Terminals

Terminals is a free, tabbed multi-protocol remote connection manager for Windows, built for sysadmins who juggle many RDP, VNC and SSH sessions and want them in one window instead of a dozen mstsc.exe instances. People searching for a Terminals RDP manager are usually looking for exactly that: a lightweight replacement for the built-in Remote Desktop client with saved favourites and credentials.

Be aware of its status before you adopt it. The last release, 4.0.1, came out in June 2017. The maintainers announced in 2019 that active development had stopped, and a 2022 note that the project was “resurrected” was followed only by a few build-related commits in early 2023 and no new release. Terminals still runs, but treat it as unmaintained software.

Terminals at a glance

What it does

• Opens RDP, VNC, VMRC, SSH, Telnet, RAS, Citrix ICA and HTTP/HTTPS connections in tabs, with full-screen switching and detachable windows.
• Uses the Windows Terminal Services ActiveX control (mstscax.dll) for RDP, so behaviour matches the built-in client.
• Stores favourites organised by tags and groups in a tree, with drag-and-drop and connection history.
• Keeps credentials in an encrypted store protected by a master password, reusable across many connections.
• Imports connections from .rdp files, Remote Desktop Connection Manager (.rdg), Multiple Remote Desktops Manager (.mrc) and visionapp (.vrb), and offers to import recent RDP connections from the registry on first start.
• Discovers machines by scanning Active Directory or an IP range for known service ports.
• Built-in network tools: ping, tracert, DNS lookups, Wake-on-LAN, port scanner, shares, services and whois.
• Screen capture manager for documenting sessions.

How IT teams use it

Import an existing RDCMan or .rdp collection

1. Open Favorites > Organize favorites (or the File menu) and choose Import.
2. Select your .rdg file or a folder of .rdp files. Back up your Terminals data first, because imports can overwrite favourites with the same name.
3. Assign tags so servers appear grouped in the favourites tree.

Find servers in Active Directory

1. In Organize favorites choose the Active Directory scan.
2. Enter the domain and, for large domains, a search root such as ou=servers,dc=mydomain,dc=local. Adjust the LDAP filter if you only want certain computers.
3. Select results and create favourites from them in one step.

Launch sessions from scripts or shortcuts

1. Terminals accepts mstsc-style switches. Connect to a server’s console session in full screen:

Terminals.exe /v:server01 /c /f

2. Open several saved favourites at once (names without spaces):

Terminals.exe /favs:dc01,file01,sql01

3. Point a shared shortcut at a central config with /config:"\servershareTerminals.config"; switches are case sensitive.

Install and first run

Requirements. Windows with .NET Framework 4 or later (the 4.x runtime included in current Windows 10 and 11 is fine). For RDP it uses the system’s Remote Desktop ActiveX control, so no extra client is needed. Other protocols such as ICA depend on the corresponding vendor components being present.

Installer or portable. Version 4.0.1 shipped as an MSI and as a zip. During setup you choose a local installation (data in your user profile) or a portable layout (data in a Data folder next to the program). The release notes list a known crash in the zip edition that needs a fix in terminals.exe.config, so the MSI is the safer choice.

First run. Set a master password before you save credentials. Terminals offers to import recent RDP connections from the registry; accept it to get started quickly.

Gotchas. Running the portable edition from Program Files triggers UAC prompts. If you export favourites with “Export passwords” ticked, the passwords are written in readable form; never leave such files on shared drives. There is no downgrade path from 3.x data to 2.x.

Limitations

• No releases since 2017 and no active maintainer: no security fixes, no support for newer protocol features and no help when Windows changes break something.
• Windows only; the project never had macOS or Linux builds.
• The SQL Server shared data store described in the documentation was never part of a published release, so team sharing means passing exported files around.
• Some protocols in the list, such as VMRC, target products that are themselves retired.
• Credential encryption and the master password scheme date from 2017 and have not been reviewed or updated since.

Terminals vs alternatives

For new deployments choose a maintained connection manager. Remote Desktop Manager Free covers the same multi-protocol, tabbed workflow with an active release cycle. Royal TS is shareware (conditionally free) with a free limited mode and builds for Windows and macOS. On Linux desktops, Remmina is the usual free choice for RDP, VNC and SSH in one window.

FAQ

Is Terminals still maintained?

No. The last release is 4.0.1 from June 2017. A 2022 “resurrected” announcement brought only a few build commits in early 2023 and no new version, so plan to migrate.

Is Terminals free?

Yes. It is free and its source is available under the Microsoft Shared Source Community License (MS-CL).

Does Terminals work on Windows 11?

It is a .NET Framework 4 application that uses the system RDP control, so it generally starts on current Windows versions, but it has never been tested or updated for Windows 11 by its developers.

Is there a portable version of Terminals?

Yes. The installer offers a portable layout that keeps all data in a Data folder next to the program, and a zip edition exists, although the release notes flag a known crash in it.

Is there a Terminals RDP client for Mac or Linux?

No. Terminals is Windows-only. Use Royal TS on macOS or Remmina on Linux for a similar tabbed workflow.

What is a good Terminals RDP alternative?

Remote Desktop Manager Free and Royal TS are the closest maintained options on Windows. Both include import tools, so you can export your Terminals favourites and move them over rather than rebuilding the list by hand.

Last checked against official sources: 1 October 2026 (developer website: github.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in production.