Remote Session Environment

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Policy settings in this node control configuration of the user interface in Terminal Services sessions.

The full path of this node in the Group Policy Management Console is:

User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Terminal Server\Remote Session Environment

Note

If you are using the Local Group Policy Editor, Policies is not part of the node path.

Available policy settings

Name Explanation Requirements

Always show desktop on connection

This policy setting allows you to specify whether the desktop is always displayed after a client connects to a remote computer or whether an initial program can run. It can require that the desktop be displayed after a client connects to a remote computer, even if an initial program is already specified in the default user profile, Remote Desktop Connection, Terminal Services client, or through Group Policy.

If you enable this policy setting, the desktop is always displayed when a client connects to a remote computer. This policy setting overrides any initial program policy settings.

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, an initial program can be specified that runs on the remote computer after the client connects to the remote computer. If an initial program is not specified, the desktop is always displayed on the remote computer after the client connects to the remote computer.

Note
If this policy setting is enabled, the Start a program on connection policy setting is ignored.

At least Windows Server 2008

Remove remote desktop wallpaper

This policy setting allows you to specify whether desktop wallpaper is displayed to clients when they are connected to a remote server by using Terminal Services.

You can use this policy setting to enforce the removal of wallpaper during a remote session.

If you enable this policy setting, wallpaper is not displayed to a Terminal Services client.

If you disable this policy setting, wallpaper is displayed to a Terminal Services client, depending on the client configuration.

If you do not configure this policy setting, Windows Vista displays wallpaper to remote clients connecting through Remote Desktop, depending on the client configuration (for more information, see the Experience tab in the Remote Desktop Connection options). By default, servers running Windows Server 2008 do not display wallpaper to remote sessions.

At least Windows Server 2008

Start a program on connection

This policy setting allows you to configure Terminal Services to run a specified program automatically upon connection.

You can use this policy setting to specify a program to run automatically when a user logs on to a remote computer.

By default, Terminal Services sessions provide access to the full Windows desktop, unless otherwise specified with this policy setting, by the server administrator, or by the user in configuring the client connection. Enabling this setting overrides the Start Program settings set by the server administrator or user. The Start menu and Windows Desktop are not displayed, and when the user exits the program the session is automatically logged off.

To use this setting, in the Program path and file name box, type the fully qualified path and file name of the executable file to be run when the user logs on. If necessary, in the Working Directory box, type the fully qualified path to the starting directory for the program. If you leave Working Directory blank, the program runs with its default working directory. If the specified program path, file name, or working directory is not the name of a valid directory, the terminal server connection fails with an error message.

If you enable this policy setting, Terminal Services sessions automatically run the specified program and use the specified working directory (or the program default directory, if Working Directory is not specified) as the working directory for the program.

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Terminal Services sessions start with the full desktop, unless the server administrator or user specify otherwise. (For more information, see the Run these programs at user logon policy setting located in Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\System\Logon.

Note

This policy setting appears in both Computer Configuration and User Configuration. If both policy settings are configured, the Computer Configuration policy setting takes precedence.

At least Windows Server 2003