The Environment tab allows you to configure the startup environment for a Remote Desktop Services client.

Item Details

Starting program

Specify the program that opens whenever the user connects to an RD Session Host server. The program specified is the only program that can be used by the user in the Remote Desktop Services session. When the user closes the program, the connection to the RD Session Host server closes.

If you want to provide a working folder, specify the folder location in the Start in box.

Client devices

Specify whether the user's local drives and printers are available in the Remote Desktop Services session when a user connects to an RD Session Host server.

The Connect client drives at logon check box currently is not used by Windows Server Remote Desktop Services.

If the user has multiple local printers configured, you can direct print jobs in the Remote Desktop Services session to the default printer on the user's local computer by selecting Default to main client printer.

Additional considerations

  • Membership in the Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to configure the properties of a local user account.

  • Membership in the Account Operators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to configure the properties of most domain user accounts. In some cases, membership in the Domain Admins group, or equivalent, is the minimum required.

  • Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477.

  • You can use Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration to configure environment settings on a per-connection basis on an RD Session Host server. Environment settings configured by using Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration will take precedence over the environment settings that have been configured for a specific user account.

  • For information about configuring environment settings on a per-connection basis on an RD Session Host server by using Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration, see the topic "Configuring Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration Connections" in the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration Help in Windows Server 2008 R2.

  • For information about configuring environment settings by using Group Policy settings, see Using Group Policy Settings.

Additional references