My RDP session keeps disconnecting after a few seconds, sometimes after a minute. This started happening suddenll

Question

My RDP session keeps disconnecting after a few seconds, sometimes after a minute. This started happening suddenll

Dale DeServe 25

I can connect to VM via RDP. But I keep getting disconnected from the RDP session. I have other VMs in different Azure accounts and I do not have this problem with those. I have tried the troubleshooting steps given by Microsoft https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/troubleshoot-rdp-intermittent-connectivity , but the problem remains.

anashetty 3,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-18T01:22:20.0233333+00:00

Hi Dale DeServe,

Could you please tell me Which version of Windows Server is running on the VM? (e.g., 2016, 2019, 2022?) Do you see any black screen when the RDP is disconnected? Have you updated recently, and do you get any error message? Please provide above details, so that I can assist you in detail.

Thank you.
Dale DeServe 25 Reputation points

2025-03-18T12:54:41.6766667+00:00

Thank you for your response.

Windows (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter) is running on the VM. It is up-to-date with no update errors.

Sometimes when it gets disconnected, the screen goes black. An error dialog with the error message below is always displayed.

[Window Title]

Remote Desktop Connection

[Content]

Your Remote Desktop Services session has ended.

The connection to the remote computer was lost, possibly due to network connectivity problems. Try connecting to the remote computer again. If the problem continues, contact your network administrator or technical support.

[^] Hide details [OK]

[Expanded Information]

Error code: 0x904

Extended error code: 0x0

Timestamp (UTC): 03/18/25 12:39:47 PM

Press Ctrl+C to copy.
Mars Shan-MSFT 1,085 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-19T03:11:06.5+00:00

You can open your event viewer to confirm if there's any errors.

First , you should record the time when you issue repro. Then check these logs around the time:

Application and Services Logs -> Microsoft -> Windows -> TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager

Systems Logs

Application Logs
Dale DeServe 25 Reputation points

2025-03-19T10:01:56.9366667+00:00

The log does not have any error messages, only Information messages. When I get disconnected, I observe the following in the log:

Session 2 has been disconnected, reason code 5

I am also seeing:

Remote Desktop Services: Session has been disconnected: User: xx\xx Session ID: 2 Source Network Address: x.x.x.x

I have a Just-in-time policy for RDP connections, and as far as I know, there aren't any other clients attempting RDP connections.

When I connect, the logs indicate that there are two sessions IDs. There is always a session ID 2 which gets disconnected with Reason Code 5, and there is another session with an ID that keeps incrementing, 11, 12, 13, 14... etc - and this one keeps disconnecting with Reason Code 0.

Also, the disconnects are not random. I timed them and I always get disconnected after 1 minute.
anashetty 3,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-20T06:45:56.04+00:00

Hi Dale DeServe,

I have provided information to your question. Please tell us if it was helpful and feel free to reach out to us if you have any further queries. If this is helpful to you, please click on Upvote.

Accepted answer

0 additional answers

Your answer

anashetty 3,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-18T01:22:20.0233333+00:00

Hi Dale DeServe,

Could you please tell me Which version of Windows Server is running on the VM? (e.g., 2016, 2019, 2022?) Do you see any black screen when the RDP is disconnected? Have you updated recently, and do you get any error message? Please provide above details, so that I can assist you in detail.

Thank you.
Dale DeServe 25 Reputation points

2025-03-18T12:54:41.6766667+00:00

Thank you for your response.

Windows (Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter) is running on the VM. It is up-to-date with no update errors.

Sometimes when it gets disconnected, the screen goes black. An error dialog with the error message below is always displayed.

[Window Title]

Remote Desktop Connection

[Content]

Your Remote Desktop Services session has ended.

The connection to the remote computer was lost, possibly due to network connectivity problems. Try connecting to the remote computer again. If the problem continues, contact your network administrator or technical support.

[^] Hide details [OK]

[Expanded Information]

Error code: 0x904

Extended error code: 0x0

Timestamp (UTC): 03/18/25 12:39:47 PM

Press Ctrl+C to copy.
Mars Shan-MSFT 1,085 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-19T03:11:06.5+00:00

You can open your event viewer to confirm if there's any errors.

First , you should record the time when you issue repro. Then check these logs around the time:

Application and Services Logs -> Microsoft -> Windows -> TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager

Systems Logs

Application Logs
Dale DeServe 25 Reputation points

2025-03-19T10:01:56.9366667+00:00

The log does not have any error messages, only Information messages. When I get disconnected, I observe the following in the log:

Session 2 has been disconnected, reason code 5

I am also seeing:

Remote Desktop Services: Session has been disconnected: User: xx\xx Session ID: 2 Source Network Address: x.x.x.x

I have a Just-in-time policy for RDP connections, and as far as I know, there aren't any other clients attempting RDP connections.

When I connect, the logs indicate that there are two sessions IDs. There is always a session ID 2 which gets disconnected with Reason Code 5, and there is another session with an ID that keeps incrementing, 11, 12, 13, 14... etc - and this one keeps disconnecting with Reason Code 0.

Also, the disconnects are not random. I timed them and I always get disconnected after 1 minute.
anashetty 3,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-20T06:45:56.04+00:00

Hi Dale DeServe,

I have provided information to your question. Please tell us if it was helpful and feel free to reach out to us if you have any further queries. If this is helpful to you, please click on Upvote.

Answer 1

Hi Dale DeServe,

Thanks for replying back with detailed information. The error code 0x904 and the black screen issue you're experiencing during RDP disconnections are often related to network connectivity problems, RDP session timeouts, or specific Windows updates causing instability.Once check the installed updates on the VM, if problematic updates are found, uninstall them.
Please refer to this Microsoft blog where many people faced similar issues, most of them has resolved issue temporarily: KB5050094 Causes RDP Disconnects

Navigate to UDP in the Remote Desktop client. If you go to GPEDIT \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Remote Desktop Services \ Remote Desktop Connection Client and change the value of the rule "Turn off UDP on client" to Enabled, the disconnections should be resolved.

Please check previous thread with similar issue: Remote Desktop Sessions are disconnecting and reconnecting after about 1 minute

Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 machines will be discontinued on October 10, 2023, after which Microsoft will no longer provide security updates. If your VM is running Windows Server 2012 R2, it's highly recommended to upgrade to a newer version or migrate to Azure to ensure continued security and support.
For your reference: Windows Server 2012 R2

User's image

If you have any further queries, let me know. If the solution is helpful, please click on Upvote.

Dale DeServe 25 Reputation points

2025-03-20T14:23:10.0133333+00:00

Thank you!

This solved my problem. I am no longer getting disconnected from the VM.

Navigate to UDP in the Remote Desktop client. If you go to GPEDIT \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Remote Desktop Services \ Remote Desktop Connection Client and change the value of the rule "Turn off UDP on client" to Enabled, the disconnections should be resolved.
anashetty 3,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-21T01:24:40.46+00:00

Hi Dale DeServe,

As the solution is helpful for you, could you please Accept Answer on it, so that other people in the community will easily find the solution.

Share via

My RDP session keeps disconnecting after a few seconds, sometimes after a minute. This started happening suddenll

0 additional answers

Your answer