Windows Components › Remote Desktop Services › Remote Desktop Connection Client
Allow .rdp files from valid publishers and user's default .rdp settings
Supported on At least Windows Vista with Service Pack 1
What it does
This policy setting allows you to specify whether users can run Remote Desktop Protocol (.rdp) files from a publisher that signed the file with a valid certificate. A valid certificate is one issued by an authority recognized by the client, such as the issuers in the client's Third-Party Root Certification Authorities certificate store. This policy setting also controls whether the user can start an RDP session by using default .rdp settings (for example, when a user directly opens the Remote Desktop Connection [RDC] client without specifying an .rdp file). If you enable or do not configure this policy setting, users can run .rdp files that are signed with a valid certificate. Users can also start an RDP session with default .rdp settings by directly opening the RDC client. When a user starts an RDP session, the user is asked to confirm whether they want to connect. If you disable this policy setting, users cannot run .rdp files that are signed with a valid certificate. Additionally, users cannot start an RDP session by directly opening the RDC client and specifying the remote computer name. When a user tries to start an RDP session, the user receives a message that the publisher has been blocked. Note: You can define this policy setting in the Computer Configuration node or in the User Configuration node. If you configure this policy setting for the computer, all users on the computer are affected.
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services- Value name
AllowSignedFiles- When enabled
- DWORD 1
- When disabled
- DWORD 0
In Intune
Native Intune setting: Yes — Policy CSP
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1ADMX_TerminalServer on Microsoft LearnADMX-backed: Windows ships this template, so it is set with the template's own values, without an import.Windows builds listed: 10.0.22000, 10.0.19043.1202, 10.0.19042.1202, 10.0.19041.1202.
From Microsoft's Policy CSP DDF files (DDF v2 Files, February 2026), read 18 Oct 2026.
Configure and deploy
Choose a state; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.
Enabled · User · template defaults
Registry file (.reg)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"AllowSignedFiles"=dword:00000001
PowerShell
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Allow .rdp files from valid publishers and user's default .rdp settings
# Name: TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AllowSignedFiles' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1
These deployment candidates come from the ADMX template; they are separate from the native CSP mapping above.
- The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
- Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1ADMX SyncML candidate
<SyncML xmlns="SYNCML:SYNCML1.2">
<SyncBody>
<Replace>
<CmdID>1</CmdID>
<Item>
<Meta>
<Format>chr</Format>
<Type>text/plain</Type>
</Meta>
<Target>
<LocURI>./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1</LocURI>
</Target>
<Data><enabled/></Data>
</Item>
</Replace>
<Final/>
</SyncBody>
</SyncML>Intune remediation scripts
Detection
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
function Test-RegistryValueExists {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}
function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return $false
}
$valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
return $false
}
$actual = $valueObject.$Name
switch ($Kind) {
'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
'MultiString' {
$actualArray = @($actual)
$expectedArray = @($Expected)
if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
'Binary' {
$actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
$expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
}
}
# Policy: Allow .rdp files from valid publishers and user's default .rdp settings
# Name: TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AllowSignedFiles' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 1
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services\AllowSignedFiles') | Out-Null
}
if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1
Remediation
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
function Set-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}
function Remove-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
)
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
)
if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
return
}
foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Allow .rdp files from valid publishers and user's default .rdp settings
# Name: TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1
# Scope: User
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AllowSignedFiles' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 1
History 3 retained releases
- 22H2 · 1.015 Jul 2024
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
2 later releases left it unchanged.
Template
- Internal name
TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1- Namespace
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer- Template file
TerminalServer.admx- Release
- Windows 11 23H2 · 1.0 · file set
d784d0ea5f14a680…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="User" displayName="$(string.TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES)" explainText="$(string.TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_USER_EXPLAIN)" key="SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" name="TS_CLIENT_ALLOW_SIGNED_FILES_1" valueName="AllowSignedFiles" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT" />
<supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" />
<enabledValue>
<decimal value="1" />
</enabledValue>
<disabledValue>
<decimal value="0" />
</disabledValue>
</policy>Editor controls
Supported platforms and category
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_CLIENT
<category displayName="$(string.TS_CLIENT)" explainText="$(string.TS_CLIENT_HELP)" name="TS_CLIENT" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE" />
</category>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_GP_NODE
<category displayName="$(string.TS_GP_NODE)" explainText="$(string.TS_User_Help)" name="TS_GP_NODE" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
</category>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:definition:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1
<definition displayName="$(string.TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1)" name="TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<or>
<reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
</or>
</definition>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:unresolved:Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1
<unresolved reference="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_CLIENT
<category displayName="$(string.TS_CLIENT)" explainText="$(string.TS_CLIENT_HELP)" name="TS_CLIENT" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT">Remote Desktop Connection Client</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT_HELP">Controls Remote Desktop Connection client settings</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_GP_NODE
<category displayName="$(string.TS_GP_NODE)" explainText="$(string.TS_User_Help)" name="TS_GP_NODE" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE">Remote Desktop Services</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_User_Help">Controls configuration of Remote Desktop Services technologies that enable access to a server running Windows-based programs or the full Windows desktop</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:definition:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1
<definition displayName="$(string.TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1)" name="TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<or>
<reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
</or>
</definition>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1">At least Windows Vista with Service Pack 1</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents">Windows Components</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents_Help">Contains settings for operating system components.</string></strings>