Remote Desktop Services (RDS) lets several users run desktops or individual applications on a Windows Server at the same time. Setting it up is a mix of role installation and licensing, and most problems we see come from the licensing half. This guide covers the RDS roles, deployment types, activating the RD Licensing server, installing RDS CALs, publishing desktops and RemoteApps, and the errors that appear when licensing is wrong. For CAL theory, see our Windows Server CALs guide.
What roles make up Remote Desktop Services?
A session-based Remote Desktop Services deployment uses four main roles: RD Session Host runs the users' sessions and applications, RD Connection Broker manages the deployment and routes users to session hosts, RD Web Access publishes desktops and RemoteApps through a web page and feed, and RD Licensing issues RDS CALs to users or devices.
- RD Session Host: the server users actually work on; add more as the user count grows.
- RD Connection Broker: holds the deployment configuration, collections and load balancing.
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RD Web Access: provides the
https://server/RDWebpage and feed for published resources. - RD Licensing: stores and issues RDS CALs; it can run on a server already used for another role.
- RD Gateway (optional): lets users connect securely from outside the network over HTTPS.
Cause and effect: the Connection Broker is where Server Manager stores the deployment's licensing settings, so a deployment with a broker is configured in Server Manager, while a lone session host without a broker must be configured through Group Policy instead.
Should you use Quick Start or Standard deployment?
Use Quick Start when you want every RDS role on one server for a lab, proof of concept or very small office, because it installs Connection Broker, Web Access and Session Host together with no option to split them; use Standard deployment for production, because it lets you place each role on the server you choose and add servers later.
Microsoft's support team has described Standard deployment as the recommended practice for production, with Quick Start suited to testing and single-server scenarios. Both are started from Server Manager under Manage > Add Roles and Features > Remote Desktop Services installation.
Advanced nuance: Remote Desktop Services is installed through this scenario-based option rather than the standard role-based option, and Microsoft's deployment guides assume domain-joined servers. Small offices without a domain can still license a single session host with Per Device CALs, configured through Group Policy.
How do you install Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server?
To install Remote Desktop Services, open Server Manager on a domain-joined server, add every RDS server to the server pool, choose Manage, Add Roles and Features, select Remote Desktop Services installation, choose Standard deployment and Session-based desktop deployment, assign the Connection Broker, Web Access and Session Host servers, then click Deploy.
- In Server Manager, select Manage > Add Servers and add each server that will host an RDS role.
- Select Manage > Add Roles and Features, then Remote Desktop Services installation.
- Choose Standard deployment and Session-based desktop deployment.
- Assign servers to RD Connection Broker, RD Web Access and RD Session Host.
- Tick Restart the destination server automatically if required and click Deploy.
- In Remote Desktop Services > Overview, click +RD Licensing and choose the server that will host the licence server.
Microsoft's RDS deployment guide follows this order for Windows Server 2016 and later. If the session host needs a server licence, see our Windows Server licence keys.
How do you activate the RD Licensing server and install RDS CALs?
To activate the RD Licensing server, open Remote Desktop Licensing Manager from Tools in Server Manager, right-click the server and choose Activate Server, complete the wizard using the automatic, web browser or telephone method, then right-click the server again, choose Install Licenses, pick your licence programme and enter the licence code or agreement number.
- Open Tools > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.
- Select the server, then Action > Activate Server.
- Choose Automatic connection (outbound TCP 443 to the Microsoft Clearinghouse), Web Browser or Telephone.
- Enter the company information and finish the wizard.
- Right-click the server and choose Install Licenses, then select the programme you bought the CALs through.
- Enter the licence code or agreement number, choose the product version, CAL type and quantity, and click Finish.
Microsoft's RDS CAL installation guide notes that the licence server itself does not need internet access if the Licensing Manager computer has it. Version matters: RDS CALs install on a licence server running the same Windows Server version or later, so 2022 CALs need a 2022 or 2025 licence server.
What we commonly see: a licence server activated but showing zero available CALs because the wrong programme was selected in the wizard. Check the programme named in your licence documentation and run Install Licenses again. Store options include the Windows Server 2016 RDS 10 User CAL and other packs in our CALs collection.
How do you set the RDS licensing mode and licence server?
In a deployment with a Connection Broker, set the licensing mode in Server Manager under Remote Desktop Services, Overview, Tasks, Edit Deployment Properties, RD Licensing, by choosing Per User or Per Device and adding the licence server; without a broker, configure the same two settings on each session host through Group Policy.
For Group Policy, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Licensing and enable:
- Use the specified Remote Desktop license servers, entering the licence server name.
- Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode, choosing Per User or Per Device.
The mode must match the CALs you installed. Domain-joined servers can use either type, but Microsoft's session host licensing guide states that workgroup servers must use Per Device CALs, because Per User CALs are not permitted there.
How do you publish desktops and RemoteApps and test the deployment?
Publish resources by creating a session collection in Server Manager under Remote Desktop Services, Collections, Tasks, Create Session Collection, choosing the session hosts and user groups; the collection publishes a full desktop by default, and you can publish individual applications instead from the RemoteApp Programs tile using Publish RemoteApp Programs.
- Go to Remote Desktop Services > Collections > Tasks > Create Session Collection.
- Name the collection, select the session hosts and add the user groups allowed to connect.
- Optionally set a user profile disk location, then click Create.
- For individual apps, open the collection, choose RemoteApp Programs > Tasks > Publish RemoteApp Programs, select the programs and click Publish.
- Test from a client: browse to
https://your-server/RDWeb, sign in, and launch the desktop or app.
After a test connection, open RD Licensing Manager. With Per Device mode, Microsoft describes CALs as physically assigned to each device, so you should see the issued count change; Per User CALs are assigned to users in Active Directory.
What happens when the RDS grace period ends?
Remote Desktop Services has a 120-day licensing grace period during which no licence server is required; once it ends, each client must receive a valid RDS CAL from a configured licence server before it can sign in, so connections are refused if the licence server, licensing mode or CALs are missing or wrong.
Typical messages include "The remote session was disconnected because there are no Remote Desktop License Servers available to provide a license" and "Remote Desktop licensing mode is not configured". Microsoft's troubleshooting steps are:
- Confirm the licence server is activated and shows available CALs in RD Licensing Manager.
- Confirm the licensing mode and licence server are set, in deployment properties or Group Policy.
- Run RD Licensing Diagnoser on the session host and fix each problem it lists.
- Check that firewalls allow the session host to reach the licence server.
- Check CAL compatibility: a 2022 session host accepts 2022 or 2025 RDS CALs, not 2019 or older.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need both Windows Server CALs and RDS CALs?
Yes. Every user or device that connects to a Remote Desktop session host needs a Windows Server CAL for access to the server and an RDS CAL for the remote session. The RDS CAL is additional to the base CAL, and both should match or exceed the session host's Windows Server version.
Can I run RDS without a domain?
Yes, with limits. A workgroup session host can be licensed by configuring the licence server and licensing mode through local Group Policy, but Microsoft permits only Per Device CALs there. The full Server Manager deployment with a Connection Broker, collections and RD Web Access is designed for domain-joined servers.
Can the RD Licensing role run on the session host?
Yes. Microsoft's deployment examples place RD Licensing on a server already hosting another role, such as the Connection Broker, and small single-server deployments often host every role together. The key requirement is that the licence server runs the same Windows Server version as the CALs, or a later one.
What is the RDS grace period length?
Microsoft documents a 120-day licensing grace period for Remote Desktop Services, during which a session host does not need a licence server. After it ends, clients need a valid RDS CAL issued by a licence server before they can sign in to a remote session. Configure licensing before it ends.
Do RDS CALs have to match the session host version?
Yes. Microsoft's compatibility table shows a session host accepts RDS CALs of its own version or newer: a 2019 host accepts 2019, 2022 or 2025 CALs, while a 2022 host needs 2022 or 2025 CALs. The licence server must also run the CAL version or a later one.