What “Remote Desktop” can mean
People use the phrase for three different things:
- Windows Remote Desktop, the feature built into Windows that lets you sign in to a PC from another device. It uses Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
- The app you connect with. On Windows that's Remote Desktop Connection. On a Mac, Microsoft's Remote Desktop app has been replaced by Windows App, which also runs on iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Remote desktop software in general: any tool that puts another computer's screen in front of you.
This page is mostly about the first two. If you're comparing tools in general, start with remote access software.
How Windows Remote Desktop works
You turn Remote Desktop on in the PC's Settings, under System. From then on, the PC listens for connections, by default on TCP port 3389. Someone with permission connects from Remote Desktop Connection on another Windows PC, or from Windows App on a Mac, iPhone or Android device.
A few things catch people out:
- Only Windows Pro, Enterprise, Education and Server can be connected to. Windows Home can connect out but can't host.
- Remote Desktop opens your own session. Anyone sitting at the PC is signed out of the screen, so it isn't a way to help someone while they work.
- Windows App has a web version, but it can't connect to remote PCs.
Reaching a PC from outside the office
On the office network, Remote Desktop connects directly to the PC. From home or a hotel, that direct route doesn't exist, and Microsoft's own guidance lists the options:
- A VPN, which puts your laptop on the office network first.
- RD Gateway, a Windows Server role that carries Remote Desktop over the internet without exposing the PC directly.
- Port forwarding on your router, which Microsoft calls "not recommended" and says it's "preferable to use a VPN".
When built-in Remote Desktop is the better choice
- Your PCs already run Windows Pro or higher, and you only need them from inside the office.
- You already have a VPN or an RD Gateway, and someone who looks after it.
- You'd rather not pay for another service: Remote Desktop comes with Windows Pro at no extra license cost.
If that's you, built-in Remote Desktop is a sensible choice, and you may not need us.
How Aile Insight does it
A small Aile Insight app runs on each computer you want to reach. It makes an outbound, encrypted connection (WireGuard) to Aile Insight, so nothing on your router is opened and no PC answers on port 3389 to the internet.
To open a Windows PC, you sign in at app.aileinsight.com and click it. The session is Windows Remote Desktop, the same one you'd get on the office network, running in a browser tab. There's no VPN to connect first and nothing to install on the computer you're using.
We install it with you on a call of about 20 minutes and check each machine opens from where you need it. After that, you can reach us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm US Eastern. See how it works
Side by side
| Criterion | Built-in Remote Desktop | Aile Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Computers you can open | Windows Pro, Enterprise, Education and Server | Windows PCs (Pro or higher), Macs and Linux servers |
| Connect from | Remote Desktop Connection on Windows; Windows App on Mac, iOS and Android | A web browser |
| From outside the office | VPN, RD Gateway, or port forwarding (not recommended by Microsoft) | Works the same; the app connects out, no ports opened |
| Helping someone at their PC | Not with Remote Desktop: it signs them out of the screen | Screen sharing we set up on that PC during setup |
| Setup | You or your IT person | With us, on a call |
| Cost | Included with Windows Pro | From $12 a month |
Microsoft facts checked on October 8, 2026 from Microsoft's public documentation.
Macs, Windows PCs and servers
- Windows PC: Windows Remote Desktop in the browser, with file copy to and from the PC. To see and help someone working at a Windows PC, we set up screen sharing on it during setup.
- Mac: Mac Screen Sharing in the browser. You see the Mac's screen as it is, so it works with someone sitting at it. We turn Screen Sharing on during setup.
- Linux server: a terminal in the browser, with no SSH port open to the internet.
When nobody is at the computer
You can open an authorized machine with nobody there, as long as it's switched on, awake and its Aile Insight app is running. That's the same rule as Remote Desktop: a PC that's off or asleep can't answer. More on unattended access
Security
- Connections are encrypted with WireGuard.
- No port is opened on your router, for Remote Desktop or anything else.
- Everyone signs in with their own account, using email or a passkey.
- All access is known and consented. Sessions are not recorded.
- Logs are kept for 60 days.