Configure RD Connection Broker server name
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 the RD Connection Broker server that the RD Session Host server uses to track and redirect user sessions for a load-balanced RD Session Host server farm. The specified server must be running the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service. All RD Session Host servers in a load-balanced farm should use the same RD Connection Broker server. If you enable this policy setting, you must specify the RD Connection Broker server by using its fully qualified domain name (FQDN). In Windows Server 2012, for a high availability setup with multiple RD Connection Broker servers, you must provide a semi-colon separated list of the FQDNs of all the RD Connection Broker servers. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the policy setting is not specified at the Group Policy level. Notes: 1. For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard. 2. This policy setting is not effective unless the Join RD Connection Broker policy setting is enabled. 3. To be an active member of an RD Session Host server farm, the computer account for each RD Session Host server in the farm must be a member of one of the following local groups on the RD Connection Broker server: Session Directory Computers, Session Broker Computers, or RDS Endpoint Servers.
Registry
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SD_Loc 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: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"SessionDirectoryLocation"=""More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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 'SessionDirectoryLocation' -Value '' -Type StringIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SD_Loc
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="TS_SD_Loc" value=""/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'SessionDirectoryLocation' -Expected '' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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 'SessionDirectoryLocation' -Value '' -Type StringSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'SessionDirectoryLocation' -Expected '' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure RD Connection Broker server name
# 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 'SessionDirectoryLocation' -Value '' -Type StringBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.