By default, the Windows operating system only allows one RDP connection at a time. If another connection was made from another PC on the network, regardless if they use a different user account to sign in, you will be automatically logged off, and will get either one of the following prompts: Either way, both would not be allowed to be logged in on a remote PC simultaneously. In this article, we address the issue of simultaneous RDP connections and how you can allow a client Windows PC (Windows 10 or 11) to have 2 or more RDP connections at the same time. This will increase your team’s productivity and save valuable time. Before we begin, we would like to point out a few things.
Critical Considerations Enable Multiple RDP User Connections using RDPWrap Enable Multiple RDP User Connections by Modifying Termsrv.dll Conclusion
Critical Considerations
Number one is that Microsoft wants you to use a Windows Server license instead of a Windows client license if you want to allow multiple RDP connections. This leads us to believe that the Windows OS does not technically lack any ability to be able to handle multiple RDP connections. Technically, it all comes down to the available system resources. A typical RDP connection only requires 150-200 MBs of RAM per RDP session. If your system has the available RAM, you can allow multiple remote sessions using either one of the following methods stated below. Secondly, we came across several websites that give a method to allow multiple RDP connections using the Group Policy editor by reconfiguring the “Restrict Remote Desktop Services user to a single Remote Desktop Services session” policy. Note that this method only works on Windows Servers. Hence, do not waste your time editing the Group Policy, as we have already tested it out for you. Thirdly, only the Professional and Enterprise Windows editions support RDP connections. If you have a Windows Home edition, then learn how to enable RDP or use the first method (RDPWrapper) to allow multi-user remote connection. That being said, there is no native, straightforward method to allow multiple RDP connections on a client Windows PC. You either need to use a third-party utility or manipulate critical Windows files to enable multi-user RDP connection. Therefore, it is advised that you create a system restore point before proceeding forward with any of the two methods.
Enable Multiple RDP User Connections using RDPWrap
RDPWrap is an open-source project available on GitHub. RDPWrap enables support for numerous concurrent RDP sessions as well as RDP Hosts on previously inaccessible Windows editions, like Home. Follow the steps below precisely as given to allow multiple RDP connections on the computer. Note: All of the steps given below are to be performed on the remote (target) computer. That’s it! You should now be able to connect to the remote PC with multiple simultaneous connections using any RDP tool, like MSTSC, Microsoft RDP, rdcman, etc. However, you can only sign in using different local user accounts. Note: If you are using Google Chrome to download the file, it will be flagged as malicious and blocked from downloading. Learn how to stop Chrome from blocking downloads. Right-click on the zipped file and click “Extract All” from the context menu. Then click “Extract” on the extraction wizard to finish the extraction. Right-click the “install.exe” file and then click “Run as administrator” from the context menu. RDPWrap will now begin installation in a command window. The RDP Wrapper Configuration window will now open. Note that it states [Not Supported] in front of “Listener state” on the right. This is because the version of Windows would not be supported. To make RDPWrap support your OS version, you must replace the “rdpwrap.ini” file using the next few steps given below, which is located at “C:\Program Files\RDP Wrapper.” This will temporarily stop the Remote Desktop service. If you sign in with the same user account, the RDC connection using the account prior will be automatically disconnected.
Enable Multiple RDP User Connections by Modifying Termsrv.dll
If you do not wish to use RDPWrap, then you can modify the Termsrv.dll file to allow multiple RDP connections at the same time. This is the library the Remote Connection Protocol uses to establish a connection and is located at “C:\Windows\System32.” Let us remind you to create a system restore point before proceeding, so you can revert your settings if things do not go as planned. Alternatively, we have also given steps to back up only the Termsrv.dll in the steps below so it can be replaced when needed. Perform the following steps to modify the Termsrv.dll library and allow multiple RDP connections: Note: All of the steps given below are to be performed on the remote (target) computer. You should now be able to connect multiple RDP sessions to the remote PC after modifying the Termsrv.dll file. Also, enter “Y” when asked for confirmation. This will be needed later. You can download any hex editor online. If things didn’t go as planned, you can restore the original Termsrv.dll file by running the following cmdlet in Command Prompt using the backup we had created in step 2 above:
Conclusion
Having the ability to have multiple RDP connections simultaneously on a Windows PC can result in a significant increase in productivity. Now, you and your team members can work on a client Windows PC at the same time, without having to wait on one another. That said, the methods given in this post are tried-and-tested and you can perform them word-for-word on your Windows PC to allow simultaneous RDP sessions. However, even though the methods work, we advise you to create system backups just in case.
