I needed the solution to connect to a service. I need fixed IPs. When I'm working from home, I have a dynamic IP. One of our clients has opened a server with a fixed IP for us. We connect to the server using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.
Application Development Specialist at Field consulting Ltd.
Easy to use, enables remote work, and establishes a simple funnel to servers
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use."
- "The stability could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The solution makes remote work possible. It has made my life easier because I don't have to travel. I can use it from anywhere.
What is most valuable?
I did not face any problems with the product’s performance. It is stable. The solution is easy to use. The application publishing feature is simple. The tool establishes a simple funnel to the server.
What needs improvement?
The stability could be improved.
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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
August 2025

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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for 1.5 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a 9 out of 10.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not an issue.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. The deployment took 10 minutes. I can do the deployment myself. The deployment was not very hard because the tool is part of Windows. We need to set up some parameters with the remote server. They are quite simple steps. I received credentials from the server operator and used them as parameters during the setup. We can reach all the physical servers using the tool.
What was our ROI?
The tool enables me to work without traveling.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do not have to pay for the product.
What other advice do I have?
I don't know whether setting up a two-factor authentication in the product is possible. It is quite simple to access the remote server if the setup is done properly. Overall, I rate the product a 9 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Head of IT at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Scales well but reliability could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well."
- "The reliability of the solution could improve."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is a remote desktop service to connect outside our company.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The reliability of the solution could improve.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 60 to 400 people using the solution.
I rate the scalability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used VMware and switched to Microsoft Remote Desktop Services because the price was lower.
What about the implementation team?
The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services was done by our company.
What other advice do I have?
We are going to discontinue the use of this solution within a few months.
The newer versions of the solutions work better than the older ones.
I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,497 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Web Manager at a healthcare company with 1-10 employees
Useful as a help desk service and comes free with Microsoft services, but has a complex setup
Pros and Cons
- "It's part of the Microsoft Operating system and is free."
- "The administrative functionality is not enough for me."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use the solution as a remote desktop. I'm using it over a VPN and SSH too.
What is most valuable?
I like how it shows the user how you can do things as a help desk service.
It's part of the Microsoft Operating system and is free. If comes with the larger Microsoft licensing.
What needs improvement?
It's so insecure, and it's so limited. It became more limited since we cannot use the administration tools. Nothing is really working at this moment. I'm using it over a VPN and SSH too.
I've tried Microsoft's user assistance, and it's limited.
The administrative functionality is not enough for me. I don't want the user to see what I am doing. I don't want to reveal any authorization keys or passwords. I want to be in the background, managing the desktop and using the Remote Desktop Viewer while handling best practices.
I'd like a chat function so we can talk right there in the app. It would be better than picking up the phone and guiding the users.
I'd like stronger security.
I'd like to lock the session and take over a session so the user can just watch what I am doing and not interfere.
While the setup looks simple, in the end, it is pretty complex.
A big upgrade would be if they stepped back from the TCP RDP port they are using and design it after an SSH tunneling and use that port since a tunnel is between two devices, and it is a very secure way to connect. The added benefit is you would also have the possibility to share local and remote resources.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for a long time. I've used the product for more than seven years. I've likely used it since Windows 7.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is okay, depending on the internet connection. I'd rate it seven out of ten for its general level of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Basic remote services are not very scalable. I'm trying to use InTune instead, which seems to have more of the functionality I need.
Right now, usage is limited, and we only have ten people on the solution. It's used mainly by people who are not always in the same location.
How are customer service and support?
User support is limited. They lack documentation. However, there is a learning center at Microsoft.com, which is pretty good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used Log Meln previously. It's a lot better, yet it is quite expensive. There's also TeamViewer, which is well known, and we've used it before. Once again, with the things I do, it is expensive. As a company, you need to pay a big fee. It's not ideal for small teams.
How was the initial setup?
The solution starts off simple in terms of deployment. However, it gets complex. You have to open locked ports, and that can make your network insecure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is great as it's free in the larger Microsoft system. It's integrated with the operating system. For me, the licensing is a five out of five in terms of useability and affordability.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an end-user.
The solution is used on-prem with VPN tunneling and SSH. With an Azure AD connection, we can use it on the cloud.
It's not the best, as the users can always see what you are doing, which is not always ideal. I'd rate it six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Technology Consultant at Eta2u
Easy to use with good availability and reliability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable and reliable."
- "We'd like to see more integration with other vendors."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for accessing services in our infrastructure, and also, since it's a remote service solution, the desktop infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
I use the solution as a necessity in order to connect to some servers or to some desktop infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The availability is very good.
It's easy to use. New users especially find it very simple. You just connect and go.
The solution is stable and reliable.
You can combine the Remote Desktop Services with Citrix in some form, however, not with all of the features of both. It depends on the situation.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see more integration with other vendors.
The solution could offer better, easier scalability.
Technical support response times could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is good. It's reliable. I haven't had issues with it. There are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability maybe should be improved. I'm not sure, with the latest version, how scalable it is. We had issues a few years ago and I worked closely with the guys that implemented them. I know that there were better products in the market on the side of scalability. It could scale a lot easier or faster.
Right now, we have about 100 people on-premises using the solution. We are a small firm.
How are customer service and support?
I don't have much experience with Microsoft services or support.
As far as I've seen, they are there. However, they are kind of slow. That said, it's not something we can generalize and say, "Well, this is Microsoft." In our experience, they are okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Vendor Desktop Infrastructure. We still use Citrix and we used VMware Horizon as well.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't a part of the initial setup and, therefore, can't speak to the process.
That said, I do not recall the team having any major issues.
We have a team of two engineers that can handle deployment and maintenance tasks. It's good to have a few people available in case someone goes on holidays or has a day off, et cetera.
What about the implementation team?
Our team handled the implementation in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not aware of the exact costs of licensing. You might have to budget a bit for maintenance, however, it's very minimal.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We test a lot of solutions as we use a lot of different products with clients. We must remain sharp, so we spend some time looking into many options to see what would work best for each customer.
If it's something new appears in the market, we will install it in order to see if it's okay to recommend to our customers.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Microsft partner. Microsoft product is used in over 90% of the corporate environment here.
This solution is a technology implemented in our company. My position is in the IT department; I also sometimes help troubleshoot.
We tend to use the latest version. We are using both cloud and on-premises deployments.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Student at Queens University Belfast
Saves time and is convenient to use, but the stability must be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The product saves time."
- "The stability must be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use the tool to switch to my company’s Windows desktop from my personal system.
What is most valuable?
The product saves time. It is convenient to use. It is a smart solution. The security is good.
What needs improvement?
The stability must be improved.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product’s stability a six out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a bunch of users.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is easy. It took five to seven minutes. The solution is cloud-based.
What about the implementation team?
We can do the deployment ourselves. We install an application and connect to the server. We must provide our credentials to connect to the tool.
What other advice do I have?
People who want to use the product must do a bit of research before making a decision. We faced compatibility issues since some users were using different operating systems. So, our organization asked us to use Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Windows is a very common operating system used all over the world. Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Infrastructure and Application Support Department at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Straightforward with a good user interface and an easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution works well as a remote desktop."
- "The pricing could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security purposes. For example, blocking copy-paste.
What is most valuable?
The solution works well as a remote desktop.
The security is good. It can block copy-paste attempts.
It's a straightforward product.
The user interface is good. It's just a plain Windows interface. It's easy to understand.
It is very easy to set up.
What needs improvement?
There isn't any feature missing.
I don't like Windows too much. The whole idea of the remote desktop is nonsense in the Unix world.
The pricing could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for 20 years. I've used it for two decades or so. It's been used by me for a long time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
While the solution is stable, it is sometimes slow. I'd rate the stability at eight out of ten. It is mostly reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Windows isn't really scalable. I'd rate it six out of ten in terms of scalability.
We use the solution enterprise-wide. We likely have 100 people using it. We do not have plans to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
I've never used technical support in the past.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Citrix in the past as well. I used it for different use cases. We like Microsoft for its small-scale simplicity. It is not VDI, per se. It's just a remote desktop.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. The product is very simple.
Its deployment only takes a half-day. The software makes everything very easy. you just buy the license and install it. I'm not very technical and therefore don't know all of the steps.
One person who is knowledgeable can handle the initial setup. Typically, it doesn't require anyone with high skill levels.
What about the implementation team?
We can handle the setup ourselves.
What was our ROI?
The ROI isn't the best as it is a pretty expensive product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You do need to pay for a license and it is expensive. We have a perpetual license. The more users you have the more expensive it can be.
What other advice do I have?
We are using the latest version of the solution. We are using the solution that comes with the Windows Server between 2019 and 2022.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I would rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
system engineer at Yaşar Holding
Shares computer resources perfectly and provides the necessary security options
Pros and Cons
- "The tool shares computer resources perfectly."
- "Sometimes, the updates break the system."
What is our primary use case?
The users connect to a central server and share the physical or visual server resources. They use the remote desktop environment for office documents, operations, and company-specific programs.
What is most valuable?
The solution works perfectly. The tool shares computer resources perfectly. It provides the necessary security options.
What needs improvement?
When we update the environment, we face problems sometimes, and the users cannot use the system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for about 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable. Sometimes, the updates break the system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is very scalable. We can add and delete objects from the environment easily. We have approximately 500 users.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. It is easy to deploy. Microsoft provides the necessary documentation, including detailed steps to install and configure the servers. The deployment process can be improved. It can be made more easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool must be cheaper. It should provide an option to pay the license fee once in a year or once in two years.
What other advice do I have?
We don't use any support because we can easily find online documents to solve our issues. I recommend that everybody use the product. If any company wants to share one computer’s resources with many users, they can choose Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Service Delivery Manager at Almoayyed Computers
Highly secure, easy to configure, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."
What is our primary use case?
We have many customers that are using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for publishing internal applications through the services. The process involves virtualizing applications for internal and external users and making them accessible through Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and reverse proxy services. By doing so, users can indirectly access the applications without logging into the server directly. The solution is used mostly for external company users.
How has it helped my organization?
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has helped the security posture of the organization by not exposing its internal applications. instead of giving internal direct access to their internal apps. They give access to only a secondary server with limited access to internal applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration.
What needs improvement?
The solution can improve the policies of the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Remote Desktop Services for approximately 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is scalable, we are able to have more licenses or increase the load if needed.
How are customer service and support?
The solution is straightforward and we have not had any problems needing to contact support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used a similar solution to Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is simple. It only takes a few clicks of the mouse to complete.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable. The solution can come for free for some clients with certain agreements.
What other advice do I have?
For customers who already have the Microsoft EA framework, the license for enhancing internal security when publishing web and internal applications to both internal and external users is readily available. By using this feature, customers can ensure that their applications remain secure without compromising access to their users. This eliminates the need for direct access, thereby enhancing the overall security of their systems.
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Microsoft Remote Desktop Services an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

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Updated: August 2025
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