If you're an IT administrator at an organization, there's a good chance you've heard about RSAT. Short for Remote Server Administration Tools, RSAT offers a suite of features that allows you to manage servers remotely, being critical to maintaining operations. While RSAT is a Windows feature, it's not installed by default because it's not something most people will need.

RSAT isn't a single tool, meaning each of the tools you might need is a separate item, and you can get them as you see fit. In this guide, we'll show you how to do just that. Before you get started, keep in mind that RSAT features are only available in Windows 11 Pro or higher SKUs. Windows 11 Home doesn't offer the option to install it, and you can't work around that.

How to install RSAT in Windows 11 using the Settings app

The standard method for installing RSAT on Windows 11 is to use the Settings app. Here's how it works:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Click the System section on the sidebar.
3. Scroll down and choose Optional features.

   In earlier versions of Windows 11, this page can be found in the Apps section instead.

4. Click View features next to Add an optional feature.
5. Use the search bar to search for RSAT and select all the features you want to install.
6. Click Next and then Install.

The RSAT features you selected will be installed on your PC, and you can verify this with the list of installed features on this page. You may need to restart your computer after installing the features for them to work properly.

How to install RSAT using Windows Terminal (Windows PowerShell)

If you prefer getting things done using the command line, you have the option to use Windows Terminal or Windows PowerShell. Terminal is usually the way to go, but you'll have to make sure you're running the PowerShell profile (which is the default). Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + X or right-click the Start button and then choose Terminal (Admin).
2. To check the RSAT features that are available, enter this command (you can copy and paste it) and then press Enter:

   Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online | Select-Object -Property DisplayName, State

   1. To install a single feature, use the following command, replacing DisplayName with the name shown on the list:

      Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name DisplayName

   2. To install all the RSAT features at once, use the following command:

      Get-WindowsCapability -Name RSAT* -Online | Add-WindowsCapability -Online

      This will install all the features whose name starts with RSAT.
3. To verify that the features have been installed, you can enter the command in step 2 again.

RSAT is just one of many important Windows tools

Thankfully, installing RSAT on Windows 11 is relatively easy as long as you have a compatible edition. As mentioned above, you'll need to have a Pro edition (or higher) of Windows to see these features, since they're only meant for professional users in specific environments. That's also the case with features like Hyper-V (though you can enable it on Windows 11 Home), Windows Sandbox, and more, so there are a few reasons why the Windows 11 Pro upgrade can be worth it.