Applies to: Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025.
Per User licensing associates RDS access rights with named users and requires accurate domain and compliance administration.
Prerequisites
- Administrative access to the affected Windows Server hosts.
- A tested backup or documented rollback point.
- An approved maintenance window for production systems.
Step-by-step configuration
- Confirm the organization owns sufficient Per User RDS CALs.
- Install and activate an RD Licensing server.
- Install the correct CAL pack and version.
- Configure the deployment or GPO for Per User mode.
- Run licensing diagnostics on every session host.
PowerShell and command-line procedure
$ts=Get-CimInstance -Namespace root/CIMV2/TerminalServices -ClassName Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
$ts | Invoke-CimMethod -MethodName ChangeMode -Arguments @{LicensingType=4}
gpupdate /force
Verification
Licensing Diagnoser identifies Per User mode, the intended licensing server, and no grace-period dependency.
Rollback
Return to the previous legally licensed mode through deployment properties or policy after confirming entitlement.
Security and operational guidance
- Apply least privilege and document every production change.
- Test the procedure in an isolated environment before broad deployment.
- Replace all example names, paths, and TEST-NET addresses with approved production values.
- Monitor relevant Windows event logs after the change.
Related resources
Deploy or manage Canadian Windows VPS infrastructure with networkmanager.info. Validate production decisions against the official Microsoft Windows Server documentation.
