As an admin, I would like to RDP to domain machines, in order to do maintenance on them. When I attempt this, the logged in user is alerted that I'm trying to connect via RDP, and that they will be kicked off the machine (i.e. their session would be closed) if they accept the connection.

1. is this possible, or is Windows 10/11 Pro strictly a single-user-at-a-time-logged-in OS?
2. what GroupPolicy (Computer Management, I think they're called) settings would I change to allow an admin to RDP to domain machines w/o alerting the user, or requiring their permission?
3. if what I'm seeking to do is impossible, what's the best-practice approach for something like this?

Thanks!

No support for concurrent RDP on Windows pro

Officially there is no support for concurret RDP in Windows 10/11 pro. This is what enforces a user to be logged out first before having another login.

RDP Wrapper Library RDPWRAP

However, there is a third-party tool called "RDP Wrapper Library" RDPWRAP available on GitHub. This tool allows you to enable multiple concurrent RDP sessions on Windows editions that usually support only one. However, please keep the following in mind:

RDP Wrapper is not an official Microsoft product or solution, it's a third-party tool developed by the community.

While RDP Wrapper can be useful for certain scenarios, be cautious. It works by hooking into Windows Remote Desktop Services, and its compatibility may vary with different Windows versions and updates.

Windows updates and security patches can sometimes break RDP Wrapper functionality, and updates to RDP Wrapper itself may be needed to regain functionality.

Nevertheless, RDPWRAP seems to be the best solution for this problem.

Patching termsrv.dll

The second best solution around that is known is even more hacky: There are solutions around how to patch the termsrv.dll to allow concurrent rdp sessions. You can google for something like "Patch Termsrv.dll to Enable Multiple Remote Desktop Sessions" to find them. As this may even be illegal in a business environment, i don't explain it further.

Administration

If however you don't actually need a full fledged desktop with rdp, it may be sufficient for almost all administrative work to have a remote PowerShell. You can use the Windows built in openSSH server and client for that, it just needs to be activated. With that, you can always log into the remote machines (even multiple times) without the need for the users to be kicked out. Just Google for Windows ssh server