Does Windows Server 2025 Essentials have Remote Desktop access built in like 2016 Essentials does?

Question

Hi,

I will shortly be needing to replace an aging Windows Server 2016 Essentials, but one of the key feature that it and its predecessors have is what Microsoft refer to as AnyWhere Access, which uses the RDS Gateway to allow remote access to PCs on the LAN. Does 2025 Essentials still provide this service? It is proving very difficult to find this out, there seems to be almost no information about 2025 Essentials full feature list and I am getting conflicting comments online. Someone must know the definitive answer here surely.

If the AnyWhere Access is not a feature, can I install the RDS Gateway as an extra and if so, what additional licensing is required, if any? I need to be able to give some users (at least 3) get access to their office PC.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

Windows Server 2025 Essentials no longer directly provides the same AnyWhere Access functionality as Windows Server 2016 Essentials. However, you can restore similar functionality by installing Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE). WSEE is a .NET-based application that can run on Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025, providing features including Remote Web Access.

You can install an RDS gateway on Windows Server 2025 as an extra feature to enable remote access to PCs on the LAN. In order to legally use RDS Gateway, you need to purchase the appropriate Client Access License (CAL). You can choose between per-user CAL or per-device CAL.If multiple people share one client or jump server, you usually need to select Per Device mode. If the user will log in through different clients, the Per User mode is usually selected. Also, Per User Cal can only be used in domain environments, while Per Device Cal can be used in domain environments and workgroup environments. Therefore, you can choose the corresponding RDS CAL according to your actual situation.If you have 3 users who need access to an office PC, you need at least 3 RDS user CALs.

I hope this information helps.

Best regards,

Jingjing Wu

Answer 2

Thanks Jingjing, this is the answer I have been looking for.

A couple of questions though, where you say, "However, you can restore similar functionality by installing Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE)", does that need to be done on the Essentials Edition? Or is this just if one is using the Standard Edition of Server 2025? Do we have to use the Standard Edition to be able to install the RDS Gateway, or can it also be done on the Essentials Edition.

Why are RDS CALs so expensive compared to a standard server CAL?

Ian.