Request for Improvement: RDP Security Dialog Should Respect .rdp and Collection Settings

Question

Request for Improvement: RDP Security Dialog Should Respect .rdp and Collection Settings

rohit sharma 0

Dear Microsoft Remote Desktop Team,

I am writing to report a usability concern regarding the latest Remote Desktop (RDP) client behavior, specifically related to resource redirection settings such as Clipboard and Printers.

In our environment, we configure Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Collections with client device redirection enabled (e.g., Clipboard and Printers). These settings correctly generate corresponding parameters in the .rdp file, such as:

redirectclipboard:i:1 redirectprinters:i:1

However, with the latest RDP client updates (notably on Windows 11), the initial security dialog presented to users does not reflect these predefined settings. Even when these options are enabled at the Collection level and included in the .rdp file, the checkboxes in the security prompt appear unchecked during the first connection attempt.

This behavior creates confusion for end users and increases support overhead, as it gives the impression that administrative configurations are not being applied. While we understand the importance of enhanced security measures, this change impacts usability and consistency with previous RDP client behavior.

We kindly request consideration for one or more of the following improvements:

Allow trusted or signed .rdp files to pre-populate and reflect resource redirection settings in the security dialog.
Provide a Group Policy or administrative setting to enforce these options as pre-checked for trusted environments.
Improve consistency between Collection settings, .rdp configuration, and the client-side user interface.

This enhancement would significantly improve user experience in managed enterprise environments while still maintaining appropriate security controls.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please let us know if any additional details are required.

Sincerely, Rohit Sharma

0 comments

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

david baker 0

Probably get blocked when it's exposed more but built a small exe to return to to the old double-click-type-password UX where the user configures options to tick and theyre ticked automatically. GitHub dbak91/RdpOneClick

Note this is for unsigned files and Microsoft do support a cleaner only registry fix in HKEY LOCAL MACHINE but admit it could be patched out

0 comments

Answer 2

Dear rohit sharma

Thanks for raising this .I totally get why it’s frustrating. What you’re seeing is actually tied to recent changes in the RDP client’s security model on Windows 11. Even though the .rdp file has redirectclipboard:i:1 and redirectprinters:i:1 baked in, the client now intentionally shows those checkboxes as unchecked in the initial prompt. The idea is to make users explicitly aware of what’s being redirected, but I agree it feels inconsistent compared to how things worked before.

From a usability standpoint, you’re right it can cause confusion and extra support calls. At the moment, there isn’t a Group Policy setting that forces those boxes to appear pre-checked, but this is something we’ve already flagged internally as feedback. The best workaround today is to rely on the .rdp file or Collection settings themselves, since the actual redirection still happens as configured, regardless of what the dialog visually shows.

That said, your suggestions trusted/signed .rdp files reflecting the settings, or a policy to enforce pre-checks are spot on. They line up with what other enterprise customers have asked for, so it’s definitely on Microsoft’s radar. I’d encourage you to keep an eye on upcoming RDP client updates, because usability improvements in this area are being actively discussed.

In the meantime, if you want to reduce user confusion, one practical step is to communicate to end users that the unchecked boxes don’t mean redirection is disabled it’s just a UI prompt change. Not ideal, but it helps bridge the gap until a fix or enhancement lands

Hope this clears things up a bit! If this explanation helps, please hit “Accept Answer” so that it could be spread further to those in need. Thank you!

Michael Csikos 5 Reputation points

2026-08-04T07:31:42.0166667+00:00

This isn't about user confusion, it's just absolutely stupid and frustrating. If I run mstsc the Local Resources tab has Printers and Clipboard selected, and it remembers the setting. If I double-click an rdp file which specifies redirectclipboard:i:1 I have to select Clipboard every single time. The point of saving my settings to an rdp file is to save me time, but now it doesn't. To make this dialog even worse, the Connect button has N set as the mnemonic, but if you have just clicked a checkbox or hit the shortcut, e.g. Alt+L for Clipboard, you can't hit Alt+N to connect because the N gets intercepted by the checkbox and sets it to false (or no I suppose). It's just trainwreck of a dialog. I wish it would just show the normal mstsc dialog with the settings loaded from the rdp file.