How to Copy Files to a Remote Desktop Server

Short answer: for a few small files, copy them on your computer and paste them into the Remote Desktop window. For larger or many files, share a local drive in the Remote Desktop client: it appears in the server's File Explorer under "This PC". Files from the internet are quickest when you download them directly on the server.

Here are all five ways, with when each one fits and what to do when copy and paste doesn't work.

01Which Way for Which File

021. Copy and Paste

In the Windows Remote Desktop client (mstsc), clipboard sharing is on by default. Select files in Explorer on your PC, press Ctrl+C, click into the Remote Desktop window, open a folder on the server and press Ctrl+V. Text works the same way.

It's handy but not great for big files: there's no reliable progress bar, and a dropped connection cancels the copy.

032. Share a Local Drive

The sturdier way for larger amounts:

1. 1Open the Remote Desktop client and click Show Options.
2. 2Local Resources tab → More… under "Local devices and resources".
3. 3Tick Drives, or expand it and tick only the drive or folder you need.
4. 4Connect. On the server, open File Explorer → This PC. Your drive is listed as "C on YOURPC".
5. 5Drag files between that drive and the server's own disks.

The client remembers the setting. Untick it again when you're done if you don't want the server to see your drive.

043. From a Mac, iPhone or iPad

Microsoft's Windows App (formerly Microsoft Remote Desktop) can share a folder with the server:

• Mac: edit the PC entry → Folders → tick "Redirect folders" and add a folder. It appears on the server under This PC.
• iPhone and iPad: support for files is limited. Use a cloud drive, or download the file on the server directly.

Copy and paste of text works on all of them; copying files by clipboard depends on the app version.

054. Download Directly on the Server

If the file is on the web, a cloud drive or a download link, open the browser on the server and download it there. The server sits in a data centre with a far faster connection than most home lines, so a 2 GB installer is done in moments instead of uploading it from home.

065. SFTP or SCP for Large Files

For very large files or regular transfers, use SFTP with a client like WinSCP or FileZilla, or scp from a terminal. Windows Server includes OpenSSH Server as an optional feature:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0
Start-Service sshd
Set-Service -Name sshd -StartupType Automatic

Then connect with the same username and password as for Remote Desktop, on port 22. Allow port 22 in the firewall on your server page, preferably only from your own IP.

scp bigfile.zip Administrator@your-server-ip:C:/Users/Administrator/Desktop/

07Copy and Paste Not Working?

08Getting Files Back

All the same ways work in reverse: copy on the server and paste on your PC, or drag files onto your shared drive. Keep copies of anything important off the server: we don't make backups, and a reinstall starts from a clean Windows.