Join RD Connection Broker
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\RD Connection Broker Description
This policy setting allows you to specify whether the RD Session Host server should join a farm in RD Connection Broker. RD Connection Broker tracks user sessions and allows a user to reconnect to their existing session in a load-balanced RD Session Host server farm. To participate in RD Connection Broker, the Remote Desktop Session Host role service must be installed on the server. If the policy setting is enabled, the RD Session Host server joins the farm that is specified in the RD Connection Broker farm name policy setting. The farm exists on the RD Connection Broker server that is specified in the Configure RD Connection Broker server name policy setting. If you disable this policy setting, the server does not join a farm in RD Connection Broker, and user session tracking is not performed. If the policy setting is disabled, you cannot use either the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration tool or the Remote Desktop Services WMI Provider to join the server to RD Connection Broker. If the policy setting is not configured, the policy setting is not specified at the Group Policy level. Notes: 1. If you enable this policy setting, you must also enable the Configure RD Connection Broker farm name and Configure RD Connection Broker server name policy settings. 2. For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard.
Registry
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services Value name: SessionDirectoryActive
Enabled: SessionDirectoryActive = 1
Disabled: SessionDirectoryActive = 0
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_JOIN_SESSION_DIRECTORY Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"SessionDirectoryActive"=dword:00000001More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SessionDirectoryActive' -Value 1 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_JOIN_SESSION_DIRECTORY
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'SessionDirectoryActive' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SessionDirectoryActive' -Value 1 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'SessionDirectoryActive' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Join RD Connection Broker
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SessionDirectoryActive' -Value 1 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.