Rdp Client Alternative Windows 10

MRemoteNG is a multi tab remote connection manager. Just like RDCman it is a. Remote Desktop Client for Windows Thinstuff TSX Client is a remote desktop client for Microsoft Windows computers using the RDP protocol. It offers additional functions compared to Microsoft's RDP Client e.g. Choosing which connection type (Desktop or RemoteApp) you want to make. FreeRDP: A Remote Desktop Protocol Implementation FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license. Enjoy the freedom of using your software wherever you want, the way you want it, in a world where interoperability can finally liberate your computing experience.

Chrome Remote Desktop. Chrome Remote Desktop allows users to remotely access another.
Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 Team (Surface Hub), HoloLens. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Microsoft Remote Desktop.

-->

Applies to:

Windows 10

In this topic

This topic provides an overview of new solutions and online content related to deploying Windows 10 in your organization.

For an all-up overview of new features in Windows 10, see What's new in Windows 10.

Latest news

SetupDiag is included with Windows 10, version 2004 and later.
The Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 2004 is available.
New capabilities are available for Delivery Optimization and Windows Update for Business.
VPN support is added to Windows Autopilot
An in-place upgrade wizard is available in Configuration Manager.
The Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 2004 is available.
The Windows 10 deployment and update landing page has been redesigned, with additional content added and more content coming soon.

The Modern Desktop Deployment Center

The Modern Desktop Deployment Center has launched with tons of content to help you with large-scale deployment of Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a new offering from Microsoft that combines

Windows 10
Office 365
Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS).

See Deploy Windows 10 with Microsoft 365 for an overview, which now includes a link to download a nifty M365 Enterprise poster.

Windows 10 servicing and support

Delivery Optimization

Windows PowerShell cmdlets for Delivery Optimization have been improved:

Get-DeliveryOptimizationStatus has added the -PeerInfo option for a real-time peak behind the scenes on peer-to-peer activity (for example the peer IP Address, bytes received / sent).
Get-DeliveryOptimizationLogAnalysis is a new cmdlet that provides a summary of the activity in your DO log (# of downloads, downloads from peers, overall peer efficiency). Use the -ListConnections option to for in-depth look at peer-to-peer connections.
Enable-DeliveryOptimizationVerboseLogs is a new cmdlet that enables a greater level of logging detail to assist in troubleshooting.

Additional improvements in Delivery Optimization include:

Enterprise network throttling is enhanced to optimize foreground vs. background throttling.
Automatic cloud-based congestion detection is available for PCs with cloud service support.
Improved peer efficiency for enterprises and educational institutions with complex networks is enabled with new policies. This now supports Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise updates and Intune content, with Microsoft Endpoint Manager content coming soon!

The following Delivery Optimization policies are removed in the Windows 10, version 2004 release:

Percentage of Maximum Download Bandwidth (DOPercentageMaxDownloadBandwidth)
- Reason: Replaced with separate policies for foreground and background
Max Upload Bandwidth (DOMaxUploadBandwidth)
- Reason: impacts uploads to internet peers only, which isn't used in enterprises.
Absolute max throttle (DOMaxDownloadBandwidth)
- Reason: separated to foreground and background

Windows Update for Business

Windows Update for Business enhancements in this release include:

Intune console updates: target version is now available allowing you to specify which version of Windows 10 you want devices to move to. Additionally, this capability enables you to keep devices on their current version until they reach end of service. Check it out in Intune, also available as a Group Policy and Configuration Service Provider (CSP) policy.
Validation improvements: To ensure devices and end users stay productive and protected, Microsoft uses safeguard holds to block devices from updating when there are known issues that would impact that device. Also, to better enable IT administrators to validate on the latest release, we have created a new policy that enables admins to opt devices out of the built-in safeguard holds.
Automatic Restart Sign-on (ARSO): Windows will automatically log on as the user and lock their device in order to complete the update, ensuring that when the user returns and unlocks the device, the update will be completed.
Windows Update for Business: There will now be a single, common start date for phased deployments (no more SAC-T designation). In addition, there will be a new notification and reboot scheduling experience for end users, the ability to enforce update installation and reboot deadlines, and the ability to provide end user control over reboots for a specific time period.
Update rollback improvements: You can now automatically recover from startup failures by removing updates if the startup failure was introduced after the installation of recent driver or quality updates. When a device is unable to start up properly after the recent installation of Quality of driver updates, Windows will now automatically uninstall the updates to get the device back up and running normally.
Pause updates: We have extended the ability to pause updates for both feature and monthly updates. This extension ability is for all editions of Windows 10, including Home. You can pause both feature and monthly updates for up to 35 days (seven days at a time, up to five times). Once the 35-day pause period is reached, you will need to update your device before pausing again.
Improved update notifications: When there's an update requiring you to restart your device, you'll see a colored dot on the Power button in the Start menu and on the Windows icon in your taskbar.
Intelligent active hours: To further enhance active hours, users will now have the option to let Windows Update intelligently adjust active hours based on their device-specific usage patterns. You must enable the intelligent active hours feature for the system to predict device-specific usage patterns.
Improved update orchestration to improve system responsiveness: This feature will improve system performance by intelligently coordinating Windows updates and Microsoft Store updates, so they occur when users are away from their devices to minimize disruptions.

Microsoft previously announced that we are extending support for Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education editions to 30 months from the version release date. This includes all past versions and future versions that are targeted for release in September (versions ending in 09, ex: 1809). Future releases that are targeted for release in March (versions ending in 03, ex: 1903) will continue to be supported for 18 months from their release date. All releases of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise will continue to be supported for 18 months (there is no change for these editions). These support policies are summarized in the table below.

Windows 10 Enterprise upgrade

Windows 10 version 1703 includes a Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 benefit to Microsoft customers with Enterprise Agreements (EA) or Microsoft Products & Services Agreements (MPSA). These customers can now subscribe users to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 and activate their subscriptions on up to five devices. Virtual machines can also be activated. For more information, see Windows 10 Enterprise Subscription Activation.

Windows 10 Enterprise E3 launched in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channel on September 1, 2016. Previously, only organizations with a Microsoft Volume Licensing Agreement could deploy Windows 10 Enterprise to their users. With Windows 10 Enterprise E3 in CSP, small and medium-sized organizations can more easily take advantage of Windows 10 Enterprise features.

For more information, see Windows 10 Enterprise E3 in CSP

Deployment solutions and tools

Windows Autopilot

Windows Autopilot streamlines and automates the process of setting up and configuring new devices, with minimal interaction required from the end user. You can also use Windows Autopilot to reset, repurpose, and recover devices.

With the release of Windows 10, version 2004 you can configure Windows Autopilot user-driven Hybrid Azure Active Directory join with VPN support. This support is also backported to Windows 10, version 1909 and 1903.

If you configure the language settings in the Autopilot profile and the device is connected to Ethernet, all scenarios will now skip the language, locale, and keyboard pages. In previous versions, this was only supported with self-deploying profiles.

The following Windows Autopilot features are available in Windows 10, version 1903 and later:

Windows Autopilot for white glove deployment is new in Windows 10, version 1903. 'White glove' deployment enables partners or IT staff to pre-provision devices so they are fully configured and business ready for your users.
The Intune enrollment status page (ESP) now tracks Intune Management Extensions.
Cortana voiceover and speech recognition during OOBE is disabled by default for all Windows 10 Pro Education, and Enterprise SKUs.
Windows Autopilot is self-updating during OOBE. Starting with the Windows 10, version 1903 Autopilot functional and critical updates will begin downloading automatically during OOBE.
Windows Autopilot will set the diagnostics data level to Full on Windows 10 version 1903 and later during OOBE.

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager

An in-place upgrade wizard is available in Configuration Manager. For more information, see Simplifying Windows 10 deployment with Configuration Manager.

Windows 10 Subscription Activation

Windows 10 Education support has been added to Windows 10 Subscription Activation.

With Windows 10, version 1903, you can step-up from Windows 10 Pro Education to the enterprise-grade edition for educational institutions – Windows 10 Education. For more information, see Windows 10 Subscription Activation.

SetupDiag

SetupDiag is a command-line tool that can help diagnose why a Windows 10 update failed. SetupDiag works by searching Windows Setup log files. When searching log files, SetupDiag uses a set of rules to match known issues.

In Windows 10, version 2004, SetupDiag is now automatically installed.

During the upgrade process, Windows Setup will extract all its sources files to the %SystemDrive%$Windows.~btSources directory. With Windows 10, version 2004 and later, Windows Setup now also installs SetupDiag.exe to this directory. If there is an issue with the upgrade, SetupDiag is automatically run to determine the cause of the failure. If the upgrade process proceeds normally, this directory is moved under %SystemDrive%Windows.Old for cleanup.

Upgrade Readiness

The Upgrade Readiness tool moved from public preview to general availability on March 2, 2017.

Upgrade Readiness helps you ensure that applications and drivers are ready for a Windows 10 upgrade. The solution provides up-to-date application and driver inventory, information about known issues, troubleshooting guidance, and per-device readiness and tracking details.

The development of Upgrade Readiness has been heavily influenced by input from the community; the development of new features is ongoing. To begin using Upgrade Readiness, add it to an existing Operation Management Suite (OMS) workspace or sign up for a new OMS workspace with the Upgrade Readiness solution enabled.

For more information about Upgrade Readiness, see the following topics:

Update Compliance

Update Compliance helps you to keep Windows 10 devices in your organization secure and up-to-date.

Update Compliance is a solution built using OMS Logs and Analytics that provides information about installation status of monthly quality and feature updates. Details are provided about the deployment progress of existing updates and the status of future updates. Information is also provided about devices that might need attention to resolve issues.

For more information about Update Compliance, see Monitor Windows Updates with Update Compliance.

Device Health

Device Health is the newest Windows Analytics solution that complements the existing Upgrade Readiness and Update Compliance solutions by helping to identify devices crashes and the cause. Device drivers that are causing crashes are identified along with alternative drivers that might reduce the number of crashes. Windows Information Protection misconfigurations are also identified. For more information, see Monitor the health of devices with Device Health

MBR2GPT

MBR2GPT.EXE converts a disk from Master Boot Record (MBR) to GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition style without modifying or deleting data on the disk. Previously, it was necessary to image, then wipe and reload a disk to change from MBR format to GPT.

There are many benefits to converting the partition style of a disk to GPT, including the use of larger disk partitions, added data reliability, and faster boot and shutdown speeds. The GPT format also enables you to use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) which replaces the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface. Security features of Windows 10 that require UEFI mode include: Secure Boot, Early Launch Anti-malware (ELAM) driver, Windows Trusted Boot, Measured Boot, Device Guard, Credential Guard, and BitLocker Network Unlock.

For more information, see MBR2GPT.EXE.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)

MDT version 8456 supports Windows 10, version 2004 and earlier operating systems, including Windows Server 2019. There is currently an issue that causes MDT to incorrectly detect that UEFI is present in Windows 10, version 2004. This issue is currently under investigation.

For the latest information about MDT, see the MDT release notes.

Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK)

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) contains tools that can be used by IT Pros to deploy Windows.

Download the Windows ADK and Windows PE add-on for Windows 10, version 2004 here.

For information about what's new in the ADK, see What's new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 2004.

Also see Windows ADK for Windows 10 scenarios for IT Pros.

Testing and validation guidance

Windows 10 deployment proof of concept (PoC)

The Windows 10 PoC guide enables you to test Windows 10 deployment in a virtual environment and become familiar with deployment tools such as MDT and Configuration Manager. The PoC guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing and using Hyper-V to create a virtual lab environment. The guide makes extensive use of Windows PowerShell to streamline each phase of the installation and setup.

For more information, see the following guides:

Troubleshooting guidance

Resolve Windows 10 upgrade errors was published in October of 2016 and will continue to be updated with new fixes. The topic provides a detailed explanation of the Windows 10 upgrade process and instructions on how to locate, interpret, and resolve specific errors that can be encountered during the upgrade process.

1. mRemoteNG

mRemoteNG is a multi tab remote connection manager. Just like RDCman it is a centralized tool that manages connections to remote systems. mRemoteNG has many features that RDCman does not have such as the ability to manage different connection types.

In addition to RDP, it supports VNC, ICA, SSH, Telnet, RAW, Rlogin and Http/S protocols.

The tab features comes in handy when you open multiple sessions and need to jump back and forth between them.

More features include, easy to organize and maintain a list of connections, store credentials for auto logons, importing from Active Directory, fullscreen mode, allows for grouping and nesting folders and more.

I really like this tool, it is easy to use and has a clean interface. I can group together all server connections and create separate groups for all other types of connections like SSH.

2. RoyalTS

RoyalTS is a connection manager that supports a variety of connection types such as RDP, VNC, SSH, S/FTP and web based interfaces.

It includes a built in credential manager, team sharing options so you can share a list of connections.

You can also automate tasks like command sequence and streamline workflows.

When researching connection managers, RoyalTS kept popping up on searches and in forums. It appears to be a popular choice by other System Admins.

I personally found it to be a bit clunky and complicated to get started. It does have a lot of features that other connection managers do not have but I just found it difficult to get started compared to other products.

3. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager

Devolutions is another centralized connection manager that can handle different protocols and centralize credentials You can even integrate existing password managers such as keepass and lastpass.

This product includes a two factor authentication features. This will enforce two successive steps of authentication to grant access to the data source.

Rdp Replacement Client For Windows

It also has the ability to manage desktops and servers with a mobile application. Devolutions comes in a free edition and paid edition. The free version is good for standalone users, the enterprise is best for teams.

Rdp Client Alternative Windows 10 Edition

4. DameWare Mini Remote Control

Damware is a tool primarily used by help desk staff and support technicians to easily establish connections with end user devices.

Windows Remote Desktop Alternative

The main difference between this and an RDP connection manager is it allows the screen to be shared. With RDP the remote system will log off so you can’t share the screen with the end user. That’s why RDP managers are best for servers.

Damware is supported on Multiple platforms and allows remote control of Windows, Linux, and Max computers.

Additional Features

Chat message to communicate with remote users
Built in screenshot tool
Secure file transfer
Lock end users keyboard
Remote Wake on LAN
Remotely edit BIOS settings
Active Directory integration
and much more

5. Terminals

Rdp Client Alternative Windows 10 Mouse Keyboard Driver

Terminals is a multi tab remote desktop manager that supports several protocols such as RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, Citrix, HTTP and HTTPS.

Key features include a multi tab interface, open terminal window in full screen, resizable windows, connection history, customizable toolbars and search.

Terminals also includes several network tools such as ping, tracert, wak on lan, port scanner and who is. This can come in handy for some basic troubleshooting.

Terminals is an open source project and is currently not under development. It does still work on Windows 10.

Bonus Pick: Dameware Remote Everywhere

Dameware remote everywhere is a cloud based remote support solution that allows IT professionals to access nearly any platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android).

Remote everywhere allows you to quickly gain remote access to systems that are on premise such as users in the office or remote workers like when they are at home, at a hotel or anywhere with an internet connection. The cloud based web portal makes it easy to manage connections and support remote workers. This is a great tool for helpdesk or any IT professional that needs to remotely support end users.

Key Features:

Session recording
Hide wallpaper and screen blanking
Screen sharing and multi-monitor support
Organize and manage connections
Live chat and video conferencing
Built in troubleshooting tools
Remotely restart and shutdown devices
and much more.

Final Thoughts

Each remote connection manager has its pros and cons. To find what best fits your needs I recommend downloading and trying them out for yourself. I personally use mRemoteNG and Damware mini remote control.

I use MremoteNG to manage RDP server connections and ssh connection to network switches. I like that it has a clean interface its simple to use and is not bloated with extra junk that I don’t need. I can also share the connection file with my team to make the whole team more efficient.

Helpdesk and my team use DamWare to connect to end users desktop and laptops. It allows us to remote shadow end users systems to troubleshoot and assist with any issues they have. With its wide range of features it’s a great tool for end user support.

That’s all. I hope that this list helped you find a remote connection manager for you and your team. You may also want to see check out my list of Active Directory Tools.

You Might Also Like…

Remote Desktop Client Alternative Windows 10

Recommended Tool: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

This utility was designed to Monitor Active Directory and other critical services like DNS & DHCP. It will quickly spot domain controller issues, prevent replication failures, track failed logon attempts and much more.

What I like best about SAM is it’s easy to use dashboard and alerting features. It also has the ability to monitor virtual machines and storage.