Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Remote Session Environment\RemoteFX for Windows Server 2008 R2 Description
This policy setting allows you to specify the visual experience that remote users receive in Remote Desktop Services sessions. Remote sessions on the remote computer are then optimized to support this visual experience. By default, Remote Desktop Services sessions are optimized for rich multimedia, such as applications that use Silverlight or Windows Presentation Foundation. If you enable this policy setting, you must select the visual experience for which you want to optimize Remote Desktop Services sessions. You can select either Rich multimedia or Text. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Remote Desktop Services sessions are optimized for rich multimedia.
Registry
HKLM
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SERVER_VISEXP 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: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"VisualExperiencePolicy"=dword:00000001More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'VisualExperiencePolicy' -Value 1 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SERVER_VISEXP
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="TS_VISEXP_SETTINGS" value="1"/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'VisualExperiencePolicy' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'VisualExperiencePolicy' -Value 1 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
# 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: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'VisualExperiencePolicy' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Optimize visual experience for Remote Desktop Service Sessions
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 (and their subsequent Service Packs) only
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'VisualExperiencePolicy' -Value 1 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.