The remote computer might not support the required FIPS security level

“I am attempting to RDP a Windows Server 2012 to Windows 10, but I got the following ‘The client could not establish a connection to the remote computer’ error. I’ve checked that remote connections are enabled on both computers, the maximum number of connections is not exceeded, and the network connection is fine. It says another possible cause is that ‘The remote computer might not support the required FIPS security level’. How can I fix this?”

Two solutions to “The remote computer might not support the required FIPS security level” on Windows Server 2012

Here in this part, we provide you with two methods to fix the “The remote computer might not support the required FIPS security level” RDP error.

Solution 1. Configure the FIPS compliance setting on the client side

The first solution is to configure the FIPS compliance setting on the client side.

Step 1. Press Win + R, type in “regedit” and then click OK.

Step 2. Navigate here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Lsa > FipsAlgorithmPolicy. Then find and double-click Enabled on the right pane.

Step 3. Change its Value data to 0. Then click OK.

Solution 2. Configure the Security Layer at the RDP stack from Negotiate to RDP on the server side

The second solution we give here is to change the RDP security level on the server side.

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

Step 2. Navigate here: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security.

Step 3. Find and click Require use of specific security layer for remote connections, then change its status to Enabled. Then choose RDP from the drop-down list as the Security Layer.

Free & easy RDP alternative: AnyViewer

You can use the solutions we provide to fix RDP “The client could not establish a connection to the remote computer” error, or you can choose to use an easy and free RDP alternative AnyViewer. It has been called the best RDP alternative for the following reasons:

RDP requires an IP address or computer name to achieve remote connection, while AnyViewer doesn’t.

RDP requires the two devices to be under the same network, while AnyViewer doesn’t.

RDP can’t be used to connect to Windows 10 Home edition (some other editions as well), while AnyViewer supports any devices running iOS 10.0 or later and multiple Windows versions on PCs.

 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 click One-click control to achieve unattended remote access.

Conclusion

If you happen to encounter the “The client could not establish a connection to the remote computer” error and need to troubleshoot “The remote computer might not support the required FIPS security level”, here in this post we provide you with two solutions. In case you want to try another remote desktop tool, we also introduce the free and easy remote desktop software AnyViewer to you. If you are tired of RDP errors, you can give it a try.