Create Windows users with Remote Desktop access

Sharing one Administrator login between several people is risky: you cannot tell who did what, and one leaked password exposes everything. Give each person their own Windows account instead and grant Remote Desktop access only to the people who need it.

Standard user or administrator?

• Remote Desktop Users can log in over RDP and use installed programs, but cannot install software for everyone or change system settings. This is the right choice for most staff.
• Administrators can change anything, including other people's passwords. Keep this group small.

Create a user in PowerShell

Open PowerShell as Administrator. The first command asks for the new password without showing it on screen.

$pw = Read-Host -AsSecureString "Password for alex"
New-LocalUser -Name "alex" -Password $pw -FullName "Alex Smith" -PasswordNeverExpires
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "alex"

To make the user an administrator as well (only if they really need it):

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "alex"

Create a user with the graphical tools

1. Press Windows + R, type lusrmgr.msc and press Enter. (On Windows 10/11 Home this console is not available; use the PowerShell steps above.)
2. Right-click Users → New User, fill in the name and password, untick User must change password at next logon if you will hand the password over yourself, and click Create.
3. Open Groups → Remote Desktop Users, click Add and enter the new user name.

Test the new account

Keep your own session open and start a second Remote Desktop connection as the new user. If Windows asks for a domain, enter the user name as .\alex so it uses the local account.

Remove access later

Remove-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "alex"
Disable-LocalUser -Name "alex"

Disabling keeps the user's files in C:\Users\alex in case you need them. Delete the account with Remove-LocalUser only once you have copied anything important.

Troubleshooting

• "The connection was denied because the user account is not authorized for remote login": the user is not in Remote Desktop Users or Administrators.
• "Your credentials did not work": see Fix "Your credentials did not work".

Next steps

• Secure Remote Desktop on Windows Server
• Change your Windows server password safely