Save /admin /console setting in RDP

When using Microsoft Remote Desktop to connect to remote computers, you can force the option to connect to the console session by using the /admin switch (or /console switch if you run older versions of the terminal services client.)

You used to be able to use the setting:

to save the option in an RDP file. This stopped working in the latest version of the RDP client (version 6.1).

After doing a lot of research (I don’t know why Microsoft doesn’t just list the current available options for RDP saved sessions!) I finally found out how to save this option in the current version of the RDP client from this obscure posting.

To save the “connect to console” setting — essentially forcing the “/admin” switch, put this line in your RDP file:

Comments (25) »

1. Andrew says:

   9/26/2012 at 10:17 am

   Thank you for sharing this – I added it to the bottom of a saved .RDP and it worked a charm!

   Reply to this Comment
2. Brambilla Gian Luca says:

   12/13/2012 at 4:29 am

   Thanks.

   Reply to this Comment
3. Masoud says:

   3/8/2013 at 10:34 am

   thank you very much.

   this helped me alot ^_^

   Reply to this Comment
4. silopolis says:

   9/2/2013 at 10:21 am

   Thank you very much
   Bests

   Reply to this Comment
5. Michael Corban says:

   1/6/2014 at 9:51 pm

   Thank you so much for this post I have looked for no kidding two years for this fix!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://www.simmonsconsulting.com/2010/10/12/save-admin-console-setting-in-rdp/

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6. Ramesh says:

   1/8/2014 at 8:37 am

   Thank you for sharing a very useful tip.

   Reply to this Comment
7. Jeny Koruth says:

   3/20/2014 at 9:12 am

   Thank you very much. Now I can start using RDP files again after, what, about 2 years. I was stuck with mstsc with the ‘/admin’ option every time I had to connect (which is multiple times/multiple servers a day).

   Reply to this Comment
8. Jon Mills says:

   5/15/2014 at 10:45 pm

   The full list of options is on for those looking for other magic settings..

   Interestingly, when i connect to a 2K8r2 running as a HyperV VM on my Win 8.1 machine using this setting, the screen when i connect via HyperV manager doesn’t change. surely it should be the same as what’s on my mstsc screen?

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   • Jon Mills says:

     5/15/2014 at 10:47 pm

     oopsie. forgot to close the <A tag….. :)

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   • Toby Simmons says:

     5/18/2014 at 6:16 pm

     Thanks, Jon. Good link!

     Reply to this Comment
9. Pawel says:

   7/27/2015 at 6:17 pm

   Your post helped me a lot, thanks!

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10. Patrick says:

    7/30/2015 at 3:43 am

    Thanks a lot!

    Reply to this Comment
11. Mark says:

    8/13/2015 at 6:41 am

    Thank you!

    Reply to this Comment
12. Predrag says:

    2/3/2016 at 4:17 am

    Excellent, brilliant, perfect

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13. icaon upgrade says:

    3/21/2016 at 4:39 pm

    Here is what I did along with your help. (Thank you very much!!!!)
    I added /admin to the end of the target with in the properties of RDP. works like a charm. thanks again!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply to this Comment
14. ppap says:

    2/1/2017 at 1:10 am

    That`s really work. Thanks.

    Reply to this Comment
15. Muhammed Ali says:

    5/4/2017 at 5:02 am

    This solution is perfect and saved my life. Many thanks. Great!

    Reply to this Comment
16. Rix says:

    11/15/2017 at 2:01 am

    Thanks!

    Reply to this Comment
17. Usman Malik says:

    1/6/2018 at 6:55 pm

    Thank it solved my problem :)

    Reply to this Comment
18. Mark says:

    10/17/2018 at 11:41 pm

    Cheers boiz!

    Reply to this Comment
19. John says:

    12/6/2018 at 10:06 am

    Still works in Windows 10 RDPs, thanks for the reminder!

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20. Krisz says:

    5/14/2019 at 5:23 pm

    mpompsphougarakes

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21. Martin Falkenberg says:

    7/12/2019 at 3:30 am

    Thank you for this old advice :)
    Got the “problem” after setting up a RDS farm.

    Reply to this Comment
    • Martin Falkenberg says:

      7/12/2019 at 3:31 am

      2019 RDS Farm and Windows 10 RDP’s btw.

      Reply to this Comment
22. Yevgeniy says:

    3/13/2022 at 8:45 am

    Thanks man, you da best!

    Reply to this Comment