Windows 7 / Networking

Configuring Remote Desktop Using Group Policy

You can also use Group Policy to manage some aspects of how Remote Desktop works. You can find the policy settings for managing Remote Desktop in two locations:

Per-computer policy settings can be found under Computer Configuration\Policies \Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services
Per-user policy settings can be found under User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services

Table below lists Group Policy settings that affect Remote Desktop. Policies that were introduced earlier in Windows Vista are marked with an asterisk (*), and policies that are new in Windows 7 are marked with two asterisks (**). (Additional policy settings found in these locations apply only to Remote Desktop Session Hosts or only when an RDC client is used to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host.) If a computer and user policy setting are identical, the computer setting takes precedence if configured.

To use the Group Policy settings in this table, configure them in a GPO linked to an OU where the host computers (the computers that have Remote Desktop enabled) are located. For additional Group Policy settings that affect Remote Desktop, see the section titled "Enabling Remote Desktop Using Group Policy" earlier in this tutorial.

Note The folder layout of the Group Policy settings for Remote Desktop Services-under Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services and User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services-has been reorganized in Windows 7 for ease of discoverability, but the registry keys are still the same. All policy settings common to both Windows Vista and Windows XP, even if located under different folders, will still be applied to all computers in the targeted OU.

Group Policy Settings That Affect Remote Desktop

Strong	Policy Setting	Notes
Remote Desktop Connection Client	Do Not Allow Passwords To Be Saved	Prevents users from saving their credentials in the RDC client. Windows Vista saves the password using Credential Manager instead of saving it within the *.rdp file as in earlier versions of Windows.
Remote Desktop Session Host\Connections	Automatic Reconnection	Enables RDC clients to attempt to automatically reconnect when underlying network connectivity is lost.
	Allow Users To Connect Remotely Using Remote Desktop Services	Enables Remote Desktop on the targeted computer.
	Deny Logoff Of An Administrator Logged In To The Console Session	Prevents an administrator on the client computer from bumping an administrator off of the host computer
Remote Desktop Session Host\Device and Resource Redirection	Allow Audio And Video Playback Redirection	Enables redirection of the remote computer's audio and video output in a Remote Desktop session. (This policy was named Allow Audio Redirection in Windows Vista and earlier versions.)
	Allow Audio Recording Redirection	Enables recording of audio to the remote computer during a Remote Desktop session.
	**Limit Audio Playback Quality	Enables limiting of audio quality to improve the performance of a Remote Desktop session over a slow link.
	Do Not Allow Clipboard Redirection	Prevents sharing of a clipboard.
	Do Not Allow COM Port Redirection	Prevents redirection of serial port devices.
	Do Not Allow Drive Redirection	Prevents redirection of disk drive resources.
	Do Not Allow LPT Port Redirection	Prevents redirection of parallel port devices.
	*Do Not Allow Supported Plug And Play Device Redirection	Prevents redirection of supported PnP media players and digital cameras.
	Do Not Allow Smart Card Device Redirection	Prevents redirection of smart card readers.
Remote Desktop Session Host\Printer Redirection	Do Not Set Default Client Printer To Be Default Printer In A Session	Prevents users from redirecting print jobs from the remote computer to a printer attached to their local (client) computer.
	Do Not Allow Client Printer Redirection	Prevents the client default printer from automatically being set as the default printer for the Remote Desktop session.
Remote Desktop Session Host\Remote Session Environment	Limit Maximum Color Depth	Enables specifying a maximum color depth to improve performance of a Remote Desktop session over a slow link.
	**Limit Maximum Display Resolution	Enables specifying a maximum display resolution to improve performance of a Remote Desktop session over a slow link.
	**Limit Maximum Number Of Monitors	Enables specifying a maximum number of monitors to improve performance of a Remote Desktop session over a slow link.
	**Optimize Visual Experience For Remote Desktop Services Sessions	Enables optimizing the Remote Desktop session for either multimedia or text.
	Enforce Removal Of Remote Desktop Wallpaper	Prevents wallpaper from being displayed in the Remote Desktop session.
	Remove "Disconnect" Option From Shut Down Dialog	Removes the Disconnect button from the Start menu but doesn't prevent the remote user from disconnecting the session using other methods.
Remote Desktop Session Host\Security	Set Client Connection Encryption Level	Specifies the level of encryption used to protect RDP traffic between the client and host computers. The options available are High (128-bit), Low (56-bit), and Client Compatible (highest encryption level supported by the client). When this policy setting is Not Configured, the default encryption level used is Client Compatible.
	Always Prompt For Password Upon Connection	Requires remote users to always enter a password to establish a Remote Desktop session with the targeted computer.
	*Require Use Of Specific Security Layer For Remote (RDP) Connections	Specifies whether the client should attempt to authenticate the host computer during establishment of the Remote Desktop session. The options available are: DP, which means that no computerlevel authentication is required. SSL (TLS 1.0), which means that the client tries to use Kerberos or certificates to authenticate the host computer; if this fails, the session is not established. Negotiate, which first attempts to authenticate the host using Kerberos or certificates; if this fails, the session is still established. When this policy setting is Not Configured, the default authentication method used is Negotiate.
	*Require User Authentication For Remote Connections By Using Network Level Authentication
	*Server Authentication Certificate Template	Requires client computers to be running Windows Vista or Windows XP SP2 with the downloadable RDC 6.0 client installed. (This policy was named Require User Authentication Using RDP 6.0 For Remote Connections in Windows Vista and earlier versions.)
Remote Desktop Session Host\Session Time Limits	Terminate Session When Time Limits Are Reached	Forcibly logs the remote user off of the Remote Desktop session when the session time limit has been reached.
	Set Time Limit For Disconnected Sessions	Forcibly logs the remote user off of the Remote Desktop session when the session time limit for disconnected sessions has been reached.
	Set Time Limit For Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions	Specifies a time limit for no activity in Remote Desktop sessions. When the time limit is reached, the session is disconnected, but the remote user is not logged off. If, however, the Terminate Session When Time Limits Are Reached policy is enabled, the user is disconnected and then forcibly logged off.
	Set Time Limit For Active Remote Desktop Services Sessions	Specifies a time limit for Remote Desktop sessions. When the time limit is reached, the session is disconnected, but the remote user is not logged off. If, however, the Terminate Session When Time Limits Are Reached policy is enabled, the user is disconnected and then forcibly logged off

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Configuring Remote Desktop Using Group Policy

Group Policy Settings That Affect Remote Desktop

In this tutorial: