Use the following procedure to install the Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) role service.

Important

The installation of the RD Session Host role service requires the computer to be restarted.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, on the RD Session Host server that you plan to configure, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477.

To install the RD Session Host role service

  1. On the server on which you want to install the RD Session Host role service, open Server Manager. To open Server Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  2. If the Remote Desktop Services role is not already installed:

    1. Under Roles Summary, click Add Roles.

    2. On the Before You Begin page of the Add Roles Wizard, click Next.

    3. On the Select Server Roles page, select the Remote Desktop Services check box, and then click Next.

    4. On the Remote Desktop Services page, click Next.

    5. On the Select Role Services page, select the Remote Desktop Session Host check box, and then click Next.

    If the Remote Desktop Services role is already installed:

    1. Under Roles Summary, click Remote Desktop Services.

    2. Under Role Services, click Add Role Services.

    3. On the Select Role Services page, select the Remote Desktop Session Host check box, and then click Next.

  3. On the Uninstall and Reinstall Applications for Compatibility page, click Next.

  4. On the Specify Authentication Method for Remote Desktop Session Host page, select the desired authentication method, and then click Next.

    Note

    If client computers that are running Windows XP will use this RD Session Host server, select Do not require Network Level Authentication.

  5. On the Specify Licensing Mode page, select the licensing mode that applies to your Remote Desktop Services environment, and then click Next.

  6. On the Select User Groups Allowed Access To This Remote Desktop Session Host Server page, add any users or groups that you want to add to the Remote Desktop Users group, and then click Next.

  7. On the Configure Client Experience page, select the client experience that you want to provide, and then click Next.

  8. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, verify that the RD Session Host role service will be installed, and then click Install.

  9. On the Installation Progress page, installation progress is noted.

  10. On the Installation Results page, you are prompted to restart the server to finish the installation process. Click Close, and then click Yes to restart the server.

  11. If you are prompted that other programs are still running, do either of the following:

    • To close the programs manually and restart the server later, click Cancel.

    • To automatically close the programs and restart the server, click Force restart, and then click Yes.

  12. After the server restarts and you log on to the computer with the same user account, the remaining steps of the installation finish. When the Installation Results page appears, confirm that installation of the RD Session Host role service succeeded, and then click Close.

Additional references

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