Royal TS

Royal TS is a connection manager for sysadmins, MSP technicians and consultants who juggle dozens of RDP, SSH, VNC and web consoles and want them organised in one tabbed window with shared, encrypted credentials. The Royal TS download runs on Windows; its macOS sibling is Royal TSX, and both use the same document format. It is shareware (conditionally free): without a licence it runs in a free Shareware Mode with no time limit, but with caps on connections, credentials and documents.

Royal TS does not provide remote access by itself. It drives existing protocols (Microsoft RDP, SSH, VNC, HTTPS and file transfer) and adds folders, credential inheritance, tasks, SSH tunnelling and team sharing on top. The developer is Royal Apps GmbH, the company formerly known as code4ward, which has built Royal TS for well over a decade.

Royal TS at a glance

What it does

• Opens Remote Desktop (Microsoft RDP or FreeRDP), SSH and Telnet terminals, VNC, web consoles and FTP/SFTP/SCP file transfer in tabs or undocked windows.
• On Windows, adds management connections for Hyper-V, VMware, Windows services, processes, events, Terminal Services sessions, performance counters and PowerShell, plus TeamViewer sessions and external applications.
• Stores credentials as separate objects that connections inherit from folders or reference by name, so a document can be shared without sharing passwords.
• Encrypts sensitive fields in the document and can password-protect the whole file.
• Tunnels RDP, VNC, SSH and Telnet through an SSH host with the built-in Secure Gateway, without extra tools.
• Automates routine work with Command Tasks (for example, start a VPN before connecting) and Key Sequence Tasks that type into one or many sessions.
• Builds connection lists from scripts with Dynamic Folders and the RoyalJSON format, and from PowerShell with the RoyalDocument.PowerShell module.
• Lets several people open the same document from a network share or cloud folder and synchronise changes without a database.

How IT teams use it

Share a team connection list without sharing passwords

1. Create a document for the team (File, New Document) and save it to a file share. Royal documents use the .rtsz extension.
2. Add folders per customer or site and create connections without credentials.
3. In each connection’s credential settings, reference a credential by name instead of picking one, for example DOMAIN-ADMIN.
4. Each technician keeps a private, password-protected document with a credential of that name. Royal TS matches it at connect time.

Generate connections from a server list

1. Install the module: Install-Module RoyalDocument.PowerShell.
2. Read your servers from AD, a CMDB export or a CSV, and create one connection per host:

Import-Module RoyalDocument.PowerShell
$store = New-RoyalStore -UserName ($env:USERDOMAIN + '' + $env:USERNAME)
$doc = New-RoyalDocument -Name 'Servers' -FileName 'C:RoyalServers.rtsz' -Store $store
$folder = New-RoyalObject -Folder $doc -Type RoyalFolder -Name 'Windows'
Import-Csv C:Royalservers.csv | ForEach-Object {
  $rds = New-RoyalObject -Folder $folder -Type RoyalRDSConnection -Name $_.Name
  Set-RoyalObjectValue -Object $rds -Property URI -Value $_.Host | Out-Null
}
Out-RoyalDocument -Document $doc
Close-RoyalDocument -Document $doc

3. Open the generated file in Royal TS. Rerun the script whenever the inventory changes, or move the logic into a Dynamic Folder so it refreshes on load.

Reach servers in an isolated network through a jump host

1. Create a Secure Gateway object pointing at the SSH jump host (port 22) with its own credential.
2. In each RDP or VNC connection’s properties, select that gateway.
3. Connect as usual: Royal TS opens the SSH tunnel and routes the session through it, so 3389 and 5900 stay closed to the outside.

Install and first run

Windows. Royal TS 7 ships as an MSI or ZIP for x64 and ARM64. It is a self-contained .NET 10 application, so no separate .NET install is needed; its system requirements follow those of .NET 10. 32-bit Windows has not been supported since version 6. The developer tests on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows Server 2016/2019; the ARM64 build targets Windows 11 on ARM. Installing the MSI needs admin rights.

macOS. Royal TSX 6 requires macOS 11 Big Sur or later and is signed and notarised by Apple, so Gatekeeper accepts it when apps from identified developers are allowed.

Mobile. Royal TSi (iOS) and Royal TSD (Android) open documents created on the desktop; they are companion apps, not full replacements.

Gotchas. Shareware Mode limits are counted per application instance, so a large imported document quickly hits the 10-connection cap. Royal TS uses each protocol’s normal ports (3389 for RDP, 22 for SSH, 5900 for VNC), so firewalls and NLA settings still apply. Royal Server, which adds a central Secure Gateway, Document Store and management endpoint, is a separate product with its own licence.

Limitations

• Not free beyond small setups: 10 connections, 10 credentials and one document per instance in Shareware Mode; Royal TSX also disables the AppleScript interface.
• Windows and macOS are licensed separately (a bundle covers both).
• No Linux desktop version.
• It is a client-side manager: no relay, no unattended agent and no access to machines that you cannot already reach by network.

Royal TS vs alternatives

Remote Desktop Manager Free covers similar ground at no cost, with a heavier interface and more integrations. On Linux, Remmina is a free, lighter client for RDP, VNC and SSH. mRemoteNG is a free open-source manager for Windows with a simpler feature set. Royal TS stands out for its credential-by-name sharing, Secure Gateway and identical document format on Windows and macOS.

FAQ

Is Royal TS free?

Royal TS is shareware (conditionally free). Shareware Mode needs no registration and never expires, but allows only 10 connections, 10 credentials and one document per instance.

What is the difference between Royal TS and Royal TSX?

Royal TS is the Windows app and Royal TSX is the macOS app. They share the same .rtsz document format, but each platform has its own licence.

Is there Royal TSX for Windows?

No. On Windows the product is called Royal TS; Royal TSX is macOS only.

What is new in Royal TS v7?

Version 7 is a self-contained .NET 10 application for x64 and ARM64 and works with Royal Server 5. It is the current major version.

Does Royal TS have a portable version?

Besides the MSI, the Windows build is also published as a ZIP package for x64 and ARM64, which you can unpack instead of running the installer.

What are good Royal TS alternatives?

Remote Desktop Manager, mRemoteNG and Remmina (Linux) are the most common choices, depending on platform and budget.

Can I import connections from other tools?

Yes. The Import group on the Data tab reads CSV files, mRemote/mRemoteNG XML and RDCMan .rdg files, and the PowerShell module or Dynamic Folders can generate connections from any other source.

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