whether the credentials are correct or not. If the credentials are correct, then the error might be caused by a Windows Security Policy which prevents non-admin users from signing in. It can also be caused by Local Group Policy settings. The status of the network profile may also have some effects. Thus, you need to configure some settings on your computer.

Three fixes to the “Your credentials did not work” error on Windows Server 2016

Then how to fix your credentials did not work on Remote Desktop on Windows Server 2016? Now that the causes of the error are clarified, you could follow the three solutions mentioned below to troubleshoot the problem.

Solution 1. Edit Windows Security Policy

The problem might be caused by the Windows security policies which prevent non-admin users from signing in. So if you want to allow non-admin users to use the Remote Desktop connection, you need to modify this policy.

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Then 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 on the Add User or Group and then click OK.

Step 5. Type in Remote Desktop Users and click OK.

Solution 2. Edit Network security policy

Another possible cause might be the Local Group Policy settings. What you need to do is to change some security settings under the Local Group Policy Editor window.

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Then 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. Set the policy setting to Send LM & NTLM – use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated. Click Apply followed by OK.

Solution 3. Change the network profile from public to private

As being reported by many users, the error “Your credentials did not work” normally appears in Remote Desktop Connection when the network profile was set to public. This is because when it was set to public, your computer is protected when taking it in public hotspots and 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.

Professional remote access software for Windows Server 2016: AnyViewer

If you are looking for a way to achieve remote access more easily, you can use AnyViewer. It is a free and stable remote support tool for different versions of Windows, including Windows Server 2016/2012R2/2019/2022 and Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7. It is easy to operate. As long as you finish a few configuration steps, you can achieve remote connection easily.

Step 1. Download, install and launch AnyViewer on both computers.

Step 2. 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 3. Fill in the signup information.

Step 4. 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 5. Log in to the same AnyViewer account on the two devices, then you can achieve an unattended remote connection by clicking One-click control.

Note: You can also upgrade your account to a Professional or Enterprise plan to assign more devices and to connect to another computer in privacy mode.

Conclusion

This post mainly introduces how to fix Your credentials did not work on Remote Desktop on Windows Server 2016. If you happen to encounter this problem, you can check out the three solutions mentioned here to troubleshoot the problem. Another option for you is to use another third-party remote desktop software, for example, AnyViewer, and start your remote connections easily and quickly.