# How to enable Remote Desktop through Registry or GPO

If you have ever been remote and cannot connect to a computer/server and need to have remote desktop enabled, you can enable it via remote registry or through a <span class="caps">GPO</span>.

[http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/w2k3/services/terminal\_services\_remote\_desktop.htm](http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/w2k3/services/terminal_services_remote_desktop.htm)

HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\\<span class="caps">SYSTEM</span>\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\Terminal Server  
key to change is “fDenyTSConnections” change the value from 1 to 0.

Or you can create a custom adm file for gpo by using the following template.  
Info on creating custom adm files can be found at the following link.   
[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816662/](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816662/)

<span class="caps">CLASS</span> <span class="caps">MACHINE</span>

<span class="caps">CATEGORY</span> RemoteDesktop  
<span class="caps">POLICY</span> “Enable Remote Desktop”  
<span class="caps">KEYNAME</span> “<span class="caps">SYSTEM</span>\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\Terminal Server”

<span class="caps">EXPLAIN</span> “Enabling this setting will allow Remote Desktop Connections to be made to the Server. Disabling this setting will prohibit Remote Desktop Connections from being made to the Server. Setting this to ‘Not Configured’ will keep the previous registry setting.”

<span class="caps">VALUENAME</span> “fDenyTSConnections”  
<span class="caps">VALUEON</span> <span class="caps">NUMERIC</span> 0  
<span class="caps">VALUEOFF</span> <span class="caps">NUMERIC</span> 1

<span class="caps">END</span> <span class="caps">POLICY</span>   
<span class="caps">END</span> <span class="caps">CATEGORY</span>