The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication but your domain controller

“So, the issue is that on my Windows 10, I received an error notice that said, ‘The remote machine you are trying to connect to requires Network Level Authentication, but your Windows domain controller cannot be accessed to complete NLA.’ I’ve already spent several hours researching this. I’d want to hear from folks who have had the same issue. Please accept my sincere gratitude.”

Four solutions to “The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication” error on Windows 10, 11

According to the complete error message, users can fix this problem by disabling NLA on the remote computer when using Remote Desktop Connection on Windows 10, 11. Therefore, here we sort out four ways to achieve this.  

Solution 1. Disabling NLA using Properties

Step 1. Press Win + R to invoke the Run dialog box. Then type in “sysdm.cpl” and hit OK to open System Properties.

Step 2. Switch to the Remote tab and then uncheck Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended).

Solution 2. Disabling NLA using Registry

Step 1. Press WIN + R and then type in “regedit” to open the Registry Editor.

Step 2. Navigate here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > ControlSet001 > Control > Terminal Server > WinStations > RDP-Tcp. On the right pane, find SecurityLayer and UserAuthentication.

Step 3. First double-click SecurityLayer and set its value to 0. Then repeat the same step to UserAuthentication.

Solution 3. Disabling NLA using Group Policy Editor

Step 1. Press Win + R and then type in “gpedit.msc” to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Step 2. Navigate here: Computer configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security. On the right pane, find and double-click Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication.

Step 3. Then set it to Disabled.

Solution 4. Disabling NLA using PowerShell

Users can also disable NLA on the remote computer via PowerShell on the local computer.

Step 1. Press Windows + S and then type in “powershell”, choose “Run as administrator”.

Step 2. In the PowerShell, execute the following command:

$TargetMachine = “Target-Machine-Name”

(Get-WmiObject -class “Win32_TSGeneralSetting” -Namespace root\cimv2\terminalservices -ComputerName $TargetMachine -Filter “TerminalName=’RDP-tcp'”).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(0)

Here the “Target-Machine-Name” is the name of the remote computer. For example, if the remote computer name is “member-server”.

Achieve remote access without disabling NLA over AnyViewer

Windows Remote Desktop can sometimes be pretty annoying as it requires lots of configuration to be used normally. Therefore, if you want remote access software which provides you with a fast and stable remote connection and at the same time, requires less configuration, here we recommend AnyViewer to you.

AnyViewer can easily connect to remote computers without any special configuration. It can be used normally as long as you can access the Internet. Follow the steps below to start free remote connections immediately.

Step 1. Download, install and launch AnyViewer on both computers.

Step 2. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)

Step 3. Fill in the signup information.

Step 4. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you've logged in to.

Step 5. Log in to the same AnyViewer account on the two devices, then you can achieve a direct connection by clicking Remote control.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this post mainly introduces four tested solutions to fix the “The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication” error. Besides, we also introduce an RDP alternative AnyViewer to you. With it, you are able to achieve remote connections without limitations.

If you cannot connect through Remote Desktop Connection to another computer because "The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication (NLA)", continue reading below to fix the problem.

Problem in Details: Unable to connect to remote computer using Remote Desktop Connection with error "The remote computer that you are trying to connect to requires Network Level Authentication (NLA), but your Windows domain controller cannot be contacted to perform NLA. If you are an administrator on the remote computer, you can disable NLA by using the options on the Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box".

How to FIX: The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication (NLA) error in RDP. *

* Note: The following methods can be applied to Windows Server 2019, 2016 & Windows 10 Pro.

Method 1. Disable Network Level Authentication (NLA) in Remote settings.

(Apply the below steps on the remote computer or server, to which you want to connect)

1. Open Explorer, right-click on This PC icon and select Properties.

2. Open Remote settings.

3. Uncheck the option Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended) and click OK

4. Try to connect to the remote computer through RDP.

Method 2. Disable Network Level Authentication (NLA) Requirement in Registry.

(Apply the below steps on the remote computer to which you want to connect)

1. Press Windows

3. In Registry Editor navigate to the following key:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp

4. At the right-pane double-click at UserAuthentication REG_DWORD value.

5. Set the Value Data to 0 and click OK.

Method 3: Disable Network Level Authentication (NLA) in Group Policy.

(Apply the below steps on the remote computer to which you want to connect)

1. Open the Group Policy Editor. To do that:

1. Press simultaneously the Windows

+ R keys to open the run command box.
2. Type gpedit.msc & press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

3. At the left pane navigate to:

• Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security

4. At the right-pane, open the "Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication" policy.

5. Select Disabled and click OK. *

* Important: Disabling this policy setting provides less security because user authentication will occur later in the remote connection process.

That's all folks! Did it work for you?
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