"The number of connections to this computer is limited and all connections are in use right now. Try connecting later or contact your system administrator."

Question

"The number of connections to this computer is limited and all connections are in use right now. Try connecting later or contact your system administrator."

Borole, Pradeep 0

Locked Question. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

Ed Eaglehouse 21 Reputation points

2026-10-13T12:08:49.56+00:00

If your previous remote desktop session did not shut down cleanly or completely, it can hold the RDP connection open. If the host is a personal Windows workstation, that will block the single RDP access. Joseph Tran's solutions can work, if you already have the permissions.
I tested the command-line solution (option 2) and it works. I'm just passing on this information that was available elsewhere (Microsoft Learning).

1 answer

Ed Eaglehouse 21 Reputation points

2026-10-13T12:08:49.56+00:00

If your previous remote desktop session did not shut down cleanly or completely, it can hold the RDP connection open. If the host is a personal Windows workstation, that will block the single RDP access. Joseph Tran's solutions can work, if you already have the permissions.
I tested the command-line solution (option 2) and it works. I'm just passing on this information that was available elsewhere (Microsoft Learning).

Answer 1

The error message: "The number of connections to this computer is limited and all connections are in use right now. Try connecting later or contact your system administrator." is typically seen when trying to connect to a Windows machine via Remote Desktop (RDP), and it means all allowed simultaneous RDP sessions are in use.

I have some options that you can try and let me know the result :

Option 1: Ask current users to log off

If you have access:

Physically or remotely (e.g., IPMI/iDRAC) access the machine.
Use Task Manager → Users tab or run query user to see who is connected.
Ask someone to log off or disconnect idle sessions.

Option 2: Use command line to log off users (if you have rights)

From another machine or locally, run:

query session /server:COMPUTERNAME
logoff <SESSION_ID> /server:COMPUTERNAME

Option 3: Increase number of RDP sessions (Server only)

On Windows Server, you can allow more than 2 sessions by:
- Installing Remote Desktop Session Host.
- Applying proper RDS CALs (Client Access Licenses).

**If You're Using Windows Client (10/11 Pro):

You can only have one RDP session at a time, unless you:

Use third-party tools or hacks (unsupported by Microsoft).
Upgrade to Windows Server if multiple simultaneous sessions are required.