Set rules for remote control of Remote Desktop Services user sessions: registry value Shadow (HKLM Terminal Services)ComputerHKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services
- Policy ID
- TS_RemoteControl_2
- Scope
- Computer Configuration
- Supported on
- Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
- Source
- Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
- Category
- Windows Components › Remote Desktop Services › Remote Desktop Session Host › Connections
Registry
Shadow
REG_DWORDComputer- Enabled value
- Depends on the option value
- Element
- Options:
| Item | Stored value |
|---|---|
| No remote control allowed | 0 |
| Full Control with user's permission | 1 |
| Full Control without user's permission | 2 |
| View Session with user's permission | 3 |
| View Session without user's permission | 4 |
Apply with .reg · CMD · PowerShell
.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] ; Options (use only one) ; No remote control allowed "Shadow"=dword:00000000 ; Full Control with user's permission "Shadow"=dword:00000001 ; Full Control without user's permission "Shadow"=dword:00000002 ; View Session with user's permission "Shadow"=dword:00000003 ; View Session without user's permission "Shadow"=dword:00000004
CMD
:: Options (use only one) :: No remote control allowed reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" /v "Shadow" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f :: Full Control with user's permission reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" /v "Shadow" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f :: Full Control without user's permission reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" /v "Shadow" /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f :: View Session with user's permission reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" /v "Shadow" /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f :: View Session without user's permission reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" /v "Shadow" /t REG_DWORD /d 4 /f
PowerShell
# Common: create the key New-Item -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Force | Out-Null # Options (use only one) # No remote control allowed New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'Shadow' -PropertyType DWord -Value 0 -Force | Out-Null # Full Control with user's permission New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'Shadow' -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force | Out-Null # Full Control without user's permission New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'Shadow' -PropertyType DWord -Value 2 -Force | Out-Null # View Session with user's permission New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'Shadow' -PropertyType DWord -Value 3 -Force | Out-Null # View Session without user's permission New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'Shadow' -PropertyType DWord -Value 4 -Force | Out-Null