Access local drive from remote Desktop Windows 10

Accessing Local Files & Folders Over a Remote Desktop Connection

The Remote Desktop Connection tool uses Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol to create a remote desktop session to Windows PCs and servers. It’s included with all editions of Windows 10 and Windows Server.

Microsoft also offers RDP-capable software to allow you to connect to Windows PCs on Mac, as well as on mobile platforms like Android and iOS. If you’re on a Mac, you can share your Mac files and folders to Windows in the Redirection tab of the Remote Desktop app.

On Windows, the built-in Remote Desktop Connection tool allows you to configure your file and folder sharing settings before you connect.

• To start, open the Remote Desktop Connection tool. You can find this in your Windows Start menu under the Windows Accessories folder, or by clicking Win + R to open the Windows Run dialog box, then typing mstsc and clicking OK to open it.

The Remote Desktop Connection tool, when first launched, is pretty basic. Normally, you would insert the IP address for your remote PC and click connect, but you’ll need to configure things further before you connect if you want to access your local files and folders.

• In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Show Options.

• This will display the configuration options for RDC. Click the Local Resources tab to access the sharing settings for your remote desktop session. Click More at the bottom, under the Local devices and resources section.

• In the Local devices and resources box, you can set RDC to share certain devices with your remote PC. To share your local files and folders, click the + arrow next to Drives to expand that section.

• In the Drives section, you can share your available Windows drives, any attached optical drives like a CD or DVD drive, as well as portable storage like flash drives that you might decide to connect later. Click any of the checkboxes to share that storage with your remote PC, then click OK.

• With your drive sharing settings in place, return to the General tab and type your remote PC or server IP address in the Computer box under the Log-on Settings section. Click Connect to make the connection.

• Once connected to your remote desktop, open Windows File Explorer. You can do this by right-clicking your Start menu button and clicking File Explorer. In File Explorer, you should see your shared drives listed under the Redirected drives and folders section.

These settings may only last for the duration of your connection to your remote desktop. To save these settings, you’ll need to save your connection as a shortcut using an RDP settings file.

How To Access Local Drive Files from Remote Desktop Session

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Let’s say you are working remotely on a Remote Desktop session and would like to access files saved on your local desktop or a USB flash drive. By default, it’s inaccessible but there is a setting in Remote Desktop Client that when it’s turned on all local drives, including USB drives, will be mapped to the Remote Desktop session automatically, acting as if a network mapped drive.

Here is how you can do it.

Launch Remote Desktop Connection, before hitting Connect button, click Show Options to bring up more options.

Go to Local Resources tab, and click More… button under Local devices and resources section.

Check the Drives option if you want all local drives to be mapped to the Remote Desktop session. Or, click the little + icon to expand the Drives list and check the ones you want them to be mapped.

Click OK and it’s ready to connect. The settings are automatically saved for next time, but you can also save it as a separated RDP connection shortcut if you have multiple Remote Desktop computers that need different settings. The Save options are in General tab.

Now, let’s connect and see how it works out.

As you can see, the highlighted drives are the local drives mapped on the Remote Desktop session. They work exactly like a network mapped drive.

Access Local Drives over Remote Desktop Connection

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It’s possible to access your local drives over a Remote Desktop Connection by enabling a setting which is disabled by default. First open the RDC client and click the Show Options button at the bottom. Go to the Local Resources tab and then the More… button in the Local devices and resources section:

In the local devices and resources window, expand the Drives tree and select the local drives you would like to have access to.

Now you can open a connection and access the drive like any other. Below is a screenshot of a local drive labeled C on ‘Computer Name’ in Windows Explorer.

Category: Operating Systems, Windows

How to Access Local Drive Files from Remote Desktop Session

Suppose, you are working on a Remote Desktop session remotely and would like to access files saved on your local desktop or a USB flash drive.

By default, it’s inaccessible but there is a setting in Remote Desktop Client that when it’s turned on all local drives, including USB drives, will be mapped to the Remote Desktop session automatically, acting as if a network mapped drive.

How to allow remote connections on Windows 10

The Remote Desktop app is easy to use to connect to other devices. However, the configuration you need will depend on whether you're trying to connect in the local network or through the internet.

Enable remote connections on Windows 10

When trying to start a remote connection from within the local area network [LAN], you only need to make sure the computer you're trying to access has the option to allow remote desktop connections enabled.

Control Panel

To enable remote connections on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.

3. Under the "System" section, click the Allow remote access option..

   Source: Windows Central

4. Click the Remote tab.

5. Under the "Remote Desktop" section, check the Allow remote connections to this computer option.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Check the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication option.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Click the Apply button.
9. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, remote desktop connections will be allowed on the device. Windows 10 will even add the necessary rules in the built-in Microsoft Defender Firewall, but you may need to configure the rules manually if you have a third-party firewall.

Settings app

You can also enable the Remote Desktop feature using the Settings app with these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Remote Desktop.

4. Turn on the Enable Remote Desktop toggle switch.

   Source: Windows Central

5. Click the Confirm button.

If you're setting up a remote desktop using an internet connection, continue with the steps below. If you're trying to connect to another device within the local network, you can skip to the steps below, and continue with the start a remote desktop connection instructions.

Enable remote connections on router

If you have to access the computer over the internet, you will also have to configure the router [modem] to allow the remote connection. A process that also requires knowing the public address to contact the remote computer.

Configure static IP address on Windows 10

Computers usually get assigned dynamic IP addresses from the DHCP server [router], which means they can always change. If you plan to use remote desktop often, you may want to configure a static IP address to avoid reconfiguring port forwarding on the router when the computer gets a new address.

To set a permanent IP address configuration, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on Network and Internet.

3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.

   Source: Windows Central

4. Click the Change adapter settings option from the left navigation pane.

   Source: Windows Central

5. Right-click the active adapter and select the Properties option.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 [TCP/IPv4] option.

7. Click the Properties button.

   Source: Windows Central

8. Click the General tab.
9. Select the Use the following IP address option.

10. Specify a valid local IP address outside the local DHCP scope to prevent address conflicts. For example, 10.1.4.201.

    Source: Windows Central

    Quick tip: Typically, you'll find this information on the router inside the DHCP settings section. The routers' interface is always different per manufacturer, which means that you may need to consult your manufacturer support website for more specific details. If you're unsure of the configuration you have to use, you can use your current TCP/IP configuration as a reference, which you can find running the ipconfig /all command in Command Prompt.

11. Specify a subnet mask for the network [for example, 255.255.255.0], but the system usually fills this infomration for you based on the "IP address" you entered earlier.
12. Specify the default gateway address, which is the router's address—for example, 10.1.4.1.

13. Under the "Use the following DNS server addresses" section, in the "Preferred DNS server" field, specify the IP address of your DNS server, which in most cases is also the address of the router —for example, 10.1.4.1.

    Quick tip: If you can't connect to the internet, you may also want to try using one of the Google Public DNS addresses [such as 8.8.8.8] for the "Alternate DNS server" option.

14. Click the OK button.
15. Click the Close button.

After you complete the steps, the new network configuration will apply, and the IP settings will never change.

Some routers include a feature to make the current TCP/IP configuration static. If you want to use this option instead, you can consult your manufacturer support website for specific steps on how to complete this task.

Determine network public IP address

You'll also need the remote network's public IP address to contact the device over the internet.

To find the IP address assigned by the Internet Service Provider [ISP], use these steps:

1. Open web browser.
2. Visit Bing.com or Google.com.
3. Search for "What's my IP."

4. Confirm your public IP address in the first result.

   Source: Windows Central

Usually, for residential customers, internet providers also offer dynamic public IP addresses, which means that your public IP address may change from time to time.

If you need a more reliable solution, there are "Dynamic Domain Name System" [DDNS] services [such as DynDNS, OpenDNS, No-IP, Asus.com [for Asus routers]], which can track the public IP changes. Alternatively, you can also contact your ISP to request a static IP address, but it might costs you additional since this is typically a feature reserved for business.

Forward port on router

You must also forward the TCP port 3389 on the router to allow a remote connection over the internet to the computer in the local network.

Quick note: The interface to change the router settings are different per manufacturer, and sometimes even per model. However, you can use the following instructions as a reference to configure your router. You can always check the manufacturer support website for more specific details.

To forward a port on your router, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

3. Type the following command to view the current TCP/IP configuration and press Enter:

   ipconfig

4. Under the "IPv4 Address" field, confirm the device address. For example, 10.1.4.100.

5. Under the "Default Gateway" field, confirm the device gateway address [the router address]—for example, 10.1.4.1.

   Source: Windows Central

6. Open web browser.
7. Type the IP address of the router [Default Gateway] in the address bar and press Enter.

8. Sign in to the router using the correct username and password.

   Quick tip: If you have never done this, and you are using the router provided by the ISP, you can find the information on a sticker attached to the device.

9. Browse to the Port Forwarding settings page.
10. Confirm that the Port Forwarding service is enabled [if applicable].

11. Under the port forwarding list, click [in this case] the Add profile button.

    Source: Windows Central

12. Create a new port forward with the required information. For example:

    • Service name: Specify the reference name for the service. For instance, OfficePC Remote [optional].
    • Protocol: TCP.
    • External Port: 3389.
    • Internal Port: 3389.
    • Internal IP Address: Specify the IP address of the computer you're trying to connect. For instance, 10.1.4.100
    Source: Windows Central

13. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the port will open on the router, allowing remote desktop connections through the internet to that specific computer.

Switching on access to local files

How you change the settings for your Remote Desktop connection may vary slightly depending on the Remote Desktop application you are using and how it is configured.

1. If you have an icon on your Desktop for the Remote Desktop Connection, move your pointer over the icon and then right-click. The shortcut menu will appear and you should [left] click on Edit...
   
   
   
   
2. Or, open your Remote Desktop Connection as usual however do not click Connect at this stage. You should have a window similar to that shown below - click the down arrow to the left of "Show Options".

You will now be editing the settings for the connection anda series of tabs will now be shown, click the Local Resources tab.

TheLocal Resourcestab is where we can change various aspectsaboutwhat your local computer provides to the remote desktop for example, any printers, your speakers etc.

To change the ability to see your local drives, click the "More..." button [see below].

We can now decide which local resources will be offered to your Remote Desktop session. To make the local drives available, tick the Drives box [1]and then click the OK [2] button.

To save the settings for future session, click the General Tab [1] and then click the Save button [2]. If you wish to connect at this stage, click the Connect button [3].

Once connected you should now see your local drives appear whenever you browse to open or save files or use Windows Explorer to navigate around.

Some things to note about working with local drives in a Remote Desktop session:

1. The first time you browse it may take a few moments to list all your drives
2. When browsing within drives again it may take a few moments to show the contents.
3. Depending on the speed of your connection copying large filesback and forth may take some time to copy.