Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
Windows
This document describes how to connect to Windows virtual machine (VM) instances using RDP. For other ways to connect to Windows VMs, see the following guides:
tcp:3389
connections.Select the tab for how you plan to use the samples on this page:
ConsoleWhen you use the Google Cloud console to access Google Cloud services and APIs, you don't need to set up authentication.
gcloudInstall the Google Cloud CLI. After installation, initialize the Google Cloud CLI by running the following command:
gcloud init
If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.
Note: If you installed the gcloud CLI previously, make sure you have the latest version by runninggcloud components update
.Compute Engine supports multiple ways to connect to your Windows instances.
The best way to connect to the remote desktop of a Windows instance depends on multiple factors:
If you have difficulty connecting using RDP, see Troubleshooting RDP. If you can't connect to a Windows instance by using Remote Desktop, see Connect to a Windows VM's SAC.
To connect to the remote desktop of a Windows instance, use one of the following procedures.
IAP DesktopIAP Desktop is a Windows application that lets you manage multiple Remote Desktop connections to Windows VM instances. IAP Desktop connects to VM instances by using Identity-Aware Proxy TCP forwarding and does not require VM instances to have a public IP address.
Before you connect by using IAP Desktop, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:
To connect to a VM instance by using IAP Desktop, do the following:
In IAP Desktop, select Profile > Add project.
Enter the ID or name of your project, and click OK.
In the Project Explorer window, right-click the VM instance you want to connect to and select Connect.
For more information about IAP Desktop, see the GitHub project page.
Note: IAP Desktop is an open-source project and not an officially supported Google product. Remote Desktop Connection appYou can use the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection app that is part of Windows to connect to Windows instances.
Before you connect using the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection app, make sure that one of the following prerequisites is met:
To connect with Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop, do the following:
Create a Windows account and password if you do not have one yet.
To connect over the internet, use the external IP address. To connect by using Cloud VPN or Cloud Interconnect, use the internal IP address.
Identify the external and internal IP addresses of your Windows instance by completing one of the following steps:
In the Google Cloud console, go to the VM instances page.
By using the gcloud CLI, run gcloud compute instances list
:
gcloud compute instances list
Open Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Connection on your Windows machine. You can find the executable at %systemroot%\system32\mstsc.exe
In the Computer box, enter the IP address.
If you've configured your instance to use a different port number for RDP, add it after the IP address, for example: 1.2.3.4:3389
.
Click Connect.
Enter your username and password, and click OK.
If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it.
Chrome Remote Desktop is a service that lets you remotely access another computer by using a web browser. Chrome Remote Desktop works on Windows, macOS, and Linux and does not require the VM instance to have a public IP address.
Before you connect by using Chrome Remote Desktop, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:
To connect to a VM instance by using Chrome Remote Desktop, do the following:
On your local computer, go to the Chrome Remote Desktop website.
If you're not already signed in to Google, sign in with the same Google Account that you used to set up the Chrome Remote Desktop service.
Select the instance that you want to connect to.
When you're prompted, enter the PIN that you created when installing the Chrome Remote Desktop service, and click the arrow_forward arrow button to connect.
You can connect to your Windows VM instances by using other RDP clients, such as clients developed for Android, iOS, Mac, and others. For a list of officially supported clients, see Microsoft Remote Desktop clients.
Before you connect, make sure that one of the following prerequisites is met:
To connect using other RDP clients, do the following:
To connect over the internet, use the external IP address. To connect by using Cloud VPN or Cloud Interconnect, use the internal IP address.
Identify the external and internal IP addresses of your Windows instance by completing one of the following steps:
In the Google Cloud console, go to the VM instances page.
By using the gcloud CLI, run gcloud compute instances list
:
gcloud compute instances list
Install the supported client according to the client's installation instructions.
Connect using the IP address of your instance, and authenticate with your username and password for the instance.
If you have difficulty connecting using RDP, see the Troubleshooting RDP page. For information about RDP licensing, see the FAQ about Microsoft licenses.
Verify the RDP certificateVerify the RDP certificate by viewing the serial port output from the initial boot of the VM or by using the appropriate PowerShell command from the SAC.
Serial portVerify the RDP certificate by viewing the output from serial port 1 during the initial boot of the Windows VM.
Examine the output of serial port 1 during the initial boot of the Windows VM for the following:
Serial port 1 (console) output for rdp-test ... ... 2021/03/31 15:53:58 GCEInstanceSetup: RDP certificate details: Subject: CN=rdp-test, Thumbprint: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ... ...
Connect to the Windows SAC.
Run the following PowerShell commands:
# WinRM Cert Write-Host 'WinRM certificate details:'; Get-ChildItem 'Cert:\LocalMachine\My' | Where-Object { $_.Subject -like "CN=$env:COMPUTERNAME*" -and $_.NotAfter -gt $(Get-Date) -and $_.HasPrivateKey} | Select-Object Subject, Thumbprint | Format-List # RDP Cert Write-Host 'RDP certificate details:'; Get-ChildItem 'Cert:\LocalMachine\Remote Desktop\' | Where-Object { $_.Subject -like "CN=$env:COMPUTERNAME*" -and $_.NotAfter -gt $(Get-Date) -and $_.HasPrivateKey} | Select-Object Subject, Thumbprint | Format-ListWhat's next
Learn how to transfer files to Windows VMs.
Learn how to Connect to Linux VMs.
Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2025-08-07 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-07 UTC."],[[["This document details how to connect to Windows virtual machines (VMs) using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), including prerequisites like ensuring RDP access is allowed through firewall rules on TCP port 3389."],["Connecting to a Windows VM via RDP is most effective by using Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) TCP forwarding, especially when connecting over the public internet, or through direct RDP clients if the VM has a public IP and the proper firewall rules are in place."],["IAP Desktop is a recommended Windows application for managing multiple remote connections to Windows VM instances without needing a public IP address, by utilizing Identity-Aware Proxy TCP forwarding."],["Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection app allows connection to Windows VMs via the external IP address over the internet, or internal IP via Cloud VPN/Interconnect, provided the firewall rules permit TCP traffic on port 3389."],["Chrome Remote Desktop offers another avenue for accessing Windows VMs through a web browser without requiring the VM to have a public IP, which requires the proper account and service installations on the VM itself."]]],[]]
RetroSearch is an open source project built by @garambo | Open a GitHub Issue
Search and Browse the WWW like it's 1997 | Search results from DuckDuckGo
HTML:
3.2
| Encoding:
UTF-8
| Version:
0.7.4