Microsoft to Fix New Windows 11 22H2 Bug Breaking Remote Desktop Connections

Microsoft has acknowledged a new issue that’s currently affecting Windows 11 version 22H2 (or the Windows 11 2022 Update). The company detailed on the Windows 11 Health Dashboard that some users may experience crashes or freezing issues when trying to use the Windows Remote Desktop app to connect to Windows 11 PCs.

“After installing Windows 11, version 22H2 (also called Windows 11 2022 Update), the Windows Remote Desktop application might stop responding when connecting via a Remote Desktop gateway or Remote Desktop Connection Broker. An example of this connection scenario is when connecting to a Remote Desktop Services collection. RemoteApp and Desktop Connections are ways in which this connection is accomplished,” the company explained.

Naturally, the issue shouldn’t affect home users/consumers because the connection problem is different by default. Microsoft has recommended that users can resolve the issue by terminating the Remote Desktop app with Task Manager in Windows 11. To do so, users will need to browse the Process tab of Task Manager, find the mstsc.exe process, and then kill it.

How to fix Remote Desktop freezing issues on Windows 11 22H2

Additionally, Microsoft notes that IT admins can configure a group policy to disable UDP on affected Windows 11 devices. However, users may experience performance degradation when using the Remote Desktop app over WAN. The company advises administrators to revert the group policy change as soon as a fix is available in a future update.

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console or the Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Remote Desktop Services >> Remote Desktop Connection Client.
3. Enable the “Turn off UDP On Client” policy.
4. Finally, click Ok and then reboot the PC to apply the changes.

Microsoft has also removed a compatibility safeguard hold that was preventing users from upgrading to Windows 11 version 22H2. The problem caused connectivity issues for certain printers that use Microsoft IPP Class Drivers or Universal Print Class Drivers on Windows machines.