"Your credentials did not work" means the server was reached, but Windows rejected the username or password. That is good news: the network is fine. One of the causes below is almost always the reason.
1. Check the username format
RDP clients sometimes add your own PC's name or a Microsoft account to the username. Type it with .\ in front so Windows uses the local account on the server:
.\AdministratorIn mstsc, click Show Options and enter it in User name. In Windows App, edit the saved credentials.
2. Check the password itself
- Passwords are case sensitive; check Caps Lock.
- Copy the password from the client area or your password manager and paste it, instead of typing.
- If you changed the password in Windows, the client area still shows the original one. Use the new password.
- A different keyboard layout on your device can turn symbols like
@,"or#into other characters. Test by typing the password into a text editor first.
3. Clear old saved credentials
An RDP app may keep sending an old password it saved.
- Windows: open Credential Manager → Windows Credentials and remove entries that start with
TERMSRV/followed by your server's IP. Or runcmdkey /listandcmdkey /delete:TERMSRV/203.0.113.25. - Windows App (Mac, iPhone, Android): edit the PC, remove the saved user account and add it again.
4. Is the account locked?
After several failed attempts, a lockout policy can lock the account for a set time. Wait for that period (for example 15 minutes) and try once with the correct password. If you have browser console access, you can check and unlock it:
Get-LocalUser Administrator | Select-Object Name, Enabled
net user Administrator | findstr /i "active locked"Tip: Repeated lockouts with no failed attempts from you usually mean bots are guessing your password. Restrict RDP to your IP address, as shown in Secure Remote Desktop on Windows Server.
5. Is the user allowed to use RDP?
Other users must be in Remote Desktop Users or Administrators. See Create Windows users with Remote Desktop access.
6. Reset the password from the console
If you know the account but not the password, and you can still sign in to the browser console with another administrator account, set a new password there with net user Administrator *. If you have no working login at all, open a support ticket and say which service it is. Do not reinstall: it erases your data.