How to Check Who has RDP Access to a Server

As a network administrator, you probably have a whole lists of tasks. One of these will have to be to oversee RDP access to your servers. For that you need to know how to check who has RDP access to a server. Is it as straightforward task? What does checking user RDP access entail? We will look at all that before seeing TSplus Remote Access at work and any correlated tasks and possibilities.

RDP User Management in Windows - Some Examples of Tasks

Managing RDP users in Windows or other remote software or services, some tasks are recurrent. Creating users and then granting them appropriate permissions go as a pair. Then you have the checks in question today. Making sure each user has the access permissions they need to complete their daily work also figures on the list.

These are one tip of an iceberg as complex as your network. Some days will go smoothly. Other days, it’s components, devices and apps, the number of staff and users accessing it, and any other variable that might weigh in and multiply potentials, all come together for something quirky to happen.

Checking Who has RDP Access to a Server in Windows

Time to get down to business. Start by accessing the device’s local “Computer Management” via a right click on the start menu. In that window, you can scroll down the side menu within “System Tools”. Expand “Local Users and Groups” and click to access the “Groups” list. Here, you should find all the information you need.

In the group “Remote Desktop Users”, those users listed will have been allocated access privileges. “Administrators” on the other hand should each by default have access to a device. Bear in mind that administrators may not automatically be listed in their group while nonetheless normally being granted default access.

Alternative for Checking Who Has RDP Access to a Server

Windows proprietary software is useful and functions yet we saw the need for something different and simpler. TSplus Remote Access provides you with a complete management console for all your application publishing and Web-enabling , for your user profiles and presence management, even for your farm management, amongst other things. Here is how you would perform the above checks in our environment.

Checking Who has RDP Access to a Server in Remote Access

To perform the above checks when using TSplus Remote Access, you can look in the same places as above for the device-based information. You can manage a host of user-related assignments in the "Publish & Assign Applications" settings in Lite mode and the "Application" preferences in Expert mode. On the Home display of the Expert mode, you will see this:

Click on the “Session Manager” button to view a list of users. As you can see, the “User Sessions” pane contains basic information for each user, including whether they are active of not. You can actually select any one and impact it with an action of your choice amongst the buttons below the table: Remote Control, Disconnect, Logoff, Send Message or [open] Task Manager.

There are extra RDP specific permissions in the "Sessions>Permissions" pane. To test them, you can download a 15-day trial version of Remote Access . It is fully featured so you can get the scope of its capabilities and discover even those not available under a standard licence.

Further Possibilities within TSplus Remote Access

Within the Sessions menu, you can perform other user-related tasks such as set a session time limit (ie, how long a disconnected session is left until terminated) and User Reconnection options (Here, users can be allowed one unique session or multiple sessions. A session can be captured so the user connects to the same session each time, or the previous will be terminated and a new one opened.)

Session Prelaunch is a feature of which we are particularly proud. Indeed, it enables you to set user sessions to launch in advance or usual work-hours for each user or group. This way, when the user connects, there is no latency whatsoever as their session is already up and waiting for them. This will account to smoother starts to your users' workdays.

To finish, here is the Remote Access “Permissions” pane:

Setting any of the features you see with care is worthwhile to increase security for your server. Permissions can restrict access to both or one of the categories of users we have mentioned: all users or admin only. Also, it can be brought right down to LAN users alone or no incoming access whatsoever.

Secure Alternative to Windows Remote Services

Such simple measures contribute to keeping company data and servers secure and making sure that distant access doesn’t become an inroad for cyber-attacks.

A small Post Scriptum as you may have noticed the third block: “Web Portal Access Restrictions”. Do you know about our HTML5 Web Portal ? It is a great RDP-free remote solution for complete cross-device mobility.

Determining Which Users are Currently Connected to a Server

Each user may or may not have an active session. As visible above in picture 2, this information is part of the status column of the Remote Access “User Sessions” pane. Should you also want to determine user-status in Windows, you can read further articles in our blog pages. Different topics are addressed each week around remote access, other related IT topics as well as our array of software. Feel free to browse our blog pages and website to discover more.

To Conclude: How to Check Who Has RDP Access to a Server

These are some simple checks to perform, whether within Windows or in Remote Access itself. TSplus Remote Access offers some quick solutions to some of the issues at the source of such checks as "Which users have been granted access permission to this server?". With a few clicks you can setup our software to discover its simplicity and ease-of-use. Finally, a rapid look at our store will give your accountant or finance manager the assurance that this is a remote solution that will not break the bank.