Have you been struggling with accessing your virtual machine remotely? Enabling Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in VMware can provide you with a solution to this problem. This article will guide you on how to enable RDP in VMware.

Step 1: Ensure RDP is enabled in the virtual machine

Before enabling RDP in VMware, confirm that it is enabled in the virtual machine itself. To do this, open the virtual machine operating system, right-click on My Computer, select Properties, and click on the Remote Settings option. From there, check that ‘Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer’ is selected, and then click on the ‘Select Users’ option to add users who can remotely access the virtual machine.

Step 2: Configure network settings for RDP in VMware

Next, configure the network settings of your virtual machine to allow RDP connections. In VMware, select the virtual machine you want to set up for RDP, and click on the ‘Edit virtual machine settings’ option. Choose the ‘Network Adapter’ option and make sure the ‘Bridged’ option is selected. This setting will enable the virtual machine to connect to the network, allowing RDP connections.

Step 3: Enable port forwarding in the router

To connect to the virtual machine remotely, you also need to enable port forwarding in your router. Open your router control panel and select ‘Port Forwarding.’ Enter the IP address of the virtual machine and the port number of RDP protocol (3389) and save the settings. This process enables the router to forward all incoming connections on this port to the virtual machine.

Step 4: Connect remotely to the Virtual Machine

With everything configured, you can now use RDP to connect to the virtual machine remotely. Open the Remote Desktop Connection application from your computer and enter the IP address of your router into the ‘Computer’ field. You may also need to include the port number in the format ‘[IP address]:[port number].’ If you have done everything correctly and there are no errors, the virtual machine’s login screen should now appear.

Final Thoughts

Enabling RDP in VMware opens up several possibilities for remote work, including accessing virtual machines from home, sharing files remotely, and more. With these few steps, you can quickly set up remote desktop access for your VMware virtual machines. However, it is important to pay attention to security measures to protect your virtual machines from unauthorized access. Make sure your router’s security and firewall settings are configured correctly and follow best security practices for remote access.