RustDesk Windows Server Key: Simple Setup Guide (Get Your Key Easily in Minutes)

I was trying to get RustDesk up and running on my Windows Server the other day, and let me tell you, figuring out the key situation was a bit of a head-scratcher. So, I thought I’d share my little adventure in case anyone else is wrestling with the same thing.

First, I downloaded the Windows version of RustDesk Server and unzipped it to my C: drive, simple enough. Then, I needed to run a few commands, so I fired up the command prompt and typed them in one by one:

• pm2 start *
• pm2 start *
• pm2 save
• pm2 log hbbs

I think these commands start the different parts of the server and save the settings, but honestly, I’m not 100% sure what each one does, but hey it worked, right?

Next, I needed to find the security key. Apparently, it’s in the same folder where the server files are. I went poking around in there and, lo and behold, I found two new files that weren’t there before. They were created when the server started, how about that!

Now, I wasn’t sure which one was the public key, but I figured it had to be one of them. I copied the content of the file I thought might be the public key file and made a mental note of it. I’m gonna need that to set up my clients.

Then, on the client side, I remembered reading somewhere that I needed to add my server name and the public key to the * file. I used something like “rustdesk-host=*“, replacing “*” with my server’s name. Then I added the public key at the end of the setting.

And guess what? It worked! I could connect to my server from the client just fine. I was pretty stoked, not gonna lie. It took a bit of trial and error, and I definitely scratched my head a few times, but I got there in the end. Hope this helps someone else out there.

Note:

I found the setting on the client by going to “Settings”, then “Network”, and unlocking it. There’s an option to “Export Server Config” which has all the server settings, including the public key. I copied that and used it in the * command. If you don’t see it, don’t freak out. It’s definitely somewhere in the client settings.