Does M365 Business Premium support RDS - shared computer activation

Question

Does M365 Business Premium support RDS - shared computer activation

Benjamin Fellner 105

Hi there,

we have an RDS where 10 users should be able to access M365 applications and a ERP at the same time, does Microsoft 365 Business Premium Plan support it? Since M365 Business Standard does not. Thanks for your help!

BR

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2 answers

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Answer 1

David Pellegrini 0

Hello,

I may be wrong but to my knowledge if the necessary feature / service is SCA, then SCA is included with the Apps for Business coming with M365 Business Premium licenses.

Hope this helps.

Best regards.

David

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Answer 2

Marie B 610

Hi Benjamin,

Thank you for your question.

You're correct that the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan does not support use in a Remote Desktop Services (RDS) environment. However, the Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan also does not support RDS for Microsoft 365 desktop applications.

To support simultaneous access to Microsoft 365 apps in an RDS environment for multiple users, you'll need a plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (formerly Office 365 ProPlus), which is part of:

Microsoft 365 E3

Microsoft 365 E5

Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (standalone)

These plans support shared computer activation (SCA), which is required for RDS scenarios.

If your setup requires 10 users to access M365 applications and an ERP system concurrently via RDS, I recommend considering one of the above plans.

Let me know if you’d like help evaluating the best licensing option based on your current infrastructure.
Best regards,
Marie

MSJ 5 Reputation points

2025-08-19T16:42:00.2033333+00:00
Thanks Marie,

but the official page is quite clear, so I'd like to know how you come to that conclusion: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/licensing-activation/overview-shared-computer-activation

To use shared computer activation, you need an Office 365 (or Microsoft 365) plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps and also supports shared computer activation. Shared computer activation is available for the following plans:

Any plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For example, Office 365 E3 or Microsoft 365 E5.

Any plan that includes the desktop version of Project or Visio. For example, Planner and Project Plan 3 or Visio Plan 2.

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan, which includes Microsoft 365 Apps for business.

Note

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan is the only business plan that includes support for shared computer activation. There are other business plans, such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard, that include Microsoft 365 Apps for business, but, those business plans don't include support for shared computer activation.

Shared computer activation is available for Education plans that include Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For example, Office 365 A3 or Microsoft 365 A5.

Shared computer activation isn't available for Office for Mac.
Ferlin Pedro 0 Reputation points

2025-10-03T23:38:56.52+00:00

How is this possible that business premium doesn't support SCA when the official microsoft documentation says it does if one installs the M365 apps for business on RDS and turn it on?