In the fluorescent-lit hum of the Server Room, a junior admin named Leo stared at a flickering monitor. It was 4:45 PM on a Friday. He was trying to get a new Remote Desktop Session (RDS) host online, but every user who tried to log in was met with a cold, digital wall: “The remote session was disconnected because there are no Remote Desktop License Servers available.”
The specific registry key location for RDS licensing information depends on the version of Windows Server you are running.
Monitor Event Logs
After registry edits, check Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → TerminalServices-Licensing → Operational.
Value: DisableWorkgroupAuthEnforcement (REG_DWORD) set to 1.
- Take ownership via Regedit → Permissions → Advanced → Change owner to Administrators.
- Grant yourself Full Control.
Reboot the RD Session Host server for the reset to take effect.