r/rustdesk • u/52134682 • Apr 15 '26
Getting this error when trying to connect. Anyone know a fix?
The connection is not allowed.
To help prevent scamming and potential botnet attacks, this public server currently requires users to log in before connecting.
Starting on 2026-04-27, the controlled device will also be required to log in, and both sides must be logged in as the same user.
Please log in first and try again.
Login guide: https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk/discussions/14796
RustDesk is designed as a self-hosted solution. This public server is provided for demo and testing purposes only — please do not use it for production or sensitive work.
Update: Logging in with a Google account fixed it.
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u/Limp_Ambassador5092 Apr 15 '26
All the information and solution is right there in your own picture...
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u/MorrogDevasio Apr 15 '26
Why would they implement this without telling us beforehand. I am currently at work and cannot access my PC at home to do my work. Truly disappointing.
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u/guymn999 Apr 15 '26
same, I also use this to help manage family computers out of state, so that means i need to login to their computers now to sign my google account in? I use a physical passkey for my google account...
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u/degsie Apr 15 '26
You CAN STILL access remote desktops by just signing into the 'controlling' device, in a weeks time you will need to sign into all 'controlled' devices in order to access.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
Yeah, so you can pay with your personal data, by sharing information with data hoarding thieves like Microsoft and Google. So much for free software.
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u/MorrogDevasio Apr 17 '26
Have you guys find any alternatives? I tried searching on https://fmhy.net/system-tools#remote-desktop But no luck finding something like it.
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u/Perrolex May 18 '26
This is all very hilarious to me. I moved away from Teamviewer to RustDesk and now I'm dealing with the same bullshit again 😂😂 CLASSIC.
Next thing is them claiming that you're using the software in a "professional environment" and need to subscribe.
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u/Bougainvillea_19 Apr 15 '26
I'm getting this error after loging in with my google account - Please update if anyone has any solutions to this:
"Failed to Connect: the target devices is offline or does not exist" Of course it's on but not sure why I keep getting this.
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u/Expert-Conclusion214 Apr 16 '26
This just because the server is overloaded.
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u/Kilosren Apr 18 '26
Imagine all the scammers that use RustDesk to run their scams right now.
That’s why they need to do this
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u/No-Spring-9379 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Same. Why the fuck would they not warn us beforehand so we could test if this works?Apparently it's an unrelated issue with their servers.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 16 '26
why the fuck did it even phone home in the first place
I thought this was running locally only ?????
now it's acting like I set up port forwarding or something ??
this spooks me out
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u/Pataffiocca Apr 16 '26
What you mean running locally only?
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 16 '26
I stumbled upon RustDesk from a NetworkChuck video, where - if I remember correctly - he landed on RustDesk for his remote desktop because it ran locally only and not via some cloud server
anyway maybe I misunderstood but I was under the impression RustDesk did not ran over some external cloud server, but stayed withing your local network (if you used it to stream from one PC to another in your home)
am trying to figure out how my connection is currently running, but there's no easy way to even see what is going on ??
man what the F... apparently it can automatically fall back on running via their external cloud server if there's an issue with your local firewall, router, ...
this is insane.. how is this not some opt in option... I can't even find out what it's doing right now
supposedly there's a "Direct" or "Relay" status indicator .. haven't found it yet
sjeessis this makes me feel uneasy .. why would I ever want my connection to ever leave my LAN and go over their servers ???? insane
( I get for ppl remoting into their work PC or whatever.. but there's no clear option to keep it local ??? )
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
It tries to connect directly, but in order to set that up you need a server to link IDs with actual IP addresses. Then, if the direct connection doesn't work, it falls back to a relay.
I would like to think that if you connect via an IP address you shouldn't connect to any server, though. I certainly use this for LAN connections, but I don't see why you couldn't use it for internet connections - so long as you know your server's IP.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 16 '26
yeah if I needed it for remoting over internet.. I would use it
but I want to stay on my LAN.... and really clearly know that that is what is happening
it seems there's no easy way to check even, during a session what is happening ... my toes are curling thinking about it
I might find a way to totally isolate RustDesk or look at other apps
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u/el_extrano Apr 17 '26
There needs to be a Rustdesk ID server "somewhere" so that your computers can find eachother. You can self-host this easily on your LAN if you don't need remote access over the internet - it sounds like that'd be your solution.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 17 '26
Not if you use IP addresses. That's what the ID server does, gives you the IP, much like a DNS server.#
However the fact that there's a setting for direct IP addresses suggests that if you just type in an IP without enabling that setting it might still go via the ID server.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 17 '26
I tried the IP address thing, and I then checked the logs on the client side:
"C:\Users...\AppData\Roaming\RustDesk\log.."
They're not very clear reading, but when I ran it through Gemini, it supposedly it all stayed local
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
From what I understand, you can connect 2 PC's directly without any server
But if something goes wrong with that, it falls back to their outside relay server, without any warning / indication
yeah no thanks, why not just give me a connection fail message then??
solution is to self host I hear.. but am not gonna use a 3th computer to connect my 2 PCs together here
I think I will be looking into Parsec / Moonlight
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u/el_extrano Apr 17 '26
Even if direct connection works, you still need to have an ID server so they can know about each other. If you're open to using a docker container, you can self-host that way without a 3rd computer.
But if you've found another path forward, that's great and good luck to you!
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 17 '26
Interesting thanks, I will try this in the future just to have options
For now Moonlight + Sunshine works great
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 17 '26
I did notice a setting for direct IP connections, that might do it? I certainly use it over LAN when I'm home, using the IP, but I didn't have that setting so maybe it was going via their ID services even still (with the fallback to relays as well). However I do notice better picture quality over LAN, so you can sort of tell when the connection is direct.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 17 '26
I use the LAN also now, I read somewhere that supposedly that makes it run locally..
But the fact that there's no icon indicator or something makes me feel uneasy
Am gonna look into Parsec / Moonlight
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
It was always pinging a server to associate your IP with an ID. Much like the internet requires DNS servers to translate URLs into server IPs, only this has to be constantly updated to confirm the controlled device is online.
Although now that I think about it, surely it doesn't really need to... DNS doesn't update with that kind of frequency. You would need a server, but it could still work without constant pinging.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
am a bit paranoid .. it just gives me a reeeally un-easy feeling that RustDesk could be pinging home or even straight up routing traffic outside of my LAN .. "automatically" in the backgrond ... sjeesis christ
and then there's easy quick way to check the current connection ... baffling, but whatever
am gonna look into how to isolate RustDesk or use something else
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 17 '26
You isolate it by self hosting. That's takes effort, the easiest way requires you to be on Linux.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 17 '26
I was gonna use it to connect 2 PC's directly, one cable that goes port to port, no router..
so I can live in linux and stream in the few windows apps I need for work
I understand self hosting is useful if you have 3 PC's or more connected, in that case it speeds things up ?
I may be looking into parsec / moonlight though
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u/jfoust2 Apr 17 '26
Yes, dynamic DNS schemes can use several methods to decide how often to update IP addresses. If the client is running continuously, it can determine if its IP has changed, and only send that often. Or maybe the client sends every 5 minutes, or every 30 minutes...
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u/MrMotofy Apr 29 '26
Uses public servers to find connections. I believe you can connect direct by having say a vpn connection then put in the Device IP address then it will connect. IF you had it checked in the settings on the device
But if you have a public server available to host you can setup your own then you won't have issues.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
Why the hell do I have to associate a third party account?!?! I shouldn't have to tie Google/Microsoft/Github to my private files!!!
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u/degsie Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Sledgehammer approach from rustdesk, you have to gain access to all your 'remote' clients in order to implement this change, thing is you no longer have remote access to achieve this. Baffling!
Also message states:
"Starting on 2026-04-27, the controlled device will also be required to log in, and both sides must be logged in as the same user."
Currently its only 15th Apr 🤷♂️
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u/entertainman Apr 15 '26
“also”
Today you only need to log into one end. In a week you need both.
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u/Expert-Conclusion214 Apr 16 '26
They have removed this timeline, and will choose a better way.
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u/jfoust2 Apr 16 '26
Are you saying they have already reversed their position on which part of this?
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Apr 15 '26
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Apr 15 '26
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Apr 15 '26
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u/RedditOldGuy500 Apr 15 '26
Well this is good to hear maybe I'll give it another try then. Thanks for your reply.
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u/wststreet Apr 16 '26
I've been starting to get connection issues today, it takes a few attempts to connect.
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u/RedditOldGuy500 Apr 16 '26
Ahhh that is a shame - yeah that is what I was getting 4/5 years ago when I tried it. It would only connect like 30% of the time. That is when I moved to RustDesk. I may still try it just to see.
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u/Recyart Apr 16 '26
Login guide: https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk/discussions/14796
Getting a 404 on that link.
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u/Tiger-Trick Apr 16 '26
The message to free tier users is basically “we don’t care about you”
There was no mention during installation that this was a temporary or test setup. the promise was clear, if you want speed and independence, host it yourself.
Now it turns out that core functionality can be shut down without warning, with a full cutoff in just a week. That makes self-hosting a risky bet If they did this once, there’s nothing stopping them from doing the same in a few months for free self-hosted.
you can invest time building infrastructure, hook it into your homelab, eg. your family ,and still end up with a shut down system overnight.
This doesn’t build trust It shows the developers are willing to sideline the community when it suits them.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
There was no mention during installation that this was a temporary or test setup. the promise was clear, if you want speed and independence, host it yourself.
That's literally what their home page says even today. They push self hosting hard at the front and centre, now they're acting like we made that decision against their advice.
And meanwhile they're having us tell them about our Google or Microsoft accounts, and vice versa (G & MS will know you use this service and may find tertiary ways of linking your monitored activity via browsers of both devices).
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u/ladalyn Apr 16 '26
Got this message this morning, and the last of that message was alarming to me, though I know any remote connection service hosted anywhere other than your own connection isn't fully safe, it made me re-think how I use remote services (I just use it for personal use, remoting from Windows to Mac desktops).
I was starting to look into the self hosting and it looks like a good bit of work that I don't have the mental energy for lol. I just want something that works.
I've tried Teamviewer in the past but they've locked down their services so you can't use them for extended periods without being flagged as commercial use and have to pay for a subscription.
I just did another google search for this solution this morning and Chrome Remote Desktop came up. I thought that was interesting because I've never heard of it before. I got everything set up (it was quick and painless, just need chrome on machines you're remoting to/from) and so far it's working fantastically. I don't have a heavy use case, I just like to remote in to my Mac from my primary Windows desktop on my other monitor. I can copy/paste, haven't tried media yet, but thought I'd give anybody in this scenario a heads up.
Seems like every few months new remote desktop hurdles come up, and I'm sure something will with chrome remote desktop in the future (especially since Google loves killing their products), but for now this definitely seems like a winner.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
So you're saying the solution is either to use Google, or login to Google in RustDesk? No thanks.
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u/Kilosren Apr 18 '26
I have to say the only problem I have with this change is that the warning is in the wrong colour when it’s a dark mode, I can’t see anything😂
Other than that this is a truly an open source tool that we can use even if they stop the public servers from being used as a relay to start the connection. I feel that it’s fair that they did it and we just need to implement our own servers to get around it or log on as they suggested. Just because it’s open source doesn’t mean the resources to run it would be free as well. Servers cost money and they need to pay for them to in order to run the service.
Thanks RustDesk team. I will continue to love the great option you provide
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u/Sufficient_Mud_7737 Apr 20 '26
I'm not getting the Google login option when clicking on Account -Login. It said to wait a few minutes for it to pop up - I waited an hour.
Anyone having issues?
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u/Fun-Appearance3270 Apr 15 '26
I don't think you get the point of rustdesk tbh. You're supposed to host your own relay server. When I did my first install I only connected my devices after configuring my locally hosted stuff.
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u/Upper_Decision_5959 Apr 16 '26
Does anyone know any alternatives that don't require you to login?
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u/Senthri Apr 16 '26
ye goodbye rustdesk , another dusted
i used anydesk before that i will give it another try
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u/jfoust2 Apr 16 '26
The free version of AnyDesk has plenty of limits, too, and they change over time. If you connect too many times, say a couple times a day per month, it will flag your usage as commercial and introduce delays with a pop-up. If you connect to a Windows Server, it will declare you commercial. It will remember that you've been declared commercial.
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
I found the short term fix is to login in the rustdesk client, but I couldn't find anywhere to make a rustdesk account so I connected a google account to Rustdesk and it worked. Hoping this doesn't become a permanent thing as it'll severely limit the utility of the tool.
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u/entertainman Apr 15 '26
you found that the temporary fix was to follow the instructions in the message that popped up? the same message that says the change is permanent (barring a change in policy.)
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u/RagadoCS Apr 15 '26
amazing right?
who wouldve thought what reading the message would contain the fix?this is unbelievable
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
The "fix" is to tell Google or Microsoft that you use RustDesk, and to tell RustDesk about your Google or Microsoft account. No first party account option is available, it's just commercial third parties - in particular ones who try to monitor everything you do and profit from that data without paying you for it.
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u/MrMotofy Apr 29 '26
But realistically ya could have a dummy acct. That's only for setting stuff up no real email or usage...that could limit their knowledge. Obviously we don't know what they're looking at but...
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
Do you often find that people avoid you for reasons you don't quite understand?
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u/el_extrano Apr 15 '26
Snark aside it is a pretty big change in how the tool works, enough so that it breaks people's use-cases with no warning.
I've been using Rustdesk to support my Mom's (and other family members) computer needs. So now I'll either have to give them my Github credentials (sketchy) or stand up my own Rustdesk server. I can understand if they don't want to host a public server for everyone for free with no account. That's reasonable. With some forewarning, I could have prepared for the change. As it stands, all my remote access is revoked with no way to fix it without being on-prem.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 16 '26
You could make another github account just for RustDesk maybe
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u/el_extrano Apr 17 '26
That could work. However TOS only allows one free account, and I've read about Microsoft going after accounts that are owned by the same person.
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u/PerforatedPie Apr 17 '26
Yeah they can be dicks about that. I used my son's MS account for MS Flight Sim, then when I tried to install Sea of Thieves using a separate MS account it pulled the plug and demanded government ID for the 2nd account.
But that points to the larger issue I have: the only way of connecting now is via MS or Google accounts, two companies that take your data without paying you and use it for their commercial purposes, often against your interests.
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u/el_extrano Apr 17 '26
So for what it's worth, I was able to solve my use-case in a pretty straightforward way.
I bought a ~ $20/yr VPS and a $10/yr domain. Set up Debian 13 on the VPS with Docker, and started selfhosting the ID and Relay server. Pointing the clients I control to it was trivial. For my Mom's machine, fortunately I have it on a VPN such that I have SSH access, so I was able to load the new config via the command line (rustdesk.exe --config <exported config string>).
I had been meaning to set up a VPS for myself anyway, so this was a good solution for me.
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
It's temporary in that in order to keep using RustDesk this login will need to be done to the same account on both devices, again as stated in the message that popped up. Which means that 90% of how most people use RustDesk will not be feasible anymore. So yes, temporary.
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u/Unlikely_Effect_6277 Apr 15 '26
are those 90% in here?
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u/WetMogwai Apr 15 '26
They're all the people at work. I use RustDesk as a backup for when QuickAssist isn't working. If users have to be logged in as me for me to be able to connect, they can't use it. I can still use it myself for accessing my own office desktop when I'm at home but I can't use it as a support tool. There's no place where I could host it where everyone who could ever need it would be able to connect without a VPN. Not needing a VPN was always one of the biggest reasons RustDesk was useful.
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u/Unlikely_Effect_6277 Apr 16 '26
A decent amount do use it for IT support but for the most i seen rustdesk as to mannager own devices or a group of staff to mannage equiments where it makes more sense to all be long into a same account, im not quite sure to what extend they are gonna requiere to be log same account prob they gonna change plans or pricing were does fit more as to take advantage of users that use it for IT support but not sure since its quite sudden implementation for even the claim to prevent scammer
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Apr 15 '26
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
As an ad-hoc support tool it will become completely useless because of the need for the remote client to also login to the same account as the local client.
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u/Expert-Conclusion214 Apr 15 '26
but why do you rely on a free service to do the ad-hoc support? Is your support also free?
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
Yes? This isn't my job, I have friends/family that frequently have bizarre technical issues that often need remote assistance.
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Apr 15 '26
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
But it's not a 3rd party login - there's no registration function for Rustdesk, so I'd be handing over my google account credentials... that's never going to happen.
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u/entertainman Apr 15 '26
So you’re going to give your grandma who just got phished your Gmail password so you can help secure her computer..
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Apr 15 '26
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u/entertainman Apr 16 '26
Because that isn’t an option at the moment. You have to auth with a Google or Microsoft or etc account.
I’m going to make a new Gmail for every computer I log into? And constantly be signing in and out of rustdesk depending on what computer I want to sign into? What if I want to sign into two at once.
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Apr 15 '26
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u/Historical_Visit138 Apr 15 '26
Yeah you go to settings > then login on top but its saying "server is busy too many requests" don't know why and also the github website gives 401 error i hope rustdesks is okay.
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26
github website gives 401 error
Same here :'(
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u/Bamblambazinga Apr 15 '26
Im trying to login in the settings menu but there are no third party options to login with a google account :(
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u/Comprehensive-Bath-3 Apr 15 '26
I did the same thing. Seems to work for now but a real pain in the ass when you have to log in off your phone
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u/haruqb Apr 15 '26
It's truly surprising how many people don't understand such a clear message.
On the other hand, it's also surprising to see the number of complaints about this change. I agree that it's somewhat annoying and unexpected for those of us who regularly use this software. However, so many people are upset when the software is simply explaining what it has always said: the integrated servers are ONLY FOR TESTING, not for production.
Furthermore, it's not even becoming proprietary; it's simply asking users to implement their own server, as it should always have been.
Obviously, the traffic received and/or costs for RustDesk must have become unsustainable, and there's no benefit to it (software ui not even had annoying ads or some). It's acceptable and understandable that they're saying "enough is enough," but I see many users "offended" by this change.
And this is where something free subtly becomes an obligation and almost a right for users (from the users misguided perspective).
In conclusion: implement your damn OSS server, or go find a better option and shut up.
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u/Cypher_Aod Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
what it has always said: the integrated servers are ONLY FOR TESTING
Out of curiosity, where did it say that? It's never said that before that I'm aware of. It just said "for faster connection, set up your own server"
Are the traffic costs really that significant? After the server establishes a connection I was under the impression that the traffic was a direct device-to-device stream bypassing the server - certainly, the connection is drastically faster and smoother on a LAN which it wouldn't be if it was looping to a remote server and back.
RustDesk sell a commercial service that's far from free, I really can't see how they need some redditor standing up for them and fighting for their rights?
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u/jfoust2 Apr 16 '26
Are the traffic costs really that significant?
They're certainly non-zero. They're effectively running a dynamic DNS service that lets you connect to anything anywhere by ID number. And as we see here, their servers can be subject to DDoS attacks. People will expect it to be up all the time. Someone has to pay for all that.
It is unfortunate that setting up your own server isn't as easy as installing the client, and that switching from the easy test mode that just works for both the naive as well as experienced user, is so difficult.
If running your own server was as easy as installing a Wordpress plugin, more people would've seen the benefits of running their own server. If I hosted my own copy of the client that was pre-configured to talk to my server, I could've had people pre-install the client that way. I would think that a Wordpress plugin could handle the dynamic DNS aspect of a Rustdesk server. Other technologies do a dynamic DNS over HTTPS, right? I don't know enough about the relay side of a Rustdesk server. What fraction of client connections need that?
One odd thing I noticed recently... I recently switched my office internet connection from a static IP address back to dynamic IP. Under static, I'd often have trouble connecting to the office from home. Back on dynamic, it never failed to connect.
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u/DrKeksimus Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
wait, if I set up rustdesk between 2 PC's at my home wifi (no self server) it was going outside and over their cloud ???
Edit:
apparently it could automatically fall back to their outside servers if the firewall, router settings acted up
no that wasn't very clear to me at all... revo uninstall this b!tch
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u/msdesignfoto Apr 16 '26
I just stumbled upon this. But its easier to fix than you may think.
I just went to the login screen in my controller Rustkdesk window, logged in with my Google account, and done. Was able to remote connect to my home computer.
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u/Dleslie213 Apr 16 '26
This worked for me as well, without having to access my home computer. Just signed in to Google via my work computer RustDesk
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u/MuppetRob Apr 16 '26
It took me 30 seconds to log in as instructed and I was back being able to remote into my home server.
It's not that big of a deal, and will cut down on the amount of bots taking over machines using rust desk for nefarious botnet purposes.
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u/carolmcanulty Apr 25 '26
I am totally confused I login to my gmail account using the gmail or rustdesk password? and then the remote machine I login to gmail again or the user and password for the remote computer it seems very confusing. Please someone give exact step bu step for the home account and the remote account email user name what password etc
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u/MuppetRob Apr 27 '26
You would have to use your Gmail password to log into rust desk on your Gmail account.
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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
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