Windows Server Terminal Services Licensing

  

Pricing and licensing overview

ServicesLicensing

Best practices for setting up Remote Desktop Licensing (Terminal Server Licensing) across Active Directory Domains/Forests or Workgroup. This article provides information on the questions around the supportability (or recommended approach) of setting up Remote Desktop (RD) Licensing across domain, forest or workgroups. Note: In Windows Server 2008 R2, Terminal Services is renamed to Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

To give you a more consistent licensing experience across multi-cloud environments, we transitioned from processor-based licensing to core-based licensing for Windows Server 2019 Datacenter and Standard editions. For specific pricing, contact your Microsoft reseller.

Pricing and licensing support by Windows Server SKU.
Datacenter[2]Highly virtualized datacenters and cloud environmentsCore-basedWindows Server CAL$6,155
Standard[2]Physical or minimally virtualized environmentsCore-basedWindows Server CAL$972
EssentialsSmall businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devicesSpecialty servers (server license)No CAL required$501
Pricing and licensing support by Windows Server SKU.
Datacenter[2]
Highly virtualized datacenters and cloud environments
Core-based
Windows Server CAL
$6,155
Standard[2]
Physical or minimally virtualized environments
Core-based
Windows Server CAL
$972
Essentials
Small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices
Specialty servers (server license)
No CAL required
$501

  • [1]CALs are required for every user or device accessing a server. See the Product Use Rights for details.

  • [2]Datacenter and Standard edition pricing is for 16 core licenses.

  • [3]Pricing is shown in USD and may vary from country to country. Please contact your Microsoft representative for a quote.

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Windows Server 2012 Terminal Services Licensing

Applies to: Windows Server (Semi-Annual Channel), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016

The Remote Desktop Services license server issues client access licenses (CALs) to users and devices when they access the RD Session Host. You can activate the license server by using the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.

Windows Server 2019 Terminal Services Licensing

Install the RD Licensing role

  1. Sign into the server you want to use as the license server using an administrator account.
  2. In Server Manager, click Roles Summary, and then click Add Roles.Click Next on the first page of the roles wizard.
  3. Select Remote Desktop Services, and then click Next, and then Next on the Remote Desktop Services page.
  4. Select Remote Desktop Licensing, and then click Next.
  5. Configure the domain - select Configure a discovery scope for this license server, click This domain, and then click Next.
  6. Click Install.

Windows Server 2000 Terminal Services Licensing

Activate the license server

  1. Open the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager: click Start > Administrative Tools > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.
  2. Right-click the license server, and then click Activate Server.
  3. Click Next on the welcome page.
  4. For the connection method, select Automatic connection (recommended), and then click Next.
  5. Enter your company information (your name, the company name, your geographic region), and then click Next.
  6. Optionally enter any other company information (for example, email and company addresses), and then click Next.
  7. Make sure that Start Install Licenses Wizard now is not selected (we'll install the licenses in a later step), and then click Next.

Windows Server 2016 Terminal Services Licensing

Your license server is now ready to start issuing and managing licenses.