Q. What entries do I need in my RDP file to connect to a Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment?

A. You normally connect to Microsoft VDI environments through the Remote Desktop Web Access portal or the RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Windows component. There may be times, however, when you want a basic RDP file you can use and distribute manually.

The easiest way to get the RDP file is to use RemoteApp and Desktop Connections to publish the VDI pool to the desktop. You can then open the published RDP file for the pool (which will be in the folder C:UsersAppDataRoamingMicrosoftWorkspaces\{\}Resource).

If you need to create the RDP file manually, there are two key settings you need in the file to tell the connection that it's connecting to a VDI pool:

Below are the settings I have in my RDP file. You could use this as part of your own custom RDP.

redirectclipboard:i:1
 redirectposdevices:i:0
 redirectprinters:i:1
 redirectsmartcards:i:0
 devicestoredirect:s:
 drivestoredirect:s:
 session bpp:i:32
 allow font smoothing:i:1
 promptcredentialonce:i:1
 desktopwidth:i:1024
 desktopheight:i:768
 keyboardhook:i:1
 videoplaybackmode:i:1
 audiocapturemode:i:0
 gatewayusagemethod:i:2
 gatewayprofileusagemethod:i:0
 gatewaycredentialssource:i:0
 full address:s:
 alternate shell:s:
 gatewayhostname:s:
 screen mode id:i:1
 workspace id:s:
 use redirection server name:i:1
 loadbalanceinfo:s:tsv://vmresource.1.
 use multimon:i:0
 connection type:i:6
 alternate full address:s:
 signscope:s:Full Address,Alternate Full Address,Use Redirection Server Name,GatewayHostname,GatewayUsageMethod,GatewayProfileUsageMethod,GatewayCredentialsSource,PromptCredentialOnce,Alternate Shell,RedirectPrinters,RedirectSmartCards,RedirectPOSDevices,RedirectClipboard,DevicesToRedirect,DrivesToRedirect,LoadBalanceInfo