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How to stop a RDP session so you can log on to remote desktop again.

By Johan van Soest.

Published : 2016-09-14.

Last updated : 2017-05-11.

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a robust technology of Microsoft to take over and manage remote servers and PC's/Notebooks. RDP shows the user a graphical console of the other computer and allows the sending of key strokes and mouse movements to the same computer and even receive sound. Most servers allow up to 2 RDP sessions for system management, otherwise Client Access Licenses (TS-CAL's/RDP-CAL's) should be acquired and user(groups) must be added to the remote users group by "Select users who can use remote desktop"(Windows desktops), by Group policies or by the terminal server manager.

Adding Remote Desktop Users on a Windows 10 desktop

RDP is refused.

When you are locked out of an RDP connection with the error : "The terminal server has exceeded the maximum number of allowed connections", there are probably 2 sessions not correctly logged off and are still active. There are two strategies without rebooting the server.

RDP to the console of the server and stop the sessions using Task Manager, tab "Users" and disconnect the user sessions.
Stop a session on the (remote) server (Also works on Citrix)

RDP to the server console to stop a session

By using the following command line code you start a Console session.

mstsc /admin

Next you have to enter an IP-address or server name in the dialog. Than start Task Manager, select the tab "Users" and stop the sessions. Now you should able to logon with RDP.

Locate the server sessions and stop these.

First get the session ID's of the running Remote Desktop protocol sessions by using the command:

query session /server:<server name or IP-address>

For example:

C:\>query session /server:nlaaldc1
 SESSIONNAME       USERNAME                 ID  STATE   TYPE        DEVICE
 console                                     0  Conn    wdcon
 rdp-tcp                                 65536  Listen  rdpwd
 rdp-tcp#79        administrator             2  Active  rdpwd
 rdp-tcp#73        administrator             1  Active  rdpwd

Now you can terminate the RDP session with the Session ID using the command line interface command:

reset session <session-id> /server:<server name or IP-address>

For example:

reset session 2 /server:nlaaldc1

Now you should able to logon with RDP.

Standardize on RDP

On several Linux systems xrdp can be installed. This allow taking over a Linux console with Windows Remote Desktop tools. You receive a Linux X window to manage the machine.

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