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List of Remote Desktop Protocol clients

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Remote Desktop Protocol clients allow users to connect to servers running Remote Desktop Services, Azure Virtual Desktop, or non-Microsoft server software to enable remote desktop functionality. Since the release of Remote Desktop Connection, there have been several additional Remote Desktop Protocol clients created by both Microsoft and other parties.

By Microsoft

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Remote Desktop Connection

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Remote Desktop Connection
Other namesRDC, Remote Desktop, Microsoft Terminal Services Client, MSTSC
Developer(s)Microsoft
Included withMicrosoft Windows
SuccessorMicrosoft Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC, also called Remote Desktop or just RD)[1] is the client application for RDS. The program has the filename mstsc.exe and in Windows 2000 and prior, it was known as Microsoft Terminal Services Client (MSTSC or tsclient).[2][3] It allows a user to remotely log into a networked computer running the Remote Desktop Services. RDC presents the desktop interface (or application GUI) of the remote system, as if it were accessed locally.[4] In addition to regular username/password for authorizing for the remote session, RDC also supports using smart cards for authorization.[4] Although replacements have been released, as of the release of the Windows App, Remote Desktop Client is still recommended for use.[5]

RDC 6.0 was released as part of Windows Vista. With RDC 6.0, the resolution of a remote session can be set independently of the settings at the remote computer. If the Desktop Experience component is plugged into the remote server, remote application user interface elements (e.g., application windows borders, Maximize, Minimize, and Close buttons etc.) will take on the same appearance of local applications. In this scenario, the remote applications will use the Aero theme if the user connects to the server from a Windows Vista machine running Aero.[6] Later versions of the protocol also support rendering the UI in full 32-bit color, as well as resource redirection for printers, COM ports, disk drives, mice and keyboards. With resource redirection, remote applications can use the resources of the local computer. Audio is also redirected, so that any sounds generated by a remote application are played back at the client system.[4][6] Moreover, a remote session can also span multiple monitors at the client system, independent of the multi-monitor settings at the server. RDC can also be used to connect to Windows Media Center (WMC) remote sessions; however, since WMC does not stream video using RDP, only the applications can be viewed this way, not any media.

RDC prioritizes UI data as well as keyboard and mouse inputs, as opposed to print jobs or file transfers. so as to make the applications more responsive. It redirects plug and play devices such as cameras, portable music players, and scanners, so that input from these devices can be used by the remote applications as well.[6] RDC can also be used to connect to computers which are exposed via Windows Home Server RDP Gateway over the Internet.[7] Finally, few shortcuts that will be handy

  • To achieve Ctrl+Alt+Del effect on remote desktop, you can use the Ctrl+Alt+End key combination.
  • To alternate between the full screen and window mode of remote desktop, you can use Ctrl+Alt+Break ( Ctrl+Fn+Alt+⇧ Shift on certain HP laptops).

Microsoft Remote Desktop

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"Microsoft Remote Desktop" redirects here. For the Azure Virtual Desktop client, see Remote Desktop client for Windows.
Microsoft Remote Desktop
Other namesRemote Desktop
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseSeptember 2012
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, web
PredecessorRemote Desktop Connection
Successor

Microsoft Remote Desktop, also called Remote Desktop, is a modern client for RDS released in September 2012. Compared to the older Remote Desktop Connection, the program offers a touch-friendly interface.[8] It allows users to connect to remote PCs, RemoteApp programs, session-based desktops, and virtual desktops.[9] The program is available on Windows as an Universal Windows Platform on the Microsoft Store, MacOS as Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and on all platforms as a web client. The Windows version of the app is no longer being updated with new features or support for Azure Virtual Desktop. Instead, users are recommend to use the Remote Desktop client for Windows.[10]

Web client

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In late 2018 Microsoft released an HTML5 web client for Microsoft Remote Desktop. The client allows users to connect to their remote apps or to their remote desktops without using an installed remote desktop client.[11][12] is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allow a user to initiate and control an interactive session[13] The web client uses the TLS secured port 443 and does not use the RD Gateway to transport traffic, instead relying solely on the remote desktop session host aspect of remote desktop services.[14][15]

Remote Desktop client for Windows

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Remote Desktop client for Windows
Other namesMSRDC, Microsoft Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop, Azure Virtual Desktop
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseApril 2022 (Azure Virtual Desktop)[16]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows
PredecessorMicrosoft Remote Desktop
Websitemicrosoft.com

The Remote Desktop client for Windows (MSRDC),[17] branded as Microsoft Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop, and Azure Virtual Desktop if installed from the Microsoft Store, is a client that uses the Remote Desktop Protocol to allow users to connect to Azure Virtual Desktops on feeds made available by enterprise administrators.[18] The program can be downloaded as an MSI installer as Remote Desktop or from the Microsoft Store as Azure Virtual Desktop. In contrast with Microsoft Remote Desktop and like the older Remote Desktop Connection program, MSRDC allows for the redirection of local USB and serial devices.[19] MSRDC is also used by Windows Subsystem for Linux to display programs with a graphical user interface.[20][21]

Windows App

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Windows App
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseSeptember 19, 2024
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, ChromeOS, web
PredecessorMicrosoft Remote Desktop
Websitewindows.cloud.microsoft

The Windows App is a Remote Desktop Protocol client that allows users to connect to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box instances. Additionally, on non-Windows platforms excluding the browser, the Windows App allows users to connect to serves running Remote Desktop Services and remote PCs.[22] On Windows, Microsoft advises users to use Remote Desktop Connection to connect to remote PCs and Remote Desktop client for Windows to connect to Remote Desktop Services.[5] The app is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, ChromeOS, and through web browsers.[5]

The preview version of the app was first released in November 2023 and it was fully launched on September 19, 2024.[23][24] The app was developed as a unified way to access Windows PCs remotely and as replacement for Microsoft Remote Desktop.[22] The app supports many of the features of Remote Desktop Connection include multi-monitor support, device redirection, and dynamic resolution.[22]

Windows Mobile

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A RDS client also existed for Windows Mobile called Remote Desktop.[25][26]

Non-Microsoft

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There have been numerous non-Microsoft implementations of clients that implement subsets of the Microsoft functionality for a range of platforms.

rdesktop

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Main article: rdesktop

rdesktop is a free and open-source implementation of a client software for RDP. rdesktop supports most features of RDP 5, with features from RDP 5.1 and 6 not yet implemented. Unlike its Microsoft counterparts, it still supports the older RDP 4 protocol used by Windows NT 4.0. There also several graphical frontends to rdesktop including tsclient, Gnome-RDP, and KDE Remote Desktop Connection (KRDC).[27]

FreeRDP

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FreeRDP is a RDP client that started as a fork of redesktop in 2009. It was created with the aim of modularizing the code, addressing various issues, and implementing new features. FreeRDP comes with its own command-line-client xfreerdp, which supports Seamless Windows in RDP6.[28] Around 2011, the project decided to abandon forking and instead rewrite under Apache License, adding more features like RemoteFX, RemoteApp, and NTLMv2.[29] A commercial distribution called Thincast was started in 2019.[30] A multi-platform client based on FreeRDP including Vulkan/H.264 support followed in summer 2020. There's a GTK-based client named Remmina also based on FreeRDP.

FreeRDP offers server implementations for macOS and Windows. On other systems including Linux, software packages may build upon FreeRDP to implement a complete server. Weston, the compositor in Wayland, uses FreeRDP to implement an rdp server it terms "rdp-backend".[31] This server is in turn used by Microsoft to provide graphics support (WSLg) in its Windows Subsystem for Linux. [32]

Remmina

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Main article: Remmina

Remmina is a free and open-source remote desktop client for POSIX-based system that supports RDP along with a verity of other protocols. It uses FreeRDP as a foundation.[33][34] It is the default remote desktop client on Ubuntu.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Remote Desktop Services - Access from anywhere". Microsoft.
  2. ^ "Why doesn't the New Folder command work in the root of a redirected drive resource in a Remote Desktop session?". The Old New Thing. Microsoft. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  3. ^ Savill, John (1 October 2008). The Complete Guide to Windows Server 2008. Pearson Education. p. 1752. ISBN 978-0-13-279758-0. Retrieved 1 June 2012. Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 all contain the RDC tool, mstsc.exe [...] MSTSC in the filename mstsc.exe stands for Microsoft Terminal Services Client.
  4. ^ a b c "Technical Overview of Terminal Services in Windows Server 2003". Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2003-01-26. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  5. ^ a b c dknappettmsft (2024-09-24). "Get started with Windows App to connect to desktops and apps - Windows App". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  6. ^ a b c "Whats new in Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  7. ^ "Remote Desktop Connection". Remote Support.
  8. ^ "Introducing the Remote Desktop Windows Store App". TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  9. ^ Heidilohr (2023-08-08). "Get started with the Remote Desktop app for Windows". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  10. ^ "Microsoft Remote Desktop - Official app in the Microsoft Store". Microsoft Apps. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  11. ^ Waggoner, Rob. "Microsoft Has Released the HTML5-Based RDP Web Client". blog.mycloudit.com. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  12. ^ "Windows Remote Desktop Services spotlight". Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  13. ^ QuinnRadich. "Remote Desktop Sessions - Win32 apps". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  14. ^ "RD Web Client (HTML5) – New Features In 1.0.11". www.rdsgurus.com. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  15. ^ Berson, Freek (2018-01-12). "The Microsoft Platform: HTML5 client for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services 2016: Remote Desktop Web Client". The Microsoft Platform. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  16. ^ "Azure Virtual Desktop Preview - Official app in the Microsoft Store". Microsoft Apps. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  17. ^ "Windows 10's Remote Desktop options explained". Computerworld. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  18. ^ dknappettmsft (2024-02-22). "Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the Remote Desktop client for Windows - Azure Virtual Desktop". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  19. ^ "Windows 10's Remote Desktop options explained". Computerworld. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  20. ^ Viswav, Pradeep (2021-10-11). "Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) now available as an app from Microsoft Store on Windows 11". MSPoweruser. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  21. ^ "add msrdc.exe path by hideyukn88 · Pull Request #447 · microsoft/wslg". GitHub. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  22. ^ a b c Cunningham, Andrew (2024-09-19). "Microsoft releases a new Windows app called Windows App for running Windows apps". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  23. ^ Warren, Tom (2023-11-16). "Windows is now an app for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and PCs". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  24. ^ Warren, Tom (2024-09-19). "Microsoft launches a Windows app for iPhones, Macs, and Android devices". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  25. ^ Drager, Dave (27 March 2008). "How to Remotely Control your Mobile Phone from Desktop". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  26. ^ Miniman, Brandon (2009-03-16). "Tutorial: Setting up Remote Desktop in Windows Mobile". PocketNow. Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  27. ^ "rdesktop: A Remote Desktop Protocol Client". www.rdesktop.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  28. ^ "FreeRDP-old README". GitHub. 2010. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020. FreeRDP is a successor to rdesktop, a longtime-favored application for use on *nix systems to access Windows servers and workstations. The goal of FreeRDP is twofold: ...
  29. ^ "FreeRDP/FreeRDP". GitHub. FreeRDP. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "Hi! – The Thincast Workstation". www.freerdp.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  31. ^ weston-rdp(7) – Linux Miscellanea Manual
  32. ^ "WSLg Architecture". Windows Command Line. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  33. ^ Veitch, Nick (2010-09-17). "7 of the best Linux remote desktop clients". Linux Format (136). Tech Radar. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  34. ^ Frashad (2011-11-05). "Remmina: Feature Rich Remote Desktop Client For Ubuntu Linux". Addictive Tips. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  35. ^ Joey Sneddon (8 November 2010). "Remmina to be Ubuntu's new remote desktop app". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
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