What is the difference between Remote Desktop Connection and Remote Desktop Web Connection?

You can use either Remote Desktop Connection or Remote Desktop Web Connection to connect from your computer to a remote computer. For example, you could connect from your computer at home to your computer at work.

The following table describes the differences between the two.

Remote Desktop Connection Remote Desktop Web Connection
Requires remote access software on computers connecting to the remote computer. Requires only an Internet connection to connect to a remote computer.
Uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to a remote computer. Uses the Internet to connect to a webpage, and then uses RDP to connect to a remote computer.
For all remote sessions to have the same configuration, the administrator must distribute connection instructions or .rdp files. The administrator can use the same configuration for all remote sessions, instead of sharing or publishing .rdp files.

Note: With either Remote Desktop Connection or Remote Desktop Web Connection, the administrator must first set up the remote (host) computer to allow incoming connections. The administrator could be you or a network administrator-whoever sets up the remote computer to allow connections.

Note: This information provided by Microsoft.