How do I set up timeout for remote desktop users?

windows-server-2003 windows-server-2008 remote-desktop terminal-server windows-server-2000

10,725

Solution 1

In Terminal Services Configuration -> Connections

Right click on RDP-Tcp, choose properties and select Sessions tab.

You will then see the options for ending disconnected or idle sessions after x minutes, hours or days.

Solution 2

Also configurable through group policy, if you don't feel like touching all your servers' settings individually.

10,725

JohannesH

I started learning programming at a very young age. I remember the first time I saw my father make a small program for the C64, it just blew my mind that you could do something like that. Sure, it was only some silly basic example he copied from a book, but I clearly remember the feeling of my curiosity-meter as it went of the charts. From there on my curiosity grew to become more about computers in general. I guess I grew up being a total geek. ;) Later on I picked up QBasic then VB and ASP and from there I moved on to .NET first as a VB.NET developer but then my current job forced me to change to C# and I haven't looked back since. What I like the most about being a developer is that you never stop having to learn new techniques, technologies etc.

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

JohannesH over 1 year

In my job I usually have to connect to several different servers with remote desktop. However, more often than not I will get the message "Terminal server has exceeded the maximum number of allowed connections", because my colleagues just closes the remote desktop window instead of logging out.

Usually I will call the admin and get him to release one of the idle sessions on the server but this method is getting real old, real fast. So I was wondering how I setup the server so that idle sessions will timeout after 5 minutes.
Justin Love over 14 years

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Sessions\
Ron over 14 years

+1 - That's how we had our servers setup so after 30 minutes of being disconnected it would logoff the session since I was the guy that had to kick people off.
Kara Marfia over 14 years

Thanks, Justin, for being not-lazy, which I have utterly failed to do today. ;)