I keep running into Remote Desktop error code 0x104 when trying to connect to my Windows PC on my home network, and I can’t figure out what’s causing it. I’ve checked basic settings like RDP being enabled and the PC being on the same network, but the connection keeps failing with this same error. Can someone explain what typically triggers error 0x104 in Remote Desktop and walk me through reliable steps to troubleshoot and fix it?
Error 0x104 basically means “I can’t even find that machine” — not a password or permissions issue, so don’t waste time there like I did.
Try the IP address first instead of the PC name. If 192.168.1.x works but the hostname doesn’t, you’ve got a DNS problem, not an RDP problem.
Ping the target — if you get timeouts, RDP has no chance until basic connectivity is sorted.
Same network? If you’re trying to reach an office PC from home without a VPN, that’s almost certainly your problem. 0x104 shows up constantly when people try to RDP straight over the internet without proper routing or port forwarding on 3389.
Firewall on the remote machine — Windows Defender Firewall → Advanced settings → Inbound Rules → make sure the Remote Desktop rules are enabled for TCP 3389.
Double-check the PC name — sounds dumb but I’ve seen it fail just because of a typo or a dash in the wrong place. Verify the exact device name under Start → System.
There is a longer walkthrough with screenshots and all the edge cases here:
Short version: when you see 0x104, think “network or firewall or name resolution first”, not “username and password”.
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Error 0x104 almost always means “RDP cannot reach that machine at all”. I agree with @mikeappsreviewer on the network angle, but there are a few extra things to check that often get missed on a home network.
Check for double NAT or guest Wi-Fi isolation — if one device is on your main network and the other is on guest, they can’t see each other. Same deal if you have two routers stacked (ISP modem + your own router), devices end up on different subnets and 0x104 is guaranteed.
Verify RDP is actually listening — on the target PC run netstat -an | find "3389". If nothing shows LISTENING, the service isn’t running regardless of what the toggle says. Open services.msc, find Remote Desktop Services, make sure it’s running and set to Automatic.
NIC power management — Device Manager → your network adapter → Power Management → uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.” The PC looks on but the NIC is sleeping, which gives you exactly this error.
Router AP isolation — some routers have wireless isolation or “block LAN access” per SSID that silently stops devices from talking to each other even on the same network. Worth checking your router settings if everything else looks fine.
Once ping works and netstat shows 3389 listening, 0x104 almost always goes away.
Few more home network gotchas nobody mentioned:
Check network profile on both PCs — Settings → Network & Internet → your connection → Properties. If either machine is set to “Public” it’ll silently block RDP while leaving internet working fine. Set both to Private.
Turn off random/rotating MAC addresses — Settings → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks → your SSID → disable “Random hardware addresses.” Some routers treat the rotating MAC as a new device and isolate it. Seen 0x104 disappear instantly after this.
IP conflict — run ipconfig /all and cross-check your router’s DHCP list. Two devices sharing an IP makes 0x104 maddeningly inconsistent, works one minute, fails the next.
Clear stale ARP and DNS cache on the client — open admin CMD and run arp -d * then ipconfig /flushdns, retry by IP. Old entries pointing at the wrong device after a router change will do this.
Router parental/access controls — beyond guest isolation, check if either PC has a restricted device profile in your router. “Block LAN access” toggles can kill RDP while browsing still works fine.
If the network stuff checks out, try disabling NLA temporarily — System Properties → Remote tab → uncheck “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication” — because it can give you failures that look exactly like a network problem but are really an auth/crypto mismatch. Also do a clean boot on the host (msconfig → hide Microsoft services → disable all) since security suites and traffic shapers can block RDP while leaving normal internet untouched, and 0x104 vanishing in clean boot tells you exactly where to look.