Remote Desktop not using saved password

wimorrison · Aug 19, 2023

I regularly access a PC in the basement from a laptop on my home network and I used to be able to log-on using a saved password. I now always get a message saying "The logon attempt failed", and I then have to type the password which then provides me with the access.

Both PCs are running the same version of Windows (pro), both are on the same private network, and both are using Windows Defender. Essentially the only difference is that the laptop uses WI-FI whereas the basement PC is wired. I have tried re-entering and saving the password but this didn't help and I use the same Microsoft account on both machines.

I am confused as this used to work, but no longer does, and it can only be a policy or setting change that has happened with one of the updates that has caused this behavioural change. I hope that someone here can point me at what I need to change to remove the need to re-enter the saved password.

Many Thanks

johnlgalt · Aug 19, 2023

Try changing the password and then saving it.

wimorrison · Aug 19, 2023

johnlgalt said:
Try changing the password and then saving it.

Unfortunately does not achieve anything, the result remains exactly the same

OAT · Aug 19, 2023

-Search for credential or open Control Panel and click on Credential Manager.
-Under Windows credentials (right side), check for an entry bearing the machine name you are trying to access.
- If none are present, create a new entry with that machine name and your login credentials.
-if one exists, delete it and recreate it.

Please do not use a pin (Hello type) but your actual MicrosoftAccount password.

wimorrison · Aug 19, 2023

@OAT I deleted the existing credentials and created a new one and tried again - it failed, exactly as before. I then deleted the new credential ald logged on telling it to save the credential, which was done and it was exactly the same as the one I created (and using MicrosoftAccount as the domain).

Any other suggestions?

OAT · Aug 19, 2023

wimorrison said:
@OAT I deleted the existing credentials and created a new one and tried again - it failed, exactly as before. I then deleted the new credential ald logged on telling it to save the credential, which was done and it was exactly the same as the one I created (and using MicrosoftAccount as the domain).

Any other suggestions?

Sorry, I don't know what to tell you.
If both machines have the same set of credentials, that simply should work, but it does not.
What happens when you try to map a network drive on the machine without RDP?

Please review this post for more

Remote Desktop - Login Failed

I am running Windows 11 Version 22H2 Build 22621.1992 on a brand new Windows 11 desktop computer that is only (2) days old and I'm having difficulty connecting to the computer with Remote Desktop. When I attempt to connect with Remote Desktop, I get a "Login Failed" message. Here's some...

www.elevenforum.com

johnlgalt · Aug 20, 2023

wimorrison said:
I regularly access a PC in the basement from a laptop on my home network and I used to be able to log-on using a saved password. I now always get a message saying "The logon attempt failed", and I then have to type the password which then provides me with the access.

Both PCs are running the same version of Windows (pro), both are on the same private network, and both are using Windows Defender. Essentially the only difference is that the laptop uses WI-FI whereas the basement PC is wired. I have tried re-entering and saving the password but this didn't help and I use the same Microsoft account on both machines.

I am confused as this used to work, but no longer does, and it can only be a policy or setting change that has happened with one of the updates that has caused this behavioural change. I hope that someone here can point me at what I need to change to remove the need to re-enter the saved password.

Many Thanks

Another thing to check is if your router had a recent firmware update that may correspond to the time when this started occurring, and see if a setting was revert / changed in its settings also.

wimorrison · Aug 20, 2023

I can map an open share as a drive on the basement machine without any issue, but I get access denied when I try to connect to any of the admin shares (C$, D$, E$, etc) - even after entering the password.

johnlgalt · Aug 20, 2023

Does the reverse work, RDP from basement to laptop?

wimorrison · Aug 21, 2023

johnlgalt said:
Does the reverse work, RDP from basement to laptop?

Exactly the same happens if I try to RDP from basement to laptop. entering the password and saving the connection works perfectly, but when attempting to reconnect using the saved password the message is as shown below. This is exactly the same message both ways.

glasskuter · Aug 21, 2023

Windows 11 22H2 - Can't use saved credential - Microsoft Q&A

After upgrade Windows 11 22H2 I Can't use saved credential (Windows Defender Credential Guard does not allow using saved credentials). Before it works.

learn.microsoft.com

OAT · Aug 21, 2023

I think your Answer is in the message box itself: Defender Credential Guard.

Do this from command prompt on Each System and reboot.

cmdkey /list:TERMSRV/* enter (if nothing shows, move on to the 3rd command.)

cmdkey /delete:TERMSRV/<targetMachineName> enter
<targetMachineName > can be either MachineName or IP

Code:

cmdkey /generic:TERMSRV/<targetMachineName> /user:<username> /pass:<password> enter

Passwords saved through the RDP UI end up as "Domain" type credentials and aren't compatible with Credential Guard. Passwords saved through cmdkey /generic flag ends up as "Generic" type, and DO work with Credential Guard enabled.

Edit: @glasskuter posted a link with the same answer.

wimorrison · Aug 21, 2023

Tried as you have suggested and nothing changes, same message as above.

This never happened with Win10, it has always, with the exception of a few weeks between releases last year when I wasn’t asked to retype the password, with Win11.

johnlgalt · Aug 21, 2023

In Windows Security, do you have this setting enabled?

If so, try disabling it (both machines) and then rebooting (both machines).

I don't believe this is actually going to be the cause, but worth a shot

wimorrison · Aug 21, 2023

settings are the same as you show in your screen clip

johnlgalt · Aug 25, 2023

It's Windows being Windows I suppose. I don't know if this may be a problem with build 2134 specifically, or something else.

hsehestedt · Aug 25, 2023

Question: The machine that you are trying to connect to, if you logon to that machine locally (not via Remote Desktop), do you use Windows Hello (PIN, face identification, fingerprint, etc.)? If so, logon to that machine locally USING YOUR PASSWORD. You should only need to do this one time and it's fine to log back off once you have logged on once.

Now, try the Remote Desktop connection again.

If that works, let me know.

BobOmb · Aug 25, 2023

You may need to make changes with GPEDIT. You can try this..

Open GPEDIT and navigate to:

LocalComputerPolicy>Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Credentials Delegation

You will see 4 entries there.

Enable each one of these entries, and click the "Show" button ( 1 ) and add an asterisk ( 2 ) if one isnt already present in the filter. (See below)

Might solve your problem.

wimorrison · Aug 26, 2023

@hsehestedt tried doing as you suggest but it made no difference. Incidentally, saving the lcoal account details didny work when looging on the next time as the logon account defaulted back to the Microsoft account

@BobOmb amended the basement machine as you suggested and it had no effect, I therefore also amended the laptop, and still didn't work. I then tried using TERMSRV/* as suggested in the description within GPEDIT and that also failed

wimorrison · Feb 22, 2024

The root cause of this issue is 22h2 which extended some Enterprise security capabilities to Professional with the result that passwords are not saved because it is blocked by Windows Credentials Guard.

This command line will allow the information to be entered and remembered correctly