4 Top Ways to Fix Local Security Authority Cannot Be Contacted

Local security authority cannot be contacted

“When I RDP to the server, I encountered “An authentication error occurred. The local security authority could not be contacted" error on my Windows 10. Both the domain account and the local administrator account have the same error. The strange thing is that we have successfully connected before. Is there any suggestion to solve it?”

From the error shown in the picture above, we can clearly see that the error is followed by a sentence saying that “This could be due to an expired password”.  It can be concluded that resetting the password may be a workaround.  But from the feedback of many users, the error keeps occurring after resetting the password.

How do I fix the Local Security Authority cannot be contacted?

To fix the Local Security Authority cannot be contacted on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, here we list 4 useful solutions. 

Solution 1. Change DNS address

If DNS is not configured or wrong, then your browser was unable to establish a connection to the internet. At this time, we need to change the DNS server and flush the DNS cache.

Step 1. Press Win + R and type in “ncpa.cpl” and then hit OK.

Step 2. Double-click the Internet adapter and then select "Properties" in the pop-up window.

Step 3. Locate Internet Protocol Version 4, and then click on the “Properties” button.

Step 4. Select “Use the following DNS server address”.

• Enter 8.8.8.8 in the box beside the Preferred DNS server
• Enter 8.8.8.4 in the box beside the Alternate DNS server

Step 5. Tick the “Validate DNS server” and then click on “OK”.

Solution 2. Allow the Connection in System Properties

If the connections are not allowed, the users may also meet with the error that prohibits them from connecting remotely. We need to enable the connections of RDP if it’s the main reason for the error on your PC.

Step 1. Press Win + R and then input “sysdm.cpl” and press Enter key.

Step 2. Locate the “Remote” tab, and then tick “Allow remote connections to this computer” and uncheck “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication”.

Step 3. Click on “OK”.

Solution 3. Check Remote Desktop Services settings by using Group Policy Editor

As we said before, the connection can be completed if the RDP service isn't enabled or allowed.  Here we can also do it by using Group Policy Editor.

Step 1. Press Win + R and then enter "gpedit.msc", hit “OK”.

Step 2. Navigation:

Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections > Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services

Step 3. Double-click on “Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services” and then check or change to “Enabled”.

Step 4. Click on “OK” and then reboot the Windows.

Solution 4. Flush DNS Cache 

When two or more devices on the same network are assigned the same IP address, then IP address conflict occurs. We can run a command in CMD to solve the issue.

Step 1. Search “cmd” in the search box and then choose “Run as administrator”.

Step 2. Enter the following command line and press Enter key

              ipconfig/flushdns

Free Remote Desktop alternative: AnyViewer

We have to admit that in the process of using RDP,  we may meet all kinds of errors or problems, such as “an internal error occurred”, “access is denied” and so on. Most of the users can’t successfully realize remote access when they meet with the error, which annoys them extremely, let alone they have to spend too much time on fixing the issue. Under the circumstance, choosing a reliable remote access software is necessary enough, like AnyViewer to remotely control without any pressure or problems. With it, you can realize remote access with one click. Follow me and know how it works.

Step 1. Sign up for an AnyViewer account and sign in to the account on the two computers. The PC will be assigned to the account automatically after login. 

Note: To access the remote computer in privacy mode (the screen of the remote PC will be black and the keyboard & mouse of the remote PC will be disabled), you need to upgrade to an advanced plan.

Step 2. Then, click "Device" and find out the remote PC that you want to access. Click "One-click control" to get one-click remote access to the remote PC. 

Step 3. Then you can see the desktop of the remote computer and take operations as if you were sitting in front of it. 

Note: We can remote into the unattended computers with one click via AnyViewer. The utility also allows you to access your friends' computers for one time by sending a control request. 

Conclusion

4 solutions for the RDP error “local security authority cannot be contacted” on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 are shown above to help you get rid of it. If the solutions seem too time-consuming or not worked for you, we recommend a free remote access software, AnyViewer, to rapidly restart remote connections.