VPS Guide

Your own Windows server, set up properly.

Forty-six guides: four on the VPS itself, plus every connection, file, printing and account guide — because a VPS runs the same Windows and uses the same control panel as a cloud desktop.

46 guides4 VPS-specific42 shared with cloud desktops

An engineer beside a rack of servers, smiling and gesturing toward them as if walking someone through the setup

A VPS is a Windows machine, so most of the desktop guides apply. You connect to it the same way, over RDP or the weblink in your connection email. You move files the same way. You pay for it and raise tickets in the same control panel. What is different is that the server is yours to administer — IIS, certificates, the firewall and the updates are your call. The four VPS-specific guides come first below; everything after them is shared.

Start with the VPS essentials

What Is a VPS, and How Is It Different from a Cloud Desktop?Read this before you order one.VPS Basics: Firewall, Passwords and BackupsThe three things to get right in the first hour.

Hosting a website on your VPS

How to Add a Website to IIS on Your VPSFolder, site, binding, DNS — with screenshots.How to Add an SSL Certificate in IISRequest, install, bind and force HTTPS.

Connecting to your VPS

Your VPS is delivered the same way as a cloud desktop: a connection email with a server address, a user name and a password, and three ways in. These guides say “cloud desktop” but every step applies to a VPS.

Where to Find Your Login Details and Connection AddressUser name, password and the .mycloud.computer address.Your First 10 Minutes With Your Cloud DesktopFind your welcome email and be working in about a minute.Browser Access or RDP: Which Should You Use?Two ways in. This is how to pick.What You Need to Connect by RDPThe three details, and where to find them.Windows: Connect with Remote Desktop Connection Mac: Connect with Windows App iPhone and iPad: Connect to Your Cloud Desktop Android: Connect from a Phone or Tablet Chromebook: Connect on ChromeOS Linux: Connect with Remmina or FreeRDP Save Your Connection Settings and Make a .rdp Shortcut RDP Will Not Connect: How to Fix It Disconnect or Sign Out? What Happens to Your Desktop Working on a Slow Connection: Settings That Help

Or connect in a browser

The direct weblink in your connection email opens the server in a browser tab — useful for a quick check from a machine that has no RDP client. Sending Ctrl+Alt+Del is worth knowing when a service has hung.

How to Open Your Cloud Desktop in a Web BrowserOne click, nothing to install.The Hidden Menu: Press Ctrl+Alt+ShiftClipboard, file transfer and the on-screen keyboard.How to Send Ctrl+Alt+Del and Other Keys Your Browser Blocks How to Copy and Paste Between Your Computer and Your Cloud Desktop Uploading and Downloading Files in Your Browser Session Zoom and Scaling: Making Your Browser Session Readable Using Your Cloud Desktop from a Phone or Tablet Browser Typing in Another Language on Your Cloud Desktop What Browser Access Cannot Do (and What to Use Instead)Browser Session Problems: A Checklist

Files, printing and devices

Everything an RDP session can bring with it from the machine you are sitting at — drives, printers, sound and extra screens. Tick the boxes before you connect; they are read when the session starts.

How to Copy Files Between Your Computer and Your Desktop Copy and Paste Over RDP: Why It Just Works How to Use a USB Drive with Your Cloud Desktop How to Print to Your Own Printer Print to PDF (and Get the File)How to Enable Sound and Microphone How to Use Two Monitors Tiny Text on a 4K Screen: High-DPI Scaling Explained

Running Windows on your server

A VPS runs the same Windows, so it needs the same housekeeping — with more of it your responsibility than on a shared desktop.

Where to Save Your FilesUse the data drive. This is the one to read first.How to Install Software Microsoft Office: Installing and Licensing How to Check Disk Space and Free It Up Safely Set the Time Zone on Your Cloud Desktop Windows Updates: Restarts Without Surprises How to Restart Your Cloud Desktop (and When You Should)

Your account and billing

One control panel covers cloud desktops, VPS servers and hosting. Billing, invoices, the payment card and support tickets all live in the same place.

A Tour of Your Control Panel: What Everything Does Billing: How to View Invoices and Update Your Card How to Open a Support Request (and Get It Solved Faster)

Looking for a different product? See all three guides.

Cannot find what you need?

Open a support request from your control panel — that is the fastest route, because it reaches the team who can already see your account and your server. You can also email [email protected].