Centrally Manage RDP Connections: A Comparison of the Best Tools for Windows Server

Anyone who manages more than a handful of Windows servers knows the drill: a separate .rdp file for each server, login credentials stored somewhere in an Excel spreadsheet or—even worse—just in your head. Every time you connect, you have to type in the address, the username, and the password. This takes minutes every day and, in the long run, isn’t just a hassle—it’s also a security risk.

The solution is what’s known as an RDP or connection manager: tools that bundle all your remote connections—including login credentials—in one place, organize them into groups, and open them with the click of a button. In this article, I’ll show you the five best solutions—from the free Microsoft classic to a team solution with a vault and permissions management.

Table of Contents

1. Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
2. mRemoteNG (Open Source)
3. Royal TS (Royal Apps)
4. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager (RDM)
5. MobaXterm
6. An Overview of the Tools
7. Conclusion

1. Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) – Microsoft Sysinternals

RDCMan is the quintessential classic and has been an official part of Microsoft’s Sysinternals Suite again since late 2021. A brief history: In 2020, Microsoft discontinued the tool due to a security vulnerability (CVE-2020-0765)—the vulnerability has since been patched, the tool is being maintained, and version 3.11 is currently available (as of late 2025). So anyone who used to rely on it can start using it again without hesitation.

RDCMan organizes servers into named groups. You can connect to or disconnect from an entire group with a single click and view all active sessions as live thumbnails. Login credentials are stored centrally, inherited by subgroups, and stored in encrypted form—if a password changes, you only need to update it in one place.

• Free and portable (a single EXE file; no installation required)
• Can also be installed via ` winget install Microsoft.Sysinternals.RDCMan`
• Groups, batch actions, and a thumbnail overview of all sessions
• Centralized, inheritable, and encrypted credentials

Limitations: RDP only—no SSH, VNC, or other protocols. Supports only local and domain accounts; no Microsoft/Azure AD accounts. No drag-and-drop file transfer between local and remote systems.

Suitable for: Windows 8.1 / Windows Server 2012 and later – ideal for pure Windows/Active Directory environments.

RDCMan (Microsoft Sysinternals) – Download

2. mRemoteNG (Open Source)

mRemoteNG is the most popular free all-around tool. Unlike RDCMan, it isn’t limited to RDP but bundles multiple protocols into a single tabbed interface: RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, HTTP/HTTPS, and more. Connections are organized in a tree structure, and settings can be inherited.

• Open source and free—even for commercial use
• Multi-protocol: RDP, SSH, VNC, Telnet, HTTP(S), and more
• Clear tab and tree structure
• Portable

Limitations: Storing login credentials has historically been considered a security vulnerability—in sensitive environments, you should encrypt the connection file and avoid storing passwords in plain text. Development is active, but new releases are published irregularly.

Suitable for: Mixed environments (Windows servers and Linux machines or network devices) where a free multiprotocol tool is needed.

mRemoteNG – Official Site

3. Royal TS (Royal Apps)

Royal TS from the Austrian developer Royal Apps is a mature, professional solution. What sets it apart: You can use it permanently in free shareware mode with no time limit—with the full range of features, but limited to 10 connections and 10 sets of login credentials (one open document). This is sufficient for small environments and is even permitted for commercial use. Those who need more can purchase a perpetual license starting at approximately $50 per user.

Royal TS supports RDP (including gateway and Hyper-V features), VNC, SSH, Telnet, S/FTP, and even web interfaces with automatic login. It also offers streamlined login credentials management, task automation, and team sharing.

• Full feature set even in the free version (up to 10 connections)
• Multi-protocol support, including RDP gateway and Hyper-V management
• Convenient, encrypted login credentials management
• Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Suitable for: Professionals and small teams who want convenience, cross-platform access, and streamlined credential management.

Royal TS – Official Site

4. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager (RDM)

When “one admin, a few servers” turns into a team with compliance requirements, Devolutions’ Remote Desktop Manager is in a league of its own. There’s a free single-user edition with an encrypted vault; the paid Team and Enterprise editions take the whole thing to an enterprise level.

RDM supports over 50 protocols and—this is the key difference—combines connection management with true credential and permission management: a central vault, role-based access control (RBAC), enforceable two-factor authentication, audit logs, and integration with external password managers (e.g., Bitwarden or Azure Key Vault).

• Central, encrypted vault for the entire team
• Role-based permissions, mandatory MFA, and audit logs
• Over 50 protocols in a single interface
• Integration with existing password managers

Suitable for: Teams and companies that need to manage remote access centrally, transparently, and in compliance with the GDPR.

Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager – Official Site

5. MobaXterm

MobaXterm is the hidden gem for anyone who frequently switches between Windows and Linux. It combines an X server, an SSH client, as well as RDP, VNC, FTP, and Telnet into a single, portable application. In everyday use, this means: SSH to the Linux host, RDP to the Windows server, and an integrated SFTP browser—all in the same window.

• Bundles SSH, RDP, VNC, FTP, and an X server into a single EXE
• Very powerful in the SSH/Linux environment, with tabs and built-in tools
• Portable version available
• Free edition plus paid Professional version

Limitations: The free edition is limited in terms of the number of saved sessions and tunnels, among other things. The focus is clearly on SSH—as a dedicated RDP manager for multiple Windows servers, it’s less convenient than the specialized tools listed above.

Suitable for: Admins who constantly switch between Windows RDP and Linux/SSH systems.

MobaXterm – Official Site

Convenience quickly becomes a security issue
As soon as multiple people manage multiple servers, the question is no longer just “How do I connect faster?” but “Who actually has access—and how?” Scattered .rdp files, shared admin passwords, and login credentials stored in Excel are classic security vulnerabilities. This is exactly where we set up remote access properly: centrally, encrypted, with two-factor authentication, and with traceable permissions. Learn more about our IT system support →

An Overview of the Tools

Conclusion

For pure Windows environments, the free RDCMan remains the top choice. Those who also manage Linux servers or network devices will do well with mRemoteNG. Royal TS is the go-to solution for individual admins and small teams working across platforms. When it comes to centralized, traceable access management within a team, there’s hardly any way around Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager. And for SSH-heavy mixed environments, MobaXterm is the Swiss Army knife.

Either way, the tool is only half the battle. What really matters is that login credentials aren’t left lying around in plain text and that remote access is properly secured.

Related article: Display system information for Windows Server on the desktop