Windows 7: Changing Remote Desktop Listening Port

Note: This is an advanced tip and only applicable to certain situations.

The Remote Desktop by default uses TCP/IP port 3389, some people think that they can increase the security of the RDP protocol by changing it too different location. This is almost as effective as moving a lock on a door and hoping a thief won't be able to find it. This technique would only be effective against someone who knows absolutely nothing about TCP/IP.

If you still want to move the Remote Desktop default TCP/IP port, here is how you do it:

Warning: This tip requires modifying the registry proceed at your own risk.

• Open the Windows Registry Editor, from the Start menu in the search field type REGEDIT.EXE
• In the Windows Registry Editor navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber
• Click the Edit menu and select Modify... or right-click the registry value and select Modify...
• In the properties dialog box, click Decimal, and type in the new port number that you want to use (make sure its not used by another protocol)
• Press the OK button to close the dialog.
• Close the registry editor and reboot the computer.

To access the computer via Remote Desktop over your local network or the Internet, when you enter the machines DNS name or IP address in the Remote Desktop Connection client (under All Programs > Accessories), add a colon and the port number that you used (e.g.: example.com:57619 or 192.168.1.2:57619).