How to change the Remote Desktop port

By default, Remote Desktop listens on port 3389 (via TCP). Using a quick registry tweak, you can change that to any other valid port. The following steps describe the process:

1. Start Registry Editor (by default, this is located at c:\windows\regedit.exe).

2. Go to the following registry key:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
       System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp

3. Open the PortNumber subkey.
4. Pick the Decimal Base option.
5. Enter the new port number, and then click OK.

Does Remote Desktop send traffic over any other ports?

Primary remote desktop traffic will go over the one port defined above. If sound is enabled, streaming will be attempted over UDP directly. If this connection can't be made, Remote Desktop will stream sound over a virtual channel via the main remote desktop port.

No other ports are used.

How to connect to a non-standard remote desktop port

To connect to a different port than the default 3389 RDP port, specify the port using one of the following formats:

• <computername>:<port>
  example: computer:23389
• <ip address>:<port>
  example: 192.168.1.1:23389