Limit number of connections

Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2003, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016, WindowsVista

Specifies whether Remote Desktop Services limits the number of simultaneous connections to the server. You can use this setting to restrict the number of Remote Desktop Services sessions that can be active on a server. If this number is exceeded, addtional users who try to connect receive an error message telling them that the server is busy and to try again later. Restricting the number of sessions improves performance because fewer sessions are demanding system resources. By default, RD Session Host servers allow an unlimited number of Remote Desktop Services sessions, and Remote Desktop for Administration allows two Remote Desktop Services sessions. To use this setting, enter the number of connections you want to specify as the maximum for the server. To specify an unlimited number of connections, type 999999. If the status is set to Enabled, the maximum number of connections is limited to the specified number consistent with the version of Windows and the mode of Remote Desktop Services running on the server. If the status is set to Disabled or Not Configured, limits to the number of connections are not enforced at the Group Policy level. Note: This setting is designed to be used on RD Session Host servers (that is, on servers running Windows with Remote Desktop Session Host role service installed).

No explicit registry values are set for enabled or disabled states.

• Computer
  Allow remote start of unlisted programs

  WindowsServer2008
• Computer
  Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services

  At least Windows Server 2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional
• Computer
  Automatic reconnection

  At least Windows Server 2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional
• Computer
  Configure keep-alive connection interval

  At least Windows Server 2003
• Computer
  Deny logoff of an administrator logged in to the console session

  At least Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 only
• Computer
  Restrict Remote Desktop Services users to a single Remote Desktop Services session

  At least Windows Server 2003
• Computer
  Select network detection on the server

  At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
• Computer
  Select RDP transport protocols

  At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
• User
  Set rules for remote control of Remote Desktop Services user sessions

  Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
• Computer
  Set rules for remote control of Remote Desktop Services user sessions

  Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
• Computer
  Suspend user sign-in to complete app registration

  At least Windows 8 Enterprise or Windows Server 2012
• Computer
  Turn off Fair Share CPU Scheduling

  At least Windows Server 2008 R2