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Reliable connectivity is essential for delivering a productive Cloud PC and virtual desktop experience. Network variability—whether caused by packet loss, ISP instability, restrictive firewalls, proxy configurations, VPN routing, or UDP-restricted environments—continues to be one of the most common causes of session interruptions across enterprise remote desktop deployments.

Today, we’re excited to announce the general availability of RDP Multipath with redundant TCP support for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. This enhancement extends the resiliency benefits of RDP Multipath to TCP-based connections, helping organizations maintain a more reliable and consistent connectivity experience across a broader range of network environments.

RDP Multipath continuously evaluates multiple available connection paths and dynamically selects the most reliable route for each session. If the active connection experiences degradation or becomes unavailable, RDP Multipath can automatically transition to an alternate path, helping reduce session interruptions and improve the overall user experience.

How RDP Multipath works

RDP Multipath establishes and maintains multiple available connection paths between the client device and the Windows 365 Cloud PC or Azure Virtual Desktop session host.

When UDP-based RDP Shortpath connectivity is available, UDP remains the preferred transport protocol for optimal performance and reliability. RDP Multipath can establish multiple UDP paths using STUN (Simple Traversal Underneath NAT) and TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) protocols, enabling sessions to dynamically transition between alternate UDP routes if degradation or failure is detected.

With the addition of redundant TCP support, Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop can now establish standby TCP paths alongside existing UDP connectivity. This means customers connecting through restrictive network environments can benefit from the same resiliency capabilities previously available only across UDP-based connections.

If the active connection becomes unavailable or experiences degraded performance, RDP Multipath automatically transitions to the next available path—UDP or TCP—without requiring user intervention or reconnection. In situations where all paths are lost, such as a temporary network outage, the session attempts to reconnect once connectivity is restored.

Many organizations operate in environments where UDP connectivity is restricted or unavailable because of firewall, proxy, or security requirements. In these scenarios, remote desktop sessions often rely on TCP-based Reverse Connect transport.

Previously, these environments generally relied on a single TCP connection. With redundant TCP support, Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop can now maintain standby TCP paths and dynamically transition between them if the active connection becomes degraded or unavailable. This extends the resiliency benefits of RDP Multipath to customers operating in restrictive network environments.

Key Benefits:

• Improved connection reliability: Multiple connection paths are maintained throughout the session. If the active path becomes unstable or unavailable, RDP Multipath can automatically switch to a backup path, helping reduce session interruptions.


• Enhanced resiliency across network environments: Organizations can benefit from RDP Multipath whether connections are established through UDP-based RDP Shortpath or TCP-based Reverse Connect transport.


• Seamless user experience: Path selection and failover occur automatically and transparently, helping users stay connected and productive without requiring any action.


• No additional configuration required: RDP Multipath works automatically when prerequisite requirements are met, simplifying deployment and adoption for IT administrators.

Understanding RDP Multipath connectivity

The diagram above illustrates one example of how RDP Multipath can establish and manage multiple connection paths between a client device and a Windows 365 Cloud PC or Azure Virtual Desktop session.

The exact paths available for a connection depend on factors such as network topology, firewall and proxy configuration, NAT behavior, and whether UDP-based RDP Shortpath connectivity is available.

In the scenario shown above:

• A UDP-based RDP Shortpath connection is used as the primary active path.


• Additional UDP transport paths can be established through STUN or TURN when supported by the network configuration.


• Redundant TCP transport paths can also be maintained as standby paths to improve resiliency.


• RDP Multipath continuously evaluates available transport paths and monitors connection health.


• If the active transport path becomes unavailable or experiences degradation, RDP Multipath can transition traffic to another available transport path to help maintain session continuity.

When UDP connectivity is available, it remains the preferred transport protocol for optimal performance and reliability. Redundant TCP transport paths extend Multipath resiliency to environments where UDP connectivity may be restricted or unavailable due to firewall, proxy, or network policies.

How to enable RDP Multipath

By default, this feature is enabled for everyone providing seamless integration and enhanced connectivity without requiring any changes from IT departments or end users. Redundant TCP transport paths are currently supported only on Windows devices using Windows App on Windows client, version 2.0.1069.0 or later.

Learn more

To learn more about RDP Multipath, visit:

• Use RDP Multipath with Azure Virtual Desktop | Microsoft Learn


• Use RDP Multipath with Windows 365 | Microsoft Learn

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