A couple of Windows 10 users have reported an error on domain-connected systems when they tried accessing their computer systems remotely. This occurs when the network level authentication or NLA is enabled on the computer. If you are one of these users, you better keep reading as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error. To resolve this issue, there are several workarounds you can try. You can either disable this option directly via properties or you can also modify some registry entries or sub-keys and restart the system.
When you encounter this problem, an error message pops up that states:
“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.”
Or you could also see this error message instead:
“The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication, which your computer does not support. For assistance, contact your system administrator or technical support.”
Before you proceed in troubleshooting the problem using the options provided below, you need to create a backup for your data or system restore point as well as make a copy of any registry entries you are going to modify.
Option 1 – Disable Network Level Authentication via Properties
The NLA is a useful tool that provides your computer with extra security and helps network administrators in controlling who can log into the system with just a click of a single box. However, there are times when it can become a disadvantage and could prevent you from accessing your system remotely. Thus, you need to disable it using Properties.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” and tap Enter to open System Properties.
- Next, go to the remote tab and uncheck the checkbox for the “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended)” option.
- Now click the Apply button to save the changes made and exit System Properties and then try logging into the remote computer again and see if the problem is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Disable NLA via Registry Editor
Note that you can only use this option if the first one didn’t work for you. Take note that this option will require you to restart your PC completely which could mean some downtime if your computer is running a production server. So make sure to save all your work.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- From there, click on File > Connect Network Registry and input the details of the remote computer and then try to connect.
- Navigate to the path below after you’re connected:
HKLM >SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control >Terminal Server > WinStations > RDP-Tcp
- After that, change the values given below to “0”
- SecurityLayer
- UserAuthentication
- The navigate to PowerShell and execute this command – restart-computer
Option 3 – Disable NLA via PowerShell
PowerShell allows you to tap into the remote computer and once you’ve targeted the machine, you can execute the commands given below to disable NLA.
- Tap the Win + S to open Search and then type in “PowerShell” in the field. Right-click on the related result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- After opening PowerShell, execute the command below:
- Once in the PowerShell, execute the following command:
$TargetMachine = “Target-Machine-Name”
(Get-WmiObject -class “Win32_TSGeneralSetting” -Namespace rootcimv2terminalservices -ComputerName $TargetMachine -Filter “TerminalName=’RDP-tcp'”).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(0)
Note: In the command given, the “Target-Machine-Name” is the name of the machine you are targeting.
Option 4 – Use the Group Policy Editor to disable NLA
Another option you can use to disable NLA is via the Group Policy Editor. This is ideal for you if you are blanket disabling. Just take note that the Group Policy Editor is a powerful tool and that if you make some mistakes by changing values you have no clue about, you can render your computer useless so make sure that you create a backup for all the values before you proceed.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Then type in “gpedit.msc” and tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
- From there, go to this path – Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security
- After that, search for “Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication” and set it to disabled.
- Now check if the error is fixed or not.