Modify Default Port Number for Terminal Services/Remote Desktop
By default, Terminal Services (and Remote Desktop) uses TCP port 3389. If you use Remote Desktop or Terminal Services to connect to your Windows computer, you might want to consider modifying the default port for security reasons. The default port can be changed by hacking the registry. Here’s the procedure.
- Open the registry editor (regedit.exe) and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp.
- Double-click PortNumber in the right-hand pane.
- Click on Decimal and change the Value data to a different port number that is not in use.
- Close the registry editor and reboot your computer.
This technique applies to Win2000/2003/XP. To connect to the remote computer enter the port number at the end of the domain name or IP address. For example, to connect to a domain called MSN.COM that has an IP address of 207.68.172.246 and is configured to use port number 5678, you can use either of the following in the Remote Desktop Connection:
MSN.COM:5678
207.68.172.246:5678
To determine which port number to use, click here for a list of TCP/IP port numbers. Port numbers 0 through 1023 are called well-known ports, while port numbers 1024 through 49151 are registered ports. You should pick one of the port numbers between 49152 and 65535 because these are dynamic or private ports, such as port 54321.
