How do I allow multiple Remote Desktop connections Windows 7?

“How do I allow multiple, simultaneous user logins (RDP) to my Windows 7 server?”

-Question from Microsoft Forum

At beginning of the post, we are sorry to tell you that Windows Server OS, for example, Windows Server 2012 R2 allows 2 Remote Desktop connections for each user, but Windows OS, like Windows 7 only allows one simultaneous incoming RDP connection. When initiating the second RDP connection, you will see the following message popping up:

But this doesn’t mean it is totally impossible to allow multi user login Remote Desktop Windows 7. Actually, you can have Remote Desktop Connection multiple users at the same time by replacing the Termsrv.dll file and performing the Registry modification.

Stepwise tutorial to allow multiple Remote Desktop connections Windows 7 Registry

Let’s see how to allow multiple Remote Desktop connections Windows 7 Registryin this part. The process is divided into 2 parts.

Part 1. Perform the Registry modification

Step 1. To launch the Registry Editor in Windows 7, press Win + R, type in “regedit”and then press Enter.

Step 2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > System > CurrentControlSet > Control > Terminal Server. Find the fDenyTSConnections and fSingleSessionPerUser Registry keys. Double-click them and change their values to 0 respectively.

Part 2. Replace the Termsrv.dll file

Step 1. Download the zipped patch file that includes both the original and patched versions of the termsrv.dll file for Windows 7.

Step 2. Press Win + R, and then type in “services.msc” to open the Services management console. Find Remote Desktop Services in the list and right-click it to stop it.

Step 3. Run Command Prompt as administrator, back up the original termsrv.dll using the following command in case something goes wrong:

copy c:\Windows\System32\termsrv.dll termsrv.dll_old

Step 4. Then go to C:\Windows\System32, find the file termsrv.dll, and right-click to open its Properties.

Step 5. By default, the owner of this file is TrustedInstaller and even the administrator doesn’t have any right to replace it. You need to give full control of this file to the administrator. Click Change.

Step 6. Go to the Security tab and click Edit. Find the local administrators group and give it full control over this file and save the changes.

Step 7. Copy termsrv.dll from the archive downloaded in Step 1 for your Windows 8.1 to %SystemRoot%\System32\ (with replacement).

Step 8. Open the Services management console again and start the Remote Desktop Services.  Then you’re able to create two RDP sessions with the patched computer from different accounts.

RDP alternative: legal way to enable multiple remote desktop connections on Windows 7

Although the following method guide you on how to allow multiple Remote Desktop connections Windows 7 Registry, it is sort of illegal as it breaks the TOS (Term of services) of Microsoft. You need to use it at your own risk. However, you may enable multiple remote desktop connections on Windows 7 in a legal way by using the free third-party remote desktop software, for example, AnyViewer.

AnyViewer supports 2 free connection channels. It means when multiple devices are logged in, 2 devices that allowed to start the remote sessions at the same time. Besides, one controller can initiate 2 simultaneous sessions.

Step 1. Download, install, and launch AnyViewer on Windows 8.1 computers. Go to Log in, and then click Sign up. (If you already have signed up on its official website, you can log in directly.)

Step 2. Fill in the signup information.

Step 3. Then you can see you successfully logged in to AnyViewer. Your device will automatically be assigned to the account you’ve logged in to. 

Step 4. Access the same AnyViewer account on multiple devices. You will then see a list of all the devices that have been logged into the same account. By selecting One-click control, any two of the three devices can start a remote connection to a third device at the same time.

Conclusion

This post primarily introduces how to allow multiple Remote Desktop connections Windows 7 Registry. You can first perform the Registry modification and then replace the Termsrv.dll file. But this is a break of the rules of Microsoft. Therefore, we advise you to use the free remote desktop softwareAnyViewer, which supports multiple remote desktop connections.