A remote desktop user license is required for each person that will connect to the server, regardless of how many user accounts there are on the server, or how many people will be concurrently connected to the server.


All versions of Windows Server come with two Administrator remote desktop licenses. These built-in licenses are for administration purposes only, and are not for general use by remote desktop users, nor should they be included when determining the total number of remote desktop licenses required for a server.


BinaryLane will require an administrator level account on the server to manage remote desktop licence key packs as necessary. As an unmanaged service, BinaryLane will not log into any server to perform administrative tasks, investigate issues, or for any other reason except for the sole purpose of managing remote desktop license key packs.


Please refer to the guide on creating an administrator level account for BinaryLane here -

Create an Administrator account for BinaryLane RD license management



Below are various scenarios which may help clarify how to determine the correct number of remote desktop user licenses a server will need.



Example 1: One person will be connecting to a remote desktop on the server.


A server with a single user can use a built-in Administrator remote desktop license. In this case, no additional remote desktop licenses are required, as this assumes the single remote desktop user is also the server administrator, even if utilising multiple user accounts on the server. As no additional remote desktop user licenses are needed, an administrator level user account for BinaryLane is not required.



Example 2: Five people will need to connect to remote desktops on the server.


Even if only two of the five people will ever be connected to the server at the same time, a license is required for each person, so five remote desktop licenses will still be required. BinaryLane will require an administrator level account on the server to manage installation and removal of remote desktop license key packs.



Example 3: Three people will be connecting to remote desktops on the server.


They each have multiple user accounts on the server, and may log in to any one of their multiple accounts on the server at any given time. There are still only three people in total that will be connecting to the server, so just three remote desktop licenses will be required. BinaryLane will require an administrator level account on the server to manage installation and removal of remote desktop license key packs.



Remote desktop licenses are available on Windows Server VPS and dedicated server subscriptions for $10 per remote desktop user license, per month.


Remote desktop licenses can be purchased during signup within the server configuration options, or at any time afterwards by using the server's change plan page in mPanel.


The number of remote desktop licenses for a VPS or dedicated server subscription can be increased or decreased at any time, using the server's change plan page.


If you need some guidance on server resources required to support concurrent remote desktop users, please refer to the following article -

Recommended server resources for concurrent Remote Desktop users