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I'm using Remote Desktop to connect from a Windows 7 Professional client machine to a Windows 7 Enterprise host machine. Both machines have identical quad-monitor setups. I want the Remote Desktop session to open and to display the exact same four monitors with all the windows laid out exactly as they are when I use the host machine locally.

When I try this, it takes the windows on all four monitors and moves them all to the upper-left monitor of the client machine. I can then manually spread the windows out to all four monitors. This is certainly better than when I had Windows 7 Professional on the host machine and it didn't support multi-monitors. mstsc /span would be good, too except that the 3200x2400 total resolution of the monitors exceeds vertically the maximum mstsc screen size of 4096x2048.

If this is not possible using Remote Desktop, I would be willing to use 3rd party software to meet this need. Free software is a bonus. Software that can also remote into my CentOS box with the same feature is a big bonus. Software that can do both at the same time with easy switching would probably get me to open my wallet.

Of course, I'm really more interested in how to get Remote Desktop to work, since we spent a whole day reconfiguring the machine to Windows 7 Enterprise for it.

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  • Have you tried Fences. I know it handles the resolution changes when ones RDPs.
    – Darius
    Commented May 26, 2011 at 4:27
  • @Darius: Fences doesn't appear to be a Remote Desktop protocol. It looks like icon organization. Does it have this feature where I can run it as a client and a server?
    – Erick Robertson
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 9:58
  • @ Erick - No it does not but what it helps with is the resolution changes while one RDPs from a smaller one to a bigger one or the other way around. It will scale the Desktop accordingly.
    – Darius
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 17:02
  • @Darius: I don't need that. I don't have any resolution changes - both workstations have the exact same monitor & resolution configuration. I just want my same windows to open in the same place on the monitors when I remote in.
    – Erick Robertson
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 21:19
  • AFAIK, there is no way to do this in RDP. This is because RDP works independently from the host's monitor configuration. eg. The host could have 1 monitor, but you can RDP into it and have a 4 monitor RDP session running. I also know of no RDP software that will handle this.
    – surfasb
    Commented Dec 12, 2011 at 13:31

2 Answers 2

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I believe that under Windows 7 the limit of 4096x2048 is per monitor.
Have you tried to span the 4 monitors?

Also from Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection: frequently asked questions :

Which editions of Windows 7 include multiple-monitor support for Remote Desktop Connection?

In Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise editions, Remote Desktop Connection supports the use of multiple high-resolution displays in a remote session.

If you are tired of always manually rearranging your monitors, the following products may help :

Display Changer (free, used in a batch file)
UltraMon ($39.95, used with a predefined profile)

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  • @eric: In answer to your comment before I moved mine to this answer : have you used mstc /span /multimon ? I also believe it might behave better with Win7 Enterprise on both sides.
    – harrymc
    Commented Dec 7, 2011 at 19:36
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    You realize that I have no problem with the remote desktop connection itself, right? I have no problem connecting, and it uses all four monitors for the remote desktop. The problem is that it doesn't carry over the positioning of all the windows when I remote in. So they all reset to the upper-left monitor and I have to spread them back out again. It's possible that UltraMon will do this - I have to actually try it to see because it's not listed as a feature.
    – Erick Robertson
    Commented Dec 7, 2011 at 20:18
  • I do not know if I have tried mstsc with the /multimon option also. I will try that tonight when I am at home.
    – Erick Robertson
    Commented Dec 7, 2011 at 20:22
  • Try also to verify if the same mstc version is installed in both Professional & Enterprise. The Enterprise one is sure to have the /multimon parameter. Although even if it is the same, this option might be enabled only in Enterprise as a marketing "feature".
    – harrymc
    Commented Dec 7, 2011 at 21:24
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I knew it was supported in RDP 6.0 but did not know the process

Look here: Multiple Monitors for RDP 6.0

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  • This link pretty much gives me the same information I already have. It doesn't tell me anything about how to keep my same desktop.
    – Erick Robertson
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 9:58
  • The link looks like it's the best choice though, especially for Windows 7 on both sides
    – Canadian Luke
    Commented Dec 7, 2011 at 19:35

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