Windows Remote Desktop

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

Remote Desktop Connection

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC, also called Remote Desktop or just RD) 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). 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. In addition to regular username/password for authorizing for the remote session, RDC also supports using smart cards for authorization. Although replacements have been released, as of the release of the Windows App, Remote Desktop Connection is still recommended for use.

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. 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. 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. RDC can also be used to connect to computers which are exposed via Windows Home Server RDP Gateway over the Internet. Finally, few shortcuts that will be handy
* To achieve effect on remote desktop, you can use the key combination.
* To alternate between the full screen and window mode of remote desktop, you can use ( on certain HP laptops).

Microsoft Remote Desktop

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. It allows users to connect to remote PCs, RemoteApp programs, session-based desktops, and virtual desktops. 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, Azure users are recommend to use the Remote Desktop client for Windows.

In April 2025, Microsoft announced that support for the Remote Desktop app will end on May 27, 2025, urging users to transition to its successor, the Windows App.

Web client

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. is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allow a user to initiate and control an interactive session 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.

Remote Desktop client for Windows

The Remote Desktop client for Windows (MSRDC), branded as Microsoft 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. 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. MSRDC is also used by Windows Subsystem for Linux to display programs with a graphical user interface.

In May 2025, Microsoft announced that the MSRDC will be phased out and replaced by the Windows App. As of March 27, 2026, MSRDC will no longer be supported.

Windows App

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 servers running Remote Desktop Services and remote PCs. 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. The app is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, ChromeOS, and through web browsers.

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

Windows Mobile

A RDS client also existed for Windows Mobile called Remote Desktop.

Non-Microsoft

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

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. tsclient is a discontinued graphical frontend to rdesktop.

FreeRDP

FreeRDP is a RDP client that started as a fork of rdesktop 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. Around 2011, the project decided to abandon forking and instead rewrite under Apache License, adding more features like RemoteFX, RemoteApp, and NTLMv2. A commercial distribution called Thincast was started in 2019. 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. Gnome-RDP uses it too, as does KDE Remote Desktop Connection (KRDC) (in addition to LibVNCServer).

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". This server is in turn used by Microsoft to provide graphics support (WSLg) in its Windows Subsystem for Linux.

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. It is the default remote desktop client on Ubuntu.

See also

* Comparison of remote desktop software

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Remote Desktop Protocol clients, List of
Remote desktop
Windows components
Lists of software