Forum Discussion
RDS Licensing for administrators
Hello,
We are planning to acquire 10 RDS User licenses, and I would like to clarify the following points:
Will access be limited to 10 simultaneous rdp session, or can administrators still access the server normally via RDP?
Do administrators connecting using mstsc /admin require an RDS license, or is this access exempt?
In the past (Windows Server 2016), I recall that exceeding the number of licenses allowed temporary RDP sessions. Could you confirm if this behavior is still the same?
Thank you in advance for your clarification.
3 Replies
Hello,
Your questions are very common, and it's good to clarify them before purchasing RDS CALs. Let me address each point:
1. RDS CAL limit vs administrative access
RDS CALs (User or Device) apply only to Remote Desktop Services (RDS) sessions, not to administrative access.
Windows Server allows up to 2 simultaneous administrative RDP sessions by default (for server management purposes). These are independent of your RDS CAL count.
So even if you purchase 10 RDS User CALs, administrators can still connect via RDP for administration without being counted against those licenses.
2. Does mstsc /admin require an RDS license?
No, connections made using:
mstsc /admin
(or the equivalent admin session)
do NOT require an RDS CAL.
This mode is specifically designed for administrative purposes and is exempt from RDS licensing
3. What happens if you exceed the number of RDS CALs?
In older versions like Windows Server 2016, there was a more permissive behavior during grace periods or misconfigurations. However, in newer versions (2019 / 2022 / 2025):
There is still a 120-day grace period when the RD Licensing Server is not configured.
After the grace period expires:
Users without a valid RDS CAL will be denied access
The system enforces licensing more strictly
There is no reliable "temporary overuse" behavior once licensing is properly enforced
Summary:
2 admin RDP sessions are always allowed (no CAL required)
mstsc /admin connections do NOT require RDS CAL
RDS CALs are only needed for user/application sessions via RDS roles
Exceeding CALs is not allowed after the grace period (access will be blocked)
Hope this helps clarify your scenario.
Best regards.
Another thing we've been told is licensing isn't based on concurrent connections, but actual users. So if you had 10 users logged in, and then 10 different people show up for their shift (just an example), you actually need to purchase 20 RDP cals regardless of them only being the next 10 users logged in.
Hello !!
