Extend Windows Server RDS Grace Period via Registry

When you enable Remote Desktop Services (RDS) on Windows Server, you get a 120-day grace period before a valid license is required. After that, users can’t connect via RDP until licenses are activated.

Fig 1:Extend Windows Server RDS Grace Period via Registry

For testing or educational labs, you can safely reset this grace period using the Windows Registry. This tutorial is for educational or lab environments only. Always activate Windows Server legally in production.

⚙️ Quick Steps to Reset the Grace Period

1️⃣ Open Registry Editor
Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\RCM\GracePeriod

2️⃣ Take Ownership
Right-click GracePeriod → Permissions → Advanced.
Change Owner to your Administrator account and apply.

3️⃣ Grant Full Control
Under Permissions, select your account → check Full Control → Apply → OK.

4️⃣ Delete the Time-Bomb Value
Inside GracePeriod, delete the binary value (often named L$RTMTIMEBOMB).

5️⃣ Restart the Server
After reboot, your 120-day RDS grace period resets, letting you continue lab testing.

🧠 Important Tips

• Always back up your registry before editing.
• This method is meant only for non-production educational setups.
• For live environments, install proper RDS CALs using the Licensing Manager.

✅ Summary

Using the Registry method, you can quickly extend the Windows Server RDS grace period to keep your learning or lab sessions running smoothly. It’s an easy, Microsoft-recognized trick for students and IT learners — just remember to license properly once your testing is complete.