Four ways to Disable Network Level Authentication on Windows 10

How to disable Network Level Authentication on Windows 10?

“I’m in desperate need of assistance! When I tried to use RDP on my Windows 10 computer, I received the following error notice. According to it, the issue could be remedied by disabling Network Level Authentication. So, could someone please explain to me how to turn off Network Level Authentication in Windows 10?”

Four ways to disable Network Level Authentication on Windows 10

When Network Level Authentication is enabled, users may encounter a “The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication” error, which is pretty much annoying. Therefore, there are different ways to disable Network Level Authentication on Windows 10. Here we listed four methods and their detailed operating steps.

Method 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. Go to the Remote tab and uncheck Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended).

Method 2. Disabling NLA using Registry

Step 1. Open the Run dialog box 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. Double-click SecurityLayer and UserAuthentication, then set their values to 0 respectively.

Method 3. Disabling NLA using Group Policy Editor

Step 1. Open Run dialog 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 Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication.

Step 3. Double-click it and then set it to Disabled.

Method 4. Disabling NLA using PowerShell

If you want to disable NLA on the remote computer from the local computer, you can use PowerShell. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1. Right-click Start, then choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).

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)

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

AnyViewer: Secure remote desktop software

If you have ever encountered an RDP problem as we mentioned at the beginning of this post, you need to disable Network Level Authentication to make RDP work normally. However, NLA was designed to allow users who have authenticated themselves to the network before they can connect to your computer, so as to protect your computer. Once you disable it, your computer will be at risk of malicious users and software.

But don’t worry, you can choose a secure remote desktop software to protect the safety of your computer when remotely accessing another computer. For example, AnyViewer. It is secured by Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) encryption and maintained by a strong technical team, protecting your computer from malicious attacks. Let’s start our secure remote connection.

Methods 1. Send a control request

 Step 1. Install and open AnyViewer on the devices. Input the Partner ID (device ID) of the host computer and then click Connect.

Step 2. Click Send a control request to your partner.

Step 3. On the host computer, click the green button to make the connection successful.

Methods 2. Input security code

Step 1. On the host computer, go to Settings > Recipient. Tick Set my security code and then set the permanent security code to achieve unattended remote access later.  

Step 2. Back to the main interface, you can see your Temporary security code, which could also be used for the remote connection.

Step 3. On the client computer, input the device ID of the host computer and then click Connect. Choose Input security code, then enter the security code and click OK.

Conclusion

How to disable Network Level Authentication on Windows 10? In this post, we’ve introduced four different methods. But remember, disabling NLA may make your computer vulnerable to malicious users and software. If you want secure remote connections, you can use the third-party remote desktop software, AnyViewer, which can protect your computer and meanwhile, provide you with fast and stable connections.