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Open Virtual Servers, select your server and note its IP address. Wait until the install has finished and the server is running. Your console login and your server login are different. Use the server password you set when ordering or reinstalling, or the generated-password link we emailed. If you’ve lost it, reset the server password. Custom images and marketplace apps may use other accounts. Check their setup instructions.

Linux: connect with SSH

From a terminal on your computer, replacing the example IP with your server’s primary IP:
The usual port is 22. If you changed it, add -p, for example ssh -p 2222 root@203.0.113.10. On first connection, check the host fingerprint before you accept it. Nothing shows while you type a password. That’s normal. If you installed an SSH key, point to the matching private key on your computer:
Images installed with SSH keys may disable password login, and resetting the root password doesn’t necessarily turn it back on. Keep your private key. Uploading a public key to the console doesn’t give your computer the private key. See SSH Keys and the OpenSSH manual.

Windows: connect with Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop (RDP) needs a Windows server with Remote Desktop enabled. A plain Linux install has no RDP desktop. The address some call your “RDP number” is the server’s primary IP.
1

Open Remote Desktop Connection

On your Windows computer, press Windows + R, type mstsc and press Enter.
2

Enter the address

Enter the server’s IP in Computer and click Connect. If you use a different RDP port, enter IP:port.
3

Enter the server credentials

Choose another account if your computer fills in your local one. Use Administrator and the server’s password. If Windows keeps choosing a domain account, try .\Administrator.
Check any certificate warning against the server you meant to reach, and don’t accept an unexpected address. On other operating systems, use an RDP client that connects directly to Windows PCs. See Microsoft’s connection guide.

The password is rejected

  1. Check the IP and username. Your console email and password aren’t the Windows login.
  2. Remove any saved password in your RDP client and enter the current one.
  3. If you don’t know it, use Settings > Reset Password on the server page. Restart the server if the change doesn’t apply live.
  4. Open VNC to see whether Windows accepts the same credentials locally. Check your keyboard layout and Caps Lock.
Resetting a password keeps your files. Reinstalling Windows erases them.

Timeout, black screen or “Please wait”

Open VNC to see whether Windows is still booting, updating or showing a login error. A server can be running while Windows isn’t ready for RDP. Check that Remote Desktop is enabled and listening, and that both Windows Firewall and the panel firewall allow your port. The usual port is TCP 3389. Limit access to trusted source addresses where you can. Don’t force restart repeatedly during Windows updates.

Remote Desktop is slow

Try another network, and lower the client’s resolution and visual effects. Check CPU and memory use inside Windows. Installing a graphics driver won’t make a VPS GPU-accelerated. If Windows shuts down about once an hour, check the evaluation license.

Use the browser console

Click VNC in the server header. It shows the server’s screen even when its network isn’t working, so you can check boot messages, sign in locally or fix network settings. It doesn’t bypass the operating system password, and browser clipboard behavior can differ from SSH or Remote Desktop. See Manage Your Servers.

Copy files with SFTP

On a Linux server with SSH access, use an SFTP client with the same IP, port and credentials. Choose SFTP, not unencrypted FTP. From a terminal:
Replace the IP and filename. put uploads the local file to the current remote directory, so use a writable directory and don’t overwrite existing files. See the SFTP manual. You don’t need to paste a whole file into VNC.

If you can’t connect

See Cannot Connect to a Server to tell a password problem from a network or boot problem. Don’t reinstall just to reset a password. It erases the disk.