How to Check If Someone Is Remotely Accessing My Windows PC

You're working on your computer.

Suddenly, the mouse moves by itself.

A window opens — and closes — without you touching anything.

The cursor hovers over a file.

You freeze.

You might think:

"Is someone else controlling my PC right now?"

It's a terrifying thought.

And it's one of the most common security questions people search for.

The honest answer is this:

Most of the time, it's not a hacker.

It could be a glitch, a stuck key, or a background process.

But sometimes — it really is someone else.

This guide walks you through 7 ways to check if someone is remotely accessing your Windows PC — and what to do if you find evidence.

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1. Check Active Remote Desktop Connections

Windows has built-in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

If someone is connected to your PC remotely, you can see it.

How to check:

1. Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter
2. Type: query user
3. Look at the output

You'll see a list like this:

 USERNAME    SESSIONNAME    ID    STATE    IDLE TIME
 user1       console         1     Active    .
 user2       rdp-tcp#0       2     Active    .

If you see rdp-tcp# followed by a number, someone is connected via Remote Desktop.

What to do:

• Log off the unknown user immediately
• Change your password
• Disable RDP if you don't need it

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2. Look for Remote Support Software

Hackers often use legitimate remote support tools to access your PC.

Common ones include:

• TeamViewer
• AnyDesk
• RemotePC
• Chrome Remote Desktop
• UltraViewer
• LogMeIn
• Ammyy Admin

How to check:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
2. Go to Processes and look for any of the above names
3. Also check the Startup tab for these programs

If you find any:

• Check if they're running without your permission
• Open the app and see if there's an active session
• Uninstall them if you don't use them

Pro tip: Some malware uses the same names but is located in different folders. Check the file location by right-clicking in Task Manager → Open file location.

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3. Check for Remote Access Services in Windows

Windows runs various services that enable remote access.

Some are legitimate. Some are not.

How to check:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter
2. Look for these services:

• Remote Desktop Services (TermService)
• Remote Access Connection Manager
• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
• Remote Registry

What to do:

• If Remote Desktop Services is running but you don't use RDP, stop and disable it
• Right-click → Properties → Startup type → Disabled

Be careful: Don't disable RPC or RPC Locator — they're critical for Windows operation.

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4. Check Network Connections for Suspicious Activity

Every remote connection uses your network.

You can see all active connections using a simple command.

How to check:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Run: netstat -an | findstr "ESTABLISHED"
3. Look for unfamiliar IP addresses or ports

Common remote access ports:

• 3389 — Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
• 5900 — VNC (Virtual Network Computing)
• 80, 443 — Web traffic (could be remote access via web)
• 5938 — TeamViewer
• 7070 — AnyDesk

If you see suspicious connections:

1. Note the IP address
2. Run: netstat -ano | findstr "ESTABLISHED" to see the PID (Process ID)
3. Open Task Manager → Details tab → match the PID to a process name

Example: If PID 1234 is connected to an unknown IP and it's running from C:\Users\...\svchost.exe (that's not the real Windows location), you may have found malware.

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5. Check Windows Event Viewer for Remote Access Logs

Windows logs everything — including remote login attempts.

How to check:

1. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, press Enter
2. Go to Windows Logs → Security
3. Look for these Event IDs:

• 4624 — Successful logon
• 4625 — Failed logon
• 4648 — Logon with explicit credentials

Filter for remote logons:

1. In Event Viewer, click Filter Current Log (right panel)
2. Enter Event ID 4624 in the filter box
3. Click OK

Look for logons with:

• Logon Type 10 — RemoteInteractive (RDP)
• Logon Type 3 — Network (network share)
• Logon Type 2 — Interactive (local — ignore this)

If you see many 4624 events from unknown sources at odd hours, you may have a problem.

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6. Check Task Scheduler for Suspicious Tasks

Attackers often create scheduled tasks that run remote access tools at regular intervals.

How to check:

1. Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc, press Enter
2. Look at Task Scheduler Library
3. Look for tasks with:

• Unfamiliar names
• Names that resemble Windows tasks but are slightly misspelled (svch0st, upd4te, etc.)
• Tasks that run vnc.exe, teamviewer.exe, anydesk.exe, or cmd.exe with strange arguments

What to do:

• Right-click and Disable any suspicious task
• Do not delete — first research what it does

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7. Run a Full Security Scan

Sometimes remote access tools are hidden by rootkits.

A good antivirus scan can detect them.

How to scan:

1. Open Windows Security (built-in)
2. Go to Virus & threat protection
3. Click Scan options
4. Select Full scan
5. Click Scan now

Alternative tools:

• Malwarebytes — excellent at detecting remote access Trojans (RATs)
• HitmanPro — second-opinion scanner
• Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool — free and effective

Pro tip: Run scans in Safe Mode for better detection.

1. Hold Shift while clicking Restart
2. Go to Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart
3. Press 4 for Safe Mode
4. Run your scans there

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Summary Table

Symptom	What to Check	Action
Unknown user in query user	Active RDP session	Disconnect, change password
Remote support app running	TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc.	Uninstall if not used
Suspicious network connection	netstat -an	Identify the process, kill it
Many 4624 Event IDs	Security log in Event Viewer	Investigate logon patterns
Unknown scheduled task	Task Scheduler	Disable and research
High CPU/network usage	Task Manager	Check for unknown processes

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What If You Want to Monitor Remote Access Automatically?

Checking all of the above manually can be time-consuming.

You'd need to check:

• Task Manager
• Network connections
• Event Viewer
• Services
• Startup items
• Scheduled tasks

Every single time you feel suspicious.

That's why I built SysPulse — a lightweight Windows security monitoring tool.

SysPulse:

• Monitors new processes in real-time
• Sends Telegram alerts when unknown programs run
• Tracks startup changes and scheduled tasks
• Uses less than 30MB of RAM

You can set it up once and get instant alerts when anything changes on your system.

No more staring at Task Manager all day.

You can find it at: syspulse.pro

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Final Thought

Remote access attacks are real.

But most of the time, that random cursor movement is just a stuck key or a driver glitch.

The key is to investigate before panicking.

Start with the simplest checks:

• query user
• Task Manager for remote support apps
• netstat -an for suspicious connections

If you find something, disconnect your internet immediately and investigate.

If you're worried about being targeted, consider setting up a monitoring tool like SysPulse to watch for changes automatically.

Stay safe — and always question unexpected behavior.

Have questions or found something suspicious? Drop a comment below — I respond to every one.