Connect to your Windows instance - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud

Connect to your Windows instance

You can connect to Amazon EC2 instances created from most Windows Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) using Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to and use your instance in the same way you use a computer sitting in front of you (local computer). It is available on most editions of Windows and is also available for Mac OS.

The license for the Windows Server operating system allows two simultaneous remote connections for administrative purposes. The license for Windows Server is included in the price of your Windows instance. If you require more than two simultaneous remote connections, you must purchase a Remote Desktop Services (RDS) license. If you attempt a third connection, an error occurs.

Tip

If you need to connect to your instance in order to troubleshoot boot, network configuration, and other issues for instances built on the AWS Nitro System, you can use the EC2 Serial Console for Amazon EC2 instances.

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