Overview of .rdp file settings
Setting | Type | Default value | Description and possible values | Settable from RDC GUI? | RDP+ equivalent | 5.1 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 8.1 |
administrative session | i | 0 | Connect to the administrative session of the remote computer. 0 - Do not use the administrative session. 1 - Connect to the administrative session. |
Command line | /console, /admin | X | X | X | X | X | |||
allow desktop composition | i | 0 | Determines whether desktop composition (needed for Aero) is permitted when you log on to the remote computer. 0 - Disable desktop composition in the remote session. 1 - Desktop composition is permitted. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
allow font smoothing | i | 0 | Determines whether font smoothing may be used in the remote session. 0 - Disable font smoothing in the remote session. 1 - Font smoothing is permitted. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
alternate full address | s | Specifies an alternate name or IP address of the remote computer that you want to connect to. Will be overruled by RDP+. |
No | X | X | X | X | ||||||
alternate shell | s | Specifies a program to be started automatically when you connect to a remote computer. The value should be a valid path to an executable file. This setting only works when connecting to servers. |
Yes | /start | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
audiocapturemode | i | 0 | Determines how sounds captured (recorded) on the local computer are handled when you are connected to the remote computer. 0 - Do not capture audio from the local computer. 1 - Capture audio from the local computer and send to the remote computer. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | |||||
audiomode | i | 0 | Determines how sounds on a remote computer are handled when you are connected to the remote computer. 0 - Play sounds on the local computer. 1 - Play sounds on the remote computer. 2 - Do not play sounds. |
Yes | /[no]sound | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
audioqualitymode | i | 0 | Determines the quality of the audio played in the remote session. 0 - Dynamically adjust audio quality based on available bandwidth. 1 - Always use medium audio quality. 2 - Always use uncompressed audio quality. |
No | X | X | X | X | |||||
authentication level | i | 2 | Determines what should happen when server authentication fails. 0 - If server authentication fails, connect without giving a warning. 1 - If server authentication fails, do not connect. 2 - If server authentication fails, show a warning and allow the user to connect or not. 3 - Server authentication is not required. This setting will be overruled by RDP+. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
autoreconnect max retries | i | 20 | Determines the maximum number of times the client computer will try to reconnect to the remote computer if the connection is dropped. Note: The maximum value Remote Desktop can handle is 200. |
No | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
autoreconnection enabled | i | 1 | Determines whether the client computer will automatically try to reconnect to the remote computer if the connection is dropped. 0 - Do not attempt to reconnect. 1 - Attempt to reconnect. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
bitmapcachepersistenable | i | 1 | Determines whether bitmaps are cached on the local computer (disk-based cache). Bitmap caching can improve the performance of your remote session. 0 - Do not cache bitmaps. 1 - Cache bitmaps. |
Yes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||
bitmapcachesize | i | 1500 | Specifies the size in kilobytes of the memory-based bitmap cache. The maximum value is 32000. | No | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
compression | i | 1 | Determines whether the connection should use bulk compression. 0 - Do not use bulk compression. 1 - Use bulk compression. |
No | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
connect to console | i | 0 | Connect to the console session of the remote computer. 0 - Connect to a normal session. 1 - Connect to the console screen. |
Command line | /console, /admin | X | X | X | |||||
connection type | i | 2 | Specifies pre-defined performance settings for the Remote Desktop session. 1 - Modem (56 Kbps). |