Key Takeaways
- Enabling this policy allows administrators to define how long an active but idle Remote Desktop Services session can remain inactive before it is automatically disconnected.
- Users receive a warning notification two minutes before the session disconnects, giving them time to resume activity and keep the session active.
- Idle session time limits apply only to Remote Desktop Services sessions, not to console sessions.
- If the policy is disabled or left unconfigured, Remote Desktop Services keeps idle sessions active indefinitely by default.
- Administrators can also configure sessions to fully end instead of disconnecting after the time limit is reached by enabling the End session when time limits are reached policy setting.
In this article, I am going to discuss about how to set a time limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions on Windows 365 Flex with Microsoft Intune. The Set time limit for active but idle Remote Desktop Services sessions policy defines how long a user session can remain idle before it is disconnected. For Windows 365 Flex Shared Cloud PCs, the default idle session timeout is 15 minutes. This policy setting is available under both Computer Configuration and User Configuration. When both are configured, the Computer Configuration setting overrides the User Configuration setting.
Table of Content
Table of Contents
Terminal Server Idle Remote Desktop Services Session Limit – TS_SESSIONS_Idle_Limit_2
The table below provides a brief overview of the policy scope, Windows editions, and applicable operating systems, along with the minimum required patch (KB) details.
| Policy Scope | Editions | Applicable OS |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Device ❌ User | ✅ Pro ✅ Enterprise ✅ Education ✅ IoT Enterprise / IoT Enterprise LTSC | ✅ Windows 10, version 2004 with KB5005101 [10.0.19041.1202] and later ✅ Windows 10, version 20H2 with KB5005101 [10.0.19042.1202] and later ✅ Windows 10, version 21H1 with KB5005101 [10.0.19043.1202] and later ✅ Windows 11, version 21H2 [10.0.22000] and later |
- Free 50-Hour Windows 365 for Agents Trial Now Available with Microsoft Copilot Studio
- Best Way to Create Windows 365 Cloud Apps with Intune
- Easy Way to Update User Storage Size for Windows 365 Frontline Shared Cloud PCs
- How to Setup Windows 365 Cloud PCs with Autopilot Device Preparation
Create a Configuration to Set Time Limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions
To set a time limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions on Windows 365 Flex shared Cloud PCs using Microsoft Intune, follow these steps. First, sign in to the Microsoft Intune Admin Center with your administrator credentials.
- Navigate to Devices > Windows > Manage devices > Configuration
- Click on +Create > +New Policy
Next, we will create a new configuration profile from scratch. First, need to provide the options mentioned below. The settings catalog is a library of available configurations in Intune.
- Platform: Windows 10 and later
- Profile type: Settings catalog
In the Basics details pane, name the configuration policy as “Set Time Limit for Active but Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions.” It is also helpful to provide a brief description of the policy’s purpose. In this case, I have applied it to Windows 365 Flex shared Cloud PCs. After that, click Next.
We can now add the necessary settings to the Configuration settings pane. To do this, click +Add settings in the bottom-left corner of the page.
Note: In Microsoft’s testing, they have discovered that admins may experience performance degradation when more than 400 settings are added to a single policy. While they continue to make improvements, please consider this when designing your policies.
Search for “Session Time Limits” as your keyword. This will help us find the appropriate policy based on your current needs. Next, navigate to the category labelled Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Session Time Limits. Click on it, then check the option “Set time limit for active but idle Remote Desktop Services sessions” Finally, close the Settings picker window.
On the Session Time Limits configuration settings page, make sure to enable the option for Set time limit for active but idle Remote Desktop Services sessions. Additionally, set the Idle session limit (Device) to 30 minutes, and then click Next.
Note: Idle session limit (device) settings range from 1 minute to 5 days; the policy CSP is ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SESSIONS_Idle_Limit_2.
On the next page, leave the Scope tags as Default. If your tenant has custom scope tags, you can select them based on your policy needs, then click on Next.
I am assigning the configuration policy to the Windows 365 Flex Shared Cloud PCs device group. To do this, click on Add groups and select the desired device group under the Included groups option. In this example, I am not using any filters, and I have left the Excluded groups option blank.
On the Review + create page, carefully review all the settings you’ve defined for the Set Time Limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions policy. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct, select Create to deploy the policy.
- How to Perform Easy Reprovisioning for Windows 365 Frontline Shared Cloud PCs
- Snapshot-Based Reset for Windows 365 Frontline in Shared Mode
- How to Create Remote Connection Experience Settings for Windows 365 Cloud PCs
Monitor the Set Time Limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions Policy Deployment
The configuration policy has been deployed to the Windows 365 Flex Shared Cloud PCs Microsoft Entra ID Device group. Once the Cloud PC is synced, the policy will take effect immediately. To monitor the policy deployment status from the Intune Portal, follow the steps below
- Navigate to Devices > Windows > Configuration > Search for the Set Time Limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions configuration policy.
- Under the Device and user check-in status, you can see the policy’s deployment status
Intune Event Log Analysis
We can now verify if the Set Time Limit for Active But Idle Remote Desktop Services Sessions policy is functioning correctly. First, log in to the device that is affected by the policy. Then, check the policy’s status using the Intune Event Logs. To do this, open the Event Viewer on the device.
- Navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Devicemanagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider – Admin
Filter the latest logs using Event ID 814 to easily locate the successful log. The screenshot below indicates that the policy was successfully applied to the system, confirming that our policy has worked effectively.
Need Further Assistance or Have Technical Questions?
Join the LinkedIn Page and Telegram group to get the latest step-by-step guides and news updates. Join our Meetup Page to participate in User group meetings. Also, join the WhatsApp Community to get the latest news on Microsoft Technologies. We are there on Reddit as well.
Author
Vaishnav K has 12 years of experience in SCCM, Intune, Modern Device Management, and Automation Solutions. He writes and shares knowledge about Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, Azure, Entra, PowerShell Scripting, and Automation. Check out his profile on LinkedIn.