Remote Apps constantly get focus and coming to the foreground

Question

we have several Remote Apps published from Windows Server 2022. Users can access them perfectly fine without any connection issues. However, these applications keep coming to the foreground constantly, which becomes annoying when the user is working on other programs on their local machine.

 

For example, a user is typing in a locally installed Word program, and suddenly the RemoteApp for the billing software comes to the foreground, taking focus away from Word. If the user doesn't notice, they continue typing in the Remote App window.

 

We haven't found any relevant settings that could be causing this behavior. We have disabled automatic reconnection to see if it has any impact, but it hasn't helped.

 

Both the client machines and the server hosting the Remote Apps are fully updated with Windows Server 2022. This issue occurs on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines.

It is truly frustrating and makes it very difficult to use the remote applications since they can never be left in the background.

 

We haven't found a solution in other threads, except for some very old similar situations related to Windows 8 or something similar.

 

Any clues or assistance would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello,

The issue you're experiencing with Remote Apps constantly coming to the foreground can be frustrating. Although there isn't a specific solution for this issue that has been widely reported, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to mitigate the problem:

Check the Remote Desktop Connection settings: Ensure that the "Bring to front when clicked" option is unchecked in the Remote Desktop Connection settings. To access these settings, follow these steps:

Launch the Remote Desktop Connection application on the client machine.

Click on the "Show options" button.

Go to the "Local Resources" tab.

Under the "Keyboard" section, make sure the "Apply Windows key combinations" dropdown is set to "Only when using the full screen."

Modify RemoteApp behavior using Group Policy: You can adjust the behavior of RemoteApps through Group Policy settings. Here's what you can try:

On the server hosting the Remote Apps, open the Group Policy Management Editor by running the command gpedit.msc.

Navigate to "Computer Configuration" > "Administrative Templates" > "Windows Components" > "Remote Desktop Services" > "Remote Desktop Session Host" > "Remote Session Environment."

Look for the "RemoteApp behavior" policy and double-click on it.

Select the "Enabled" option and set the behavior to "Only in the RemoteApp window."

Apply the changes and restart the server.

Update Remote Desktop clients: Ensure that the client machines accessing the Remote Apps have the latest Remote Desktop client installed. Newer versions of the client software may have bug fixes or improvements that could potentially resolve the issue. Visit the Microsoft Download Center to get the latest Remote Desktop client for Windows.

Contact Microsoft Support: If the issue persists after trying the above steps, it may be worth reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance and potentially help diagnose the problem more accurately.

Remember to keep both the client machines and the server hosting the Remote Apps up to date with the latest Windows updates, as Microsoft frequently releases patches and bug fixes that can address such issues.

Additionally, consider searching for any known issues or bug reports related to Windows Server 2022 and Remote Apps on the Microsoft Support website or forums. Sometimes, known issues may not have a direct solution, but they can provide insights into workarounds or alternative configurations that may alleviate the problem until a permanent solution is available.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

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