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Overview
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Multipath improves session resiliency by establishing multiple transport paths between the Windows App and your Cloud PC. By continuously monitoring these paths and automatically transitioning traffic when network conditions change, RDP Multipath helps reduce session interruptions and maintain a more reliable remote desktop experience.
RDP Multipath provides the following benefits:
Improved session resiliency – Multiple transport paths help maintain connectivity during transient network issues and reduce the likelihood of session interruptions
Automatic path selection and failover – RDP Multipath continuously evaluates available transport paths and automatically uses the most reliable path.
Support for UDP and TCP connectivity scenarios – Users can benefit from RDP Multipath across a variety of network environments, including networks where UDP connectivity is restricted.
Seamless integration – No additional configuration is required beyond ensuring your environment meets the prerequisites and is configured to use RDP Shortpath.
RDP Multipath automatically maintains multiple transport paths between the Windows App and your Cloud PC. If the active transport path becomes unavailable or degraded, traffic can transition to an alternate path to help maintain session continuity. If all transport paths are lost, such as during a local network outage, the connection attempts to recover once network connectivity is restored.
Important
- If all paths fail example due to a local network outage, the system attempts to reconnect once connectivity is restored.
How does this work?
The following diagram illustrates how RDP Multipath works with Windows 365 cloud PC. In this user scenario, the primary active transport path is UDP via STUN, supplemented by redundant UDP connections through a TURN server.
When UDP‑based RDP Shortpath connectivity is available, UDP remains the preferred transport protocol for optimal performance and reliability. In addition to maintaining redundant UDP paths, Windows 365 Cloud PC can establish redundant TCP standby transport paths to improve overall session resiliency.
Requirements
RDP Multipath works automatically when the following prerequisites are met:
Microsoft recommends configuring RDP Shortpath as the primary transport protocol to maximize the resiliency benefits of RDP Multipath. For more information, see Configure RDP Shortpath.
Connections must be from a local Windows device using Windows App, version 2.0.559.0 or later, which is the minimum supported version for RDP Multipath. This version enables RDP Multipath with multiple UDP transport paths.
To take advantage of the latest RDP Multipath enhancements, including support for multiple UDP transport paths and redundant TCP transport paths, connections must use Windows App Version 2.0.1069.0 or later
Other platforms aren't currently supported.
Important
Microsoft recommends using Windows App version 2.0.1069.0 or later and configuring RDP Shortpath as the primary transport protocol for the best RDP Multipath experience. With Windows App version 2.0.559.0 or later, users benefit from RDP Multipath with multiple UDP transport paths. With Windows App version 2.0.1069.0 or later, users gain the additional resiliency benefits of redundant TCP transport paths. If UDP connectivity is unavailable or restricted by network policy, RDP Multipath can continue to provide resiliency through redundant TCP transport paths.
Required network endpoints for RDP transport
To support RDP connectivity using UDP‑based Shortpath and Multipath, as well as TCP‑based connections over Reverse Connect, ensure outbound connectivity to the following endpoints:
| # | RDP Method | FQDN | IP | Protocol/Port | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCP-based RDP | *.wvd.microsoft.com | 40.64.144.0/20 | TCP 443 | TCP-based RDP connection. Initial connection made by every connection to a session host or Cloud PC. |
| 2 | UDP-based RDP via TURN | n/a | 51.5.0.0/16 | UDP 3478 | Relayed UDP-based RDP connection using TURN servers. Works when direct connectivity isn't possible. |
| 3 | UDP-based RDP using STUN | n/a | 51.5.0.0/16 | UDP 1024-65535 (Default: 49152-65535) | Direct 1:1 UDP connection between user device and session host or Cloud PC. |
Port scaling considerations
When using RDP Shortpath and RDP Multipath, customers should plan firewall and network capacity with per‑user port scaling in mind.
Each active user session can establish up to five outbound transport paths:
Up to three UDP ports for UDP‑based RDP Shortpath and Multipath connections (for example, primary and redundant UDP paths discovered through STUN or TURN).
Up to two TCP ports for TCP‑based RDP connections over Reverse Connect, including redundant TCP transport paths when available.
Ensure that firewall rules, NAT capacity, and port exhaustion limits are configured to accommodate the expected number of concurrent user sessions and their associated transport paths at scale.
Note
UDP-based connectivity remains the preferred transport protocol for optimal performance and reliability. In environments where UDP connectivity is restricted or unavailable due to firewall or proxy requirements, Windows 365 Cloud PCs connections rely on TCP-based transport over port 443.
Verify RDP Multipath connectivity
Users can check the connection status of a remote session from the connection bar, which shows RDP Multipath is enabled, as shown in the following example screenshot:
