How to fix "The connection was terminated by the remote computer" error in Windows?

"The connection was terminated by the remote computer before it could be completed" is Windows Remote Access error 628. Your PC reached the VPN or broadband server, and the server hung up while the two were agreeing on the connection type and your sign-in. Check the account first, then set the VPN type and sign-in protocols to what the server uses.

Facts checked on 16 October 2026. Steps written for Steps checked against Microsoft Learn pages on Remote Access error codes and VPN error 720 (updated 2026) for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

What "The connection was terminated by the remote computer" means

The message comes from the Remote Access client that Windows uses for its own VPN connections and for broadband (PPPoE) and dial-up connections. The full text is "The connection was terminated by the remote computer before it could be completed." Older Windows versions add Error 628 to it, and the code is also written in the event log.

The important word is remote. Your PC did reach the server: the VPN server of your company or provider, or the access server of your internet provider. The connection then broke off while the two sides were agreeing on the protocol, the encryption and your sign-in. That is why updating drivers or restarting the router rarely helps on its own.

• Other spellings people search: "the connection was terminated by the remote computer before it was completed", "connection was terminated by the remote computer", "VPN error 628".
• In Microsoft's list: the Remote Access error codes page describes 628 as "The specified port was disconnected". Windows shows the longer sentence above.
• Error 629 reads "The connection was closed by the remote computer". Microsoft describes it as the port being disconnected by the remote computer. The causes and fixes below are the same.
• Not this error: "A connection to the remote computer could not be established" is error 720, a failure after sign-in when no address can be assigned. See Fix 5 and the FAQ.

Why the remote computer terminates the connection

Because the server decides to hang up, most causes are about what your PC offers it. They are listed from the most common to the rarest, each with the fix that removes it.

How to fix "The connection was terminated by the remote computer"

Fixes 1 to 3 cover the account and the settings the server checks, and they solve most cases. Fix 4 tests the network path. Fixes 5 to 7 repair the VPN parts of Windows, and Fix 8 is a single test, never a permanent setting.

Fix 1. Check the account and the session the server expects

5 minutesNo riskEveryone first, and especially when the connection worked before or uses a free or time-limited VPN account.

A server that does not accept your username, password or account state simply ends the setup, and Windows reports that as error 628. Broadband providers usually allow one PPPoE session per line, so a router that is already signed in leaves no room for the PC.

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN, select the connection and select Advanced options. Note the Server name or address.
2. Compare the server name, username and password with what your provider or IT department gave you. Retype the password; a saved one may be old.
3. If the account is from a free VPN service, check on its website that the account is still valid. Such accounts often expire or are renewed with a new password.
4. Try the same details on another device. If it also fails there, contact the provider: the problem is on their side.
5. Broadband (PPPoE) only: if a router is connected to the same line and already online, the router holds the session. Connect the PC through the router instead, or turn the router off before you dial.
6. Broadband (PPPoE) only: write the username exactly as the provider gave it. Some providers need the full form with @ and their domain.

Fix 2. Set the VPN type the server really uses instead of Automatic

5 minutesLow riskThe VPN was added in Windows Settings, or the provider names one protocol (PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP or IKEv2).

With Automatic, Windows tries several protocols in turn. A server that offers only one may end the attempt before Windows reaches the right one, and a wrong L2TP pre-shared key is rejected the same way.

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN and select your VPN connection.
2. Select Advanced options, then Edit next to Connection properties. On Windows 10, select the connection, then Advanced options > Edit.
3. In VPN type, choose the exact type from your provider: Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), L2TP/IPsec with pre-shared key, L2TP/IPsec with certificate, Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) or IKEv2.
4. For L2TP/IPsec with pre-shared key, type the key exactly as given. It is case sensitive.
5. In Type of sign-in info, choose User name and password unless your provider says otherwise, and enter them again.
6. Select Save and connect.

Fix 3. Allow CHAP and MS-CHAP v2 and match the encryption setting

5 minutesLow riskA PPTP or L2TP VPN, or a PC whose VPN connection was set up by someone else, such as a used laptop.

The server and the PC must agree on one sign-in protocol and on encryption. If the connection offers only EAP or only an old protocol the server refuses, or demands encryption the server does not use, the server ends the setup with error 628.

1. Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open Network Connections. On Windows 11 the same window is under Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > More network adapter options.
2. Right-click your VPN connection and select Properties.
3. Open the Security tab. Check that Type of VPN is the same type as in Fix 2.
4. Under Authentication, select Allow these protocols.
5. Tick Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) and Microsoft CHAP Version 2 (MS-CHAP v2). Leave Unencrypted password (PAP) off unless your provider requires it.
6. In Data encryption, use the setting your provider names. If it names none, Optional encryption (connect even if no encryption) lets the server decide.
7. Select OK and connect again.

Fix 4. Test another network to rule out a blocked VPN protocol

10 minutesLow riskThe account works on another device, or the VPN works at home but not at work, school or a hotel.

PPTP needs TCP port 1723 and GRE traffic, and L2TP/IPsec needs IPsec traffic to pass the router. A router without VPN pass-through or a network that filters these lets the first contact through, and the setup then breaks off.

1. Turn on the mobile hotspot on your phone and connect the PC to it.
2. Connect the VPN. If it works on the hotspot, the first network blocks the VPN traffic.
3. At home, open your router's settings page and look for VPN passthrough, PPTP passthrough or IPsec passthrough. Turn on the one for your VPN type and restart the router.
4. On a work, school or public network, ask the network owner whether PPTP or L2TP is allowed. Use SSTP or IKEv2 if your provider offers them (Fix 2).

• Fails on every network: the network path is not the cause. Go to Fix 5.
• Fails only on one network: the block is on that network, not on your PC. Changing Windows settings will not fix it.

Fix 5. Reinstall the WAN Miniport adapters

10 minutesLow riskEvery VPN and dial-up connection on this PC fails, on every network, while the same account works elsewhere.

The built-in VPN and PPPoE connections run through hidden WAN Miniport adapters, one per protocol. Microsoft documents reinstalling them for VPN error 720; a damaged PPTP, L2TP, SSTP or PPPoE miniport can break the setup in the same place.

1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters. If the WAN Miniport entries are missing, select View > Show hidden devices.
3. Right-click WAN Miniport (SSTP) and select Uninstall device, then Uninstall.
4. Do the same for every adapter whose name starts with WAN Miniport: IP, IPv6, GRE, L2TP, Network Monitor, PPPOE, PPTP and IKEv2.
5. Select Action > Scan for hardware changes. Windows reinstalls the WAN Miniport adapters with its own drivers.
6. Restart the PC and connect again.

Fix 6. Remove the VPN connection and create it again

10 minutesLow riskOne VPN or broadband connection fails while a new test connection works, or the PC came with old connections from its last owner.

A connection entry keeps many hidden settings, and a copied or old entry can hold options the server no longer accepts. A fresh entry starts from the Windows defaults.

1. Write down the server address, VPN type, username and any pre-shared key from your provider.
2. Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN, select the connection and select Remove, then confirm.
3. Select Add VPN. Set VPN provider to Windows (built-in) and give the connection a name.
4. Enter the Server name or address, the exact VPN type and User name and password, then select Save.
5. For broadband, open Settings > Network & internet > Dial-up > Set up a new connection > Connect to the Internet > Broadband (PPPoE).
6. Connect, and if it is a PPTP or L2TP server, repeat the protocol check in Fix 3.

Fix 7. Reset Winsock, TCP/IP and the network adapters

10 minutes plus a restartRead the warningA VPN app or a security suite was installed or removed, and nothing above helped.

VPN apps and security suites add filter drivers to the network stack. Microsoft names a bound third-party filter driver as one cause of VPN setup failures, and a reset returns the stack to its defaults.

Run these in Terminal (Admin), then restart. Use the full reset only if they do not help. Step by step: Reset the network and flush DNS.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns

• Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now.
• Windows 10: Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset > Reset now.

Fix 8. Pause your security software for one test

5 minutesRead the warningA third-party firewall or internet security suite is installed and nothing above helped.

A third-party firewall can pass the first contact to the VPN server and then drop the PPTP or L2TP traffic that follows. A short pause shows whether it is involved; the real fix is an allow rule in that program.

1. Close your browser and other apps.
2. Pause the third-party suite with its own pause option for the shortest time it offers. For Microsoft Defender follow Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment.
3. Connect the VPN and note whether it completes.
4. Disconnect, and turn protection back on at once, even if the timer has not run out.
5. If the VPN connected while paused, add the VPN connection or its protocol to the suite's allowed rules, or ask the vendor's support how to allow it.

Still terminated: where Windows logs the real cause and what to send

Every failed attempt is written to the event log. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter. Open Windows Logs > Application and look for events from the source RasClient at the time you tried to connect.

Event 20227 names the connection and the code. Microsoft shows this form for error 720; with this error it ends in 628 or 629.

Source:   RasClient
Event ID: 20227
The user dialed a connection named <name> which has failed.
The error code returned on failure is 628.

• 628 or 629 on every try: the server ends the setup. Send your provider or IT the time, the code, the VPN type and your username. They can see in the server log why it hung up.
• Another code after the fixes, such as 691 or 720: the setup now gets further. 691 points to the username or password; 720 to address assignment, which is Fix 5 or the server's address pool.
• Broadband (PPPoE): tell the provider that error 628 appears when you dial. They can check whether the line is suspended or a session is still open.
• Hardware: a faulty network adapter shows as no internet at all, not as error 628. If the internet works, the hardware is not the cause.

How to keep the connection from being terminated again

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. The steps here still work on Windows 10 22H2, but its VPN client gets no more security fixes, so a move to Windows 11 is the safer long-term answer.

Frequently asked questions

What does "The connection was terminated by the remote computer before it could be completed" mean?

It means your PC reached the VPN or broadband server, and the server ended the connection while the two were still setting it up. Windows reports this as Remote Access error 628. Because the server makes the decision, the cause is usually the account, the VPN type or the sign-in protocols, not your internet connection. Check the account on another device first (Fix 1), then match the VPN type and protocols (Fixes 2 and 3).

What is VPN error 628?

Error 628 is the code behind the message "The connection was terminated by the remote computer before it could be completed." Microsoft's Remote Access error list describes it as "The specified port was disconnected". It appears with the built-in Windows VPN client and with broadband (PPPoE) and dial-up connections. Microsoft Q&A has reports of it on dial-up modems as well as on VPNs. The fixes on this page apply to all of them.

Why does my VPN say the connection was terminated by the remote computer?

Most often the account is wrong, expired or already in use, or the connection offers a VPN type or sign-in protocol the server does not accept. Free VPN account services often change passwords or end accounts after a set time, so check the account on the provider's site. If the account is fine, set the exact VPN type (Fix 2) and allow CHAP and MS-CHAP v2 (Fix 3). If it works only on another network, that network blocks the VPN (Fix 4).

How do I fix this error on Windows 11?

On Windows 11 open Settings > Network & internet > VPN, select the connection, then Advanced options and Edit. Set the exact VPN type your provider names and enter the username and password again (Fix 2). For PPTP and L2TP, open ncpa.cpl, right-click the VPN, select Properties > Security and allow CHAP and MS-CHAP v2 (Fix 3). The steps on Windows 10 22H2 are the same, with slightly different Settings paths.

Is it my PC or the VPN server?

Test the same account on another device or on a phone hotspot. If it fails everywhere, the account or server is the problem, and only the provider or IT can fix it. If it works on another device but not on this PC, the settings on this PC are the cause (Fixes 2, 3, 5 and 6). If it works on the hotspot but not on your Wi-Fi, the router or network blocks the VPN (Fix 4).

What is the difference between error 628 and "The connection was closed by the remote computer"?

"The connection was closed by the remote computer" is error 629. Microsoft describes it as the port being disconnected by the remote computer, while 628 is described as the port being disconnected. In practice both mean the server ended the session before or right after setup. Check the same things: the account, the VPN type, the sign-in protocols and whether the network lets the VPN traffic through.

Is "A connection to the remote computer could not be established" the same error?

No. That message is error 720. Microsoft explains that it appears when the PC cannot get an address over the VPN, often because the WAN Miniport (IP) adapter is not bound correctly or the server has no free addresses. Microsoft's fix on the PC side is to reinstall the WAN Miniport adapters, which is Fix 5 here. On the server side, the administrator has to check the address pool.

What about "the connection to the remote computer ended" or "did not respond in a timely manner"?

These wordings mean something else. "The connection was terminated because the remote computer did not respond in a timely manner" is a timeout: the server stopped answering. Check the server address and try another network (Fix 4). If you saw "the connection to the remote computer ended" in Remote Desktop rather than in a VPN, read our guide to the Remote Desktop Services session has ended error.

Do I need to download WAN Miniport drivers?

No. The WAN Miniport adapters are part of Windows and come back by themselves. After you uninstall them in Device Manager, select Action > Scan for hardware changes or restart the PC, as Microsoft describes. Driver download sites offer nothing that Windows does not already have, and their files can do harm. If the adapters do not come back, run the network reset in Fix 7.