Your first session on a remote desktop server takes about fifteen minutes to feel completely at home. Everything is already installed and configured — this checklist just walks you through finding your way around and getting set up so your day-to-day work feels exactly like sitting at an office PC.
1. Sign in
Connect using the steps for your device in How to connect to your remote desktop server. When the Windows desktop appears, you are working on the server itself — not on your own computer. Anything you save here lives on the server and is backed up.
2. Find your files
Open File Explorer from the taskbar. Your shared company files and your personal documents are organised into folders we set up at onboarding. Because everyone connects to the same server, there is one true copy of every file — no more emailing versions back and forth or wondering which laptop has the latest spreadsheet.
- Shared folders are visible to the team members who need them.
- Access is granular — staff only see the folders relevant to their role.
- Need a folder structure changed or someone's access adjusted? Just ask us.
3. Set up your email
Outlook is included and ready to configure. Add your business mailbox the same way you would on any PC — your provider's incoming and outgoing server settings, your email address and password. If you would like us to pre-configure Outlook for the whole team during onboarding, we are happy to.
4. Check your software
Every server comes with Windows Server 2022, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Adobe Reader and 7-Zip. If your business runs other applications — accounting software like MYOB or Xero, a CRM, design tools — we install those for you (you supply the licences for anything not included). Take a moment to confirm everything you need is present, and let us know if something is missing.
5. Sort out printing
Printing from a remote session works a little differently to a local PC. In most cases we redirect your local printer into the session so you can print to the device next to you. If a printer is not showing up, tell us which model and where it is, and we will get it connected.
6. Get the rest of your team on
Adding people is quick. Each team member gets their own account and signs in from whatever device they have. New staff are usually productive on day one because the environment is already built — there is no machine to set up, just an account to hand over.
7. Learn the one habit that matters
When you finish for the day, sign out rather than just closing the window (Start → your name → Sign out). This frees your session cleanly and keeps the server tidy for everyone. That is genuinely the only new habit to learn.
Need a hand getting set up?
Onboarding is part of the managed service. Tell us how your team works and we will have your server, files, email and software ready to go.
Talk to us →