Every time I try to log into Anydesk, I keep getting a ‘login request timed out’ error and can’t connect to my remote device. I really need remote access for work, but this is blocking me. Has anyone else faced this and found a solution?
So here’s the deal—when you’re getting smacked with that annoying error, nine times outta ten, your connection or how you’re getting into the machine is busted. Super fun, I know.
Before You Chuck Your Laptop Out the Window
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Are you even online?
I know, you’ll roll your eyes at this, but trust me: double check the WiFi or Ethernet, both from where you are and whichever machine you’re connecting to. More than once I’ve been convinced my tools were cursed, only to discover the other computer was napping offline. -
Using a VPN or proxy?
TURN IT OFF for a hot sec. I swear, these things trip me up more than they help—try bare networking first. -
Check your digital bouncers:
Firewalls love to block stuff for “your protection.” Make sure yours isn’t blocking AnyDesk. Specifically, you need 80, 443, and 6568 open. They’re like the magic doors—if they’re locked, you aren’t getting in. -
Got the latest version of AnyDesk?
Seriously, this software changes more outfits than my cat sheds fur. Outdated clients struggle to keep up. Just update, don’t debate. -
Screwy servers?
Sometimes it ain’t you—sometimes the whole thing falls over on their end. When in doubt, wait a few minutes and try again. If patience is a virtue, this is your test.
A Quick Recap For The “TL;DR” Crowd
- Internet check (both gadgets).
- Nix VPNs and proxies for now.
- Fix up those firewall rules; open 80/443/6568.
- Update AnyDesk.
- If it’s still not working, might be their mess, not yours. Chill and retry in a bit.
Whenever it lets you connect and then bails with a timeout, it’s almost always some network or firewall hiccup. Happens in the best families.
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So, this is classic AnyDesk mischief and honestly, @mikeappsreviewer’s rundown covers most of the usual suspects, but I’d say there’s actually a couple less-obvious things that might be biting you too. Sometimes people gloss over the status of the remote device—yeah yeah, “is it online,” but is Anydesk actually running and is the remote machine set to allow unattended access? If you’re waiting for someone to click “Accept” on the remote end but no one’s there, you’ll keep getting timed out (been there, yelled at myself for hours).
One thing not mentioned: date and time sync. I know it sounds like something out of the early 2000s help desk meme files, but if your PC or the remote one has a clock out of whack (by like, even a few minutes), AnyDesk and a bunch of other apps just quietly flip out and refuse to connect. Worth checking.
Also—proxies, VPNs, whatever—sometimes even if you THINK they’re off, Windows or your Mac loves to keep some kind of “auto detect” network settings lurking underneath that mess things up. Pop open your network settings and double-check “auto proxy” stuff is OFF.
And let’s not brush past the corporate IT situation: if your work computer’s on some kind of Active Directory lockdown, group policy might silently block AnyDesk from connecting, or your network admin could have SPI firewall rules in place sniffing out remote control apps. You might need to talk to IT (yes, we all hate that, but saves you an aneurysm).
Just as an outside guess, I have seen cloud issues where AnyDesk’s relay servers get hammered regionally (not always fully “down”)—check their status page for your geography before you go yanking cables.
Not saying @mikeappsreviewer missed anything, but it’s not always just connection, firewall, update rinse-repeat—sometimes it’s the random checkbox in a weird settings menu you forgot you ever checked. Oh, and uninstalling/reinstalling is dumb but sometimes it does work, especially if you’re on a version that’s been auto-updating for ages.
TL;DR: Don’t assume it’s just your network—look for weird settings, time weirdness, check if the remote machine is actually awake and accessible (and not just “online” but with AnyDesk ready to accept), and maybe suffer talking to IT if you’re at work. Or throw the PC out the window if that’s your speed. Your call.
Ugh, the “login request timed out” dance—absolute classic, and honestly, makes me question my life choices every time it happens. So, @mikeappsreviewer and @hoshikuzu pretty much wiped the floor with the usual causes: networks, VPNs, outdated AnyDesk, firewalls, weird proxy auto-settings (which shouldn’t even exist in 2024 but okay), and the infamous remote machine nap mode. Definitely don’t skip the date/time sync thing. Sounds weird, but my own Windows box once flipped out because it thought it was still 2019.
But let’s add another potential flavor to the misery pie: Windows user account issues. If you’re trying to connect to a remote Windows machine and there’s an ongoing Windows update process, or (worse) the user is logged out and Fast User Switching is disabled, AnyDesk sometimes can’t wake things up to accept logins. Instead, you get… well, your current nightmare. I’ve even seen “timed out” if the remote PC’s in the middle of an RDP session—mixing RDP and AnyDesk is like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters. Don’t do it.
Another left-field culprit: IPv6. Yeah, yeah, it “should” work, but I once fixed this exact error just by disabling IPv6 on both sides and forcing everything to use plain old IPv4. No clue why it worked, but it did. Worth a shot, especially if your connection is good, but Anydesk just refuses to acknowledge it.
Oh, and if you’re working somewhere with “advanced” security (corporate IT nightmare land), zero trust network tools or endpoint protection can close AnyDesk connections without any logs or obvious dialog, so if you’ve recently had a company-wide security push, that’s suspect #1. I know nobody wants to email IT, but sometimes it actually is their doing.
Basically, double-check user session status, kill any RDP sessions, maybe try the IPv6 tweak, and see if there’s a Windows User logon/lock situation hijacking things. If nothing moves, try the AnyDesk portable version, not just the installed app—sometimes the install is borked.
And seriously, @mikeappsreviewer and @hoshikuzu nailed it: it’s always either simple or pointlessly obscure. Have fun.
Oh, the dreaded “login request timed out” in AnyDesk. You’ve already heard the classics: network hiccups, VPN gremlins, dead firewalls, and out-of-date AnyDesk—solid advice from the other folks here. But people rarely mention the hush-hush: DNS issues. I’ve lost count of the times I swapped Google DNS (8.8.8.8) on both local and remote setups and AnyDesk magically started behaving. Yes, basic, but when everything else checks out, DNS misconfiguration can be that invisible brick wall.
Pros of AnyDesk: Super lightweight, barely sips on system resources, smart copy-paste, and pretty good even with flaky connections. Cons? That “login request timed out” happens way too often, especially during Windows sleep/lock/shutdown limbo, and troubleshooting feedback is nearly non-existent. If you’re in a heavily administered corporate environment, AnyDesk can get silently murdered by stuff like Symantec Endpoint or CrowdStrike, which don’t always throw helpful alerts—good luck diagnosing those black holes (and shout-out to @hoshikuzu and @mikeappsreviewer for racing through that minefield).
One thing not many competitors handle better (and honestly, competitors like TeamViewer just come with a different flavor of frustration) is seamless handling of mixed networks—WiFi + Ethernet transitions, IPv6/IPv4 handshakes, you name it. So, give DNS a shot, and if your work depends on rock-solid remote access, maybe keep backup tools on hand. Because sometimes it’s not you, not the connection, not the software update—just an inscrutable digital mood swing only a DNS swap or a reboot can appease.