How to Increase Max RDP Sessions via Regedit

By default, Windows restricts the number of simultaneous Remote Desktop (RDP) connections allowed on a system. This guide provides a direct, step-by-step walkthrough on how to use the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit) to increase the maximum allowed concurrent RDP sessions and allow multiple sessions per user on Windows Server environments.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
  3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative permissions.

Step 2: Allow Multiple Sessions per User

By default, Windows limits each user account to a single active session, disconnecting an existing session if the same user logs in again. To disable this restriction:

  1. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server

  2. Locate the DWORD value named fSingleSessionPerUser in the right-hand pane.

  3. Double-click fSingleSessionPerUser and set its Value data to 0.

    • 0 = Multiple sessions per user allowed.
    • 1 = Single session per user enforced.

  4. Click OK.

Step 3: Increase the Maximum Connection Limit

Next, configure the total number of simultaneous connections the server will accept:

  1. Navigate to the following policy path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services

    (If the Terminal Services key does not exist under Windows NT, right-click Windows NT, select New > Key, and name it Terminal Services.)

  2. Right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it:

    MaxInstanceCount

  3. Double-click MaxInstanceCount.

  4. Under Base, select Decimal.

  5. In the Value data field, enter the maximum number of concurrent sessions you want to allow (for example, 999999 for effectively unlimited connections).

  6. Click OK.

Step 4: Ensure Remote Desktop Connections Are Enabled

Verify that remote connections are explicitly permitted in the registry:

  1. In the same path (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services), verify the DWORD named fDenyTSConnections.
  2. Double-click fDenyTSConnections and set its Value data to 0.
  3. Click OK.

Step 5: Apply the Changes

To apply the changes, restart the Remote Desktop Services service or reboot the computer:

  1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

  2. Run the following commands:

    net stop TermService /y
net start TermService

  3. Alternatively, restart the machine.

Note: Modifying these registry settings allows concurrent sessions on Windows Server editions equipped with appropriate Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access Licenses (CALs). Standard consumer editions of Windows (Windows 10/11 Home and Pro) enforce a hard-coded limit of one active session at the operating system kernel level.