Introduction
This article focuses on resolving Remote Desktop (RDP) certificate errors on your home computer that uses a self-signed certificate. You will learn about self-signed certificates, why these errors occur, how to fix them, and what you can do to prevent these issues in the future.
Understanding Remote Desktop Certificate Errors
What are Remote Desktop Certificate Errors?
Remote Desktop Certificate Errors occur when connecting to a remote system through RDP and the system doesn't recognize or trust the certificate installed for the remote computer. These certificate errors are typically related to self-signed certificates or ones belonging to an unknown certification authority.
When do Certificate Errors Occur?
As mentioned earlier, these errors usually occur when using a self-signed certificate for the RDP connection, commonly found when connecting to a home computer or a private network. Windows cannot validate the self-signed certificate, resulting in the display of a certificate error.
Why are Remote Desktop Certificates Used?
The RDP connection uses certificates for authentication purposes. Certificates serve as an identity for a computer or a device, allowing the remote computer to confirm the identity of the computer it is connecting to. Generally, trustworthy commercial certificate authorities are used when connecting to public or commercial RDP servers, but self-signed certificates are often appropriate for home environments and private networks.
How to Fix Certificate Errors
Installing Trusted Certificate Authorities
In cases where the self-signed certificate is generated by a certificate authority used in your organization, you might want to consider importing the CA (Certificate Authority) certificate chain to your computer to avoid certificate errors.
Importing the Self-Signed Certificate
If the certificate error persists even after accepting the certificate manually, you can manually import the self-signed certificate into your local machine's "Trusted Root Certification Authorities" store.
1. Open your local computer's Certificates Manager:
Type "certlm.msc" in the Run dialog box (Win + R) and press Enter.
2. Navigate to Personal > Certificates:
In the Certificates Manager window, navigate to Personal and expand the folder, then click on Certificates.
3. Export the certificate:
Right-click on your remote machine's certificate from the list and select All Tasks > Export.
4. Follow the export wizard:
In the export wizard, choose "Yes, export the private key" and save the certificate to your computer in a known location.
5. Import the certificate:
Navigate to Trusted Root Certification Authorities > Certificates, then right-click and choose All Tasks > Import.
6. Follow the import wizard:
In the import wizard, find the previously exported certificate and complete the process.
Preventing Certificate Errors
Use a Commercial Certificate Authority
If you are running a public RDP server, use a certificate from a well-known certificate authority. This ensures Windows, and other operating systems, will trust the certificate by default, eliminating certificate errors.
Setup Your Own PKI Infrastructure
For organizations that cannot use a commercial CA, setting up your own Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a viable option—although it requires more effort and costs. Your
- Remote Desktop (RDP) Certificate Errors occur when connecting to a remote system, and the locally used computer does not recognize or trust the certificate installed for the remote computer.
- Errors commonly relate to self-signed certificates or certificates from untrusted certification authorities.
- You can fix Remote Desktop Certificate Errors by installing trusted certificate authorities, or by manually importing the self-signed certificate into the local machine's
Trusted Root Certification Authoritiesstore. - Prevent certificate errors by using a commercial certificate authority or setting up your own PKI infrastructure for your organization.
References
-
Understanding SSL Certificates and Certificate Authorities
https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-ssl-certificates-and-why-they-re-important -
Setting Up Your Own Certification Authority (CA) On Windows Server 2016
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/setting-up-your-own-certification-authority-ca-on-windows-server-2016