Prevent Hiding of Language Indicator in RDP Window Tray Area on Windows

Prevent Hiding of Language Indicator in RDP Window Tray Area on Windows

When connecting to a remote machine using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on Windows, you may have noticed that the language indicator in the tray area of the window automatically hides when the window becomes inactive. This behavior can be frustrating, especially if you need to switch languages frequently while using the remote machine. In this article, we will explore the causes of this issue and provide solutions to prevent the language indicator from hiding in the RDP window tray area on Windows.

Understanding the Issue

The language indicator in the tray area of the RDP window is a system icon that allows you to switch between different input languages quickly. When the RDP window is active, the language indicator is visible, and you can click on it to change the input language. However, when the RDP window becomes inactive, the language indicator automatically hides to reduce clutter in the tray area. This behavior is controlled by the Windows operating system and is not specific to the RDP client.

Preventing the Language Indicator from Hiding

There are several ways to prevent the language indicator from hiding in the RDP window tray area on Windows. Here are some solutions:

Solution 1: Use a Third-Party RDP Client

Some third-party RDP clients, such as mRemoteNG, allow you to customize the behavior of system icons in the tray area. By using a third-party RDP client, you can prevent the language indicator from hiding when the RDP window becomes inactive. Here are the steps to prevent the language indicator from hiding in mRemoteNG:

• Download and install mRemoteNG from the official website.
• Connect to the remote machine using mRemoteNG.
• Right-click on the mRemoteNG system tray icon and select "Options".
• In the "Options" window, go to the "Appearance" tab.
• Under "Tray Icons", select "Show all icons" or "Show icons and notifications".
• Click "OK" to save the changes.

Solution 2: Use a Registry Hack

You can prevent the language indicator from hiding in the RDP window tray area by modifying the Windows registry. Here are the steps:

• Press "Win + R" to open the "Run" dialog box.
• Type "regedit" and press "Enter" to open the Registry Editor.
• Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default

• Right-click on the "Default" key and select "New" > "DWORD (32-bit) Value".
• Name the new value "DontHideIcons" and set its value to "1".
• Click "OK" to save the changes.

Note: Modifying the Windows registry can cause serious problems if done incorrectly. Please create a backup of the registry before making any changes.

Solution 3: Use a Group Policy

If you are using Windows 10 Enterprise or Education edition, you can use a Group Policy to prevent the language indicator from hiding in the RDP window tray area. Here are the steps:

• Press "Win + R" to open the "Run" dialog box.
• Type "gpedit.msc" and press "Enter" to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
• Navigate to the following policy:

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Session Time Limits

• Double-click on the "Set time limit for disconnected sessions" policy.
• Select "Enabled" and set the time limit to "Never".
• Click "OK" to save the changes.

Note: The Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 Home edition. You can use the registry hack or a third-party RDP client instead.

In this article, we covered the issue of the language indicator hiding in the RDP window tray area on Windows. We provided three solutions to prevent this issue:

• Using a third-party RDP client such as mRemoteNG.
• Modifying the Windows registry.
• Using a Group Policy (available in Windows 10 Enterprise or Education edition only).

References

• mRemoteNG
• Stop Hiding Language Bar in Taskbar when RDP Connected in Windows 10
• Windows 10 RDP client: how to prevent tray icons from hiding
• Remote Desktop Session Host Session Time Limits policy