If your grace period has expired and you need emergency access to a server, there's one legitimate method for connecting without CALs: the /admin switch. By launching Remote Desktop Connection with mstsc.exe /admin , you can establish an administrative session even after the grace period has ended, bypassing the need for a CAL.
If you're running a home lab or testing environment — not a production business server — you can reset the RDS grace period after it expires, effectively getting another 120 days of "free" RDS access. windows server 2019 remote desktop services license free
There are two types of RDS CALs:
: The server enters an unlicensed state. Users may be disconnected or unable to establish new RDP sessions. Some users report being logged out after approximately 60 minutes of remote access. If your grace period has expired and you
: RDS functions with all features enabled during this time. There are two types of RDS CALs: :
The RDS role includes a 120-day licensing grace period. During this time, the server will allow remote connections without a validated license server. Once this period expires, users will be blocked from connecting until valid CALs are installed and the licensing server is configured.
In June 2022, Microsoft released CVE-2021-26414 (KB5004442), which introduced hardening changes for DCOM Server Security. Some administrators discovered that this hardening could interfere with RDS licensing communication between the RDSH and license server.