Unable to RDP | Fixing RDP Not Listening on Port 3389

1. Symptoms & Initial Checks

Typical Symptoms

• Remote Desktop fails on new builds.
• Test-NetConnection -Port 3389 returns TcpTestSucceeded: False.
• No output from netstat -an | findstr 3389.

What’s Working

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Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop" | Select DisplayName, Enabled, Direction

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(Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server").fDenyTSConnections

2. Root Cause

The RDP port was set incorrectly in the registry, causing no listener on 3389.

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Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp" -Name PortNumber

3. Fix

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Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp" -Name PortNumber -Value 3389
Restart-Service TermService -Force

After running this, the host should show LISTENING on port 3389.

4. Verification

On Host

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netstat -an | findstr 3389
Get-Service -Name TermService

From Remote

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Test-NetConnection -ComputerName <PCName> -Port 3389

TcpTestSucceeded: True

5. Security Notes

• Re-enable NLA in production (UserAuthentication = 1).
• Don’t expose RDP to the internet — use a VPN or jump host.
• Use strong passwords and lockout policies to prevent brute-force attacks.