How to Fix the Remote Desktop in Licensing Protocol Error

The remote desktop licensing protocol error is one that occasionally pops up for some users who utilize the Remote Desktop Connection tool in Windows 10.

The full error message states:

The remote computer disconnected the session because of an error in the licensing protocol. Please try connecting to the remote computer again or contact your server administrator. 

Consequently, users can’t connect with Remote Desktop Connection. These are a few fixes for that RDC error.

How can I fix Remote Desktop protocol errors on Windows 10?

1. Run Remote Desktop as an Administrator

1. Press the Windows Key + S and type in Remote Desktop Connection.
2. Right-click on the Remote Desktop Connection and select Run as administrator.
   
3. Now your Remove Desktop Connection should open with administrator rights.

Some users have confirmed they’ve fixed the remote desktop licensing issue by running Remote Desktop Connection as an administrator.

Running RDC as administrator ensures that the app has the required permissions to modify the registry.

3. Run Remote Desktop in the built-in admin account

1. Press the Windows Key + S and type cmd.
2. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. Type in the following command and press Enter: net user administrator /active:yes
   
4. Restart your Windows to log in with the new admin account.

Alternatively, try running RDC within an admin account. You can activate a built-in admin account with the Command Prompt.

Opening cmd with administrator rights is mandatory for these solutions to work, so you should run Command Prompt with admin rights accordingly.

4. Delete the MSLicensing Registry Key

1. Click the Create button to open the window below.
2. ess the Windows Key + S and type in Create a restore point.
3. Then click Create a restore point to open the Control Panel window below.
   
4. Click the Create button to open the window below.
   
5. Then enter a title for the system restore point in the text box, and press the Create button.
6. To delete the MSLicensing key, press the Windows key + R hotkey.
7. Then you can enter Regedit in Run and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
   
8. Next, open this key in the Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftMSLicensing
   
9. Right-click the MSLicensing key and select Delete to erase it.
10. Restart your desktop or laptop, and run Remote Desktop Connection as an administrator.

Users have also confirmed that deleting the MSLicensing key in the registry fixes the RDC licensing protocol error.

You can delete that key with the Registry Editor, but you should set up a restore point first that you can go back to if required.

5. Roll Windows Back to a Restore Point

1. You can open System Restore by pressing the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut, entering rstrui in Run, and clicking OK.
   
2. Click Next to open a list of restore points.
3. Select the Show more restore points option to fully expand the list of restore points.
4. Select a restore point that will restore Windows to a date when the remote desktop in licensing protocol error wasn’t popping up.
   
5. Then click the Next button and select Finish to confirm the restore point.

Rolling Windows back to a previous date with System Restore has also fixed the RDC licensing protocol issue for some users.

System Restore might fix the error as restoring Windows to a system restore point can fix corrupted registry keys. You can find more information about creating a system restore point in this detailed article.

If any of the solutions above don’t work in your case, you can also try using Mikogo. It’s a valid alternative that works well across all platforms and has additional features like multi-monitor, profile manager, and file transfer. Or you can go for some other amazing remote software options as you prefer.

Those are resolutions that have fixed the RDC licensing protocol error for some users. We hope this guide provided all the information you needed to fix your problem.