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Elastic Compute Service:Manage a Windows instance via mobile

Last Updated:Jun 23, 2026

You can manage your Windows instances from anywhere by using Microsoft Remote Desktop on a mobile device. This topic describes how to connect to a Windows instance using the Android version of the application.

Overview

Microsoft Remote Desktop for Android allows you to manage your Windows instance remotely.

Note
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Microsoft Remote Desktop

Microsoft Remote Desktop is a software application that lets you remotely connect to and control another computer running the Windows operating system. It is available for both desktop and mobile devices.

For more information, see Remote Desktop clients.

Windows App

The Windows App is a unified portal for software applications for the Windows operating system. It lets you install a wide range of applications, from productivity tools and games to system utilities.

For more information, see Windows App.

Prerequisites

Before you connect to the instance, confirm the following:

  • The instance is in the Running state.

  • The instance has a public IP address and is accessible from the internet.

  • You have set a logon password for the instance. If you forgot the password, see Reset the logon password of an instance.

  • Microsoft Remote Desktop is installed on your Android mobile device. To download the application, visit the Microsoft Remote Desktop Android client page or an app store.

  • Ensure the instance's security group includes the following rule. For more information, see Add a security group rule.

    Network type

    NIC type

    Direction

    Action

    Protocol type

    Port range

    Authorization type

    Authorization object

    Priority

    VPC

    No configuration required

    Inbound

    Allow

    RDP (3389)

    3389/3389

    CIDR block

    0.0.0.0/0

    1

  • If you log on to the Windows instance as a non-administrator user, you must add that user to the Remote Desktop Users group.

Procedure

The following steps use an Android mobile device as an example.

  1. Start Microsoft Remote Desktop on your Android mobile device.

    This example uses RD Client 8.1.56.294.

  2. On the Remote Desktop page, tap the + icon in the upper-right corner.

  3. Tap Desktop.

  4. On the Add Desktop page, enter the hostname or public IP address of the Windows instance in the Host Name field, and then tap Save.

  5. On the Remote Desktop page, tap the card for the Windows instance to which you want to connect.

  6. If a dialog box appears with the message "Certificate can't be verified. Connect anyway?", confirm the connection details and then tap Connect.

  7. On the Login page, enter your username (for example, administrator) and password, and click Connect.

    When the remote desktop appears, you are connected to the Windows instance. A floating toolbar for the remote session appears at the top of the screen.