FIX: Windows server does not allow clipboard redirection

by Vladimir Popescu

Vladimir Popescu

Managing Editor

Being an artist his entire life while also playing handball at a professional level, Vladimir has also developed a passion for all things computer-related. With an innate fascination... read more

Updated on October 8, 2019

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If you are seeing the error Windows server does not allow clipboard redirection, you have to know, you are not the only one. A large number of Windows server users have encountered this exact issue.

This policy is put in place to protect you from any remote computers connecting to your client computer while performing the Remote Desktop Services.

Simply put, this policy prevents users from deviating any sort of clipboard data back and forth between the remote computer and the host server.

This setting is set to allow Remote Desktop Services access to the clipboard, but if the above-mentioned policy is activated, any clipboard data will not be given access.

Not having this policy enabled can be extremely dangerous, as a third-party can perform an attack on the server without any sort of warning.

For these reasons, in today’s article, we will explore the best way to deal with this issue. Please follow along to ensure that you will perform the steps correctly.

Windows server not allowing clipboard redirection

In order to prevent any third-party’s access to your Windows Server clipboard functionality, you will need to configure your server to not allow clipboard access.

The steps required for different versions of Windows server will vary, but please follow the steps presented here to enable the option easily:

Windows 2016 server

1. Press Win+X keys -> select PowerShell (Admin) from the menu.
2. Type gpedit.msc inside the elevated command prompt.
3. Press Enter to run the command and open the Local Group Policy utility.
4. Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host.
5. Make sure the option Do not allow Clipboard redirection is Enabled.

Windows 2012 server

1. Press Win+R keys to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type ServerManager -> press Enter.
3. Click on the Remote Desktop Services -> select Collections.
4. Select Tasks -> choose Edit Properties.
5. Under the Client Settings tab -> make sure Clipboard and Drive is disabled.

You can not create SSL/TLS secure channel on your Windows Server? Try this

Windows 2008 server

1. Press Win+R keys on your keyboard.
2. Type ServerManager -> press Enter.
3. Inside the Server Manager window -> click on Connections.
4. Right-click the connection you want to modify settings to -> select Properties.
5. Inside the Client Settings tab -> make sure the box next to Clipboard is checked.

Note: If you don’t want to allow copying and pasting of files either, make sure to check the box next to the Drive option.

If you want some users to have access to the clipboard function, do this:

You will need to segment the LAN connections that have Remote Desktop Services clipboard enabled to allow you to track the influx of information.

This will prevent any unauthorized access to your server’s clipboard function, and if any connection is performed, you can analyze the data. This will allow you to make sure that your system will not be corrupted.

Conclusion

Please feel free to let us know if this guide helped you in any way, or if you have any suggestions.

You can do so by simply using the comment section below.

READ ALSO:

• Windows logon server isn’t available: Here’s what to do
• How to enable TLS with ease on Windows Server
• Windows Server could not mount ISO files: Here’s how to fix it

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