RDP printers duplicate each login — clean stale ports & profiles

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Windows Server / RDS, Active Directory, Printing, Group Policy, Office Networks

Fix Remote Desktop printer duplication — Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Windows 10/11 clients

Technician

Hey! Let’s stop your RDP printer duplication. Tell me: which Windows Server version (2016/2019/2022), are users connecting via RDS / RD Gateway or direct Remote Desktop, and do you see lots of Redirected printers or TSxxx / WSD / TCP ports piling up? Any Group Policy that auto-creates printers?

Customer

Server 2019 RDS. Every login creates duplicated Redirected printers — some users end up with “HP LaserJet (redirected 5)” to “(redirected 28)”. I also see a ton of TS00x ports and old WSD entries. We push a couple of printers via GPO.

Technician

Got it. Remote Desktop redirected printers duplicate when the server can’t re-use an existing mapping. Most common causes:
• Stale TS ports and ghost printers left behind after disconnected sessions, so Windows creates new TS### ports each login.
• Conflicting GPO printer deployment + RDS auto-create client printers — you get both a mapped share and a redirected copy.
• Driver mismatch or Class Driver switching that changes the device identity each session.
• Corrupted NTUSER.DAT printer keys in user profiles or Default User profile.
We’ll clean stale ports & profiles, set the right printer redirection policy, and lock drivers.

Customer

What’s the fastest way to clean the server? I need these duplicated printers gone today.

Technician

Immediate cleanup (Server 2016/2019/2022):
1) Stop the Print Spooler service on the RDS host(s).
2) Delete C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\* and prune HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers of Redirected instances only.
3) Remove stale TS ports under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors\Terminal Server Port\Ports and any orphaned WSD / TCP ports not used by your shared queues.
4) Start Spooler, then on each collection host run printui.exe /s /t2 and remove duplicate queues & ghost printers.
5) If users still bring in redirected devices, set the GPO below and log them off to rebuild mappings.

Customer

Which Group Policy should we use? We deploy two office printers via GPP already.

Technician

To prevent duplication, pick one strategy and be consistent.
• If you deploy printers via GPP, set RDS to not auto-create client printers:
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Printer Redirection → Do not allow client printer redirection = Enabled. Optionally enable Redirect only the default client printer = Disabled.
• If you prefer client redirected printers, remove the GPP items and enable Use Remote Desktop Easy Print so the same model/driver is used every session.
Either way, choose one path to stop the printer mapping loop.

Customer

Some users still get duplicates after the GPO change. Could it be profiles?

Technician

Yes. Corrupt or “sticky” RDS profiles keep old printer GUIDs and persistent TSxxx ports.
• Reset affected users: rename their server-side profile and let it re-create, or clean HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices, PrinterPorts and Windows → Device keys.
• Check the Default User profile for pre-populated printers — remove them to prevent new users inheriting duplicates.
• With FSLogix / UPD, clear the container or VHDX that stores the user’s print keys.

Customer

Drivers are a mess. Some queues use Class Drivers; others use manufacturer drivers. Could that cause the duplication?

Technician

Definitely. A driver mismatch changes the device identity so RDS thinks it’s “new” each login. Best practice:
• Standardize on a single Type 4 class or a single universal print driver (HP UPD / Xerox GPD / Kyocera KX).
• Disable automatic replacement with Device Installation Settings and remove legacy Type 3 packages from Print Management → Drivers.
• For Easy Print scenarios, keep .NET and RDP versions current on clients to avoid fallback mappings.

Customer

Is there a quick way to script the cleanup of redirected printers and stale ports on the host?

Technician

Yes — a cleanup script for RDP printers can stop the spooler, purge Redirected queues, and remove TS ports that have no active sessions. We can also schedule it during maintenance to keep Remote Desktop printer duplication from returning.

Customer

After cleanup we want just two shared printers via GPO and no client printers. Anything else to lock down?

Technician

Final hardening:
• GPO: Do not allow client printer redirection = Enabled, Point and Print Restrictions configured to your server FQDN(s).
• Remove local admin from users so they can’t add random printers inside sessions.
• Monitor Event Viewer → PrintService (Operational) for recurring Redirected queues.
• Weekly task to clear stale TS/WSD ports if your environment is very dynamic.

Customer

Great — duplicates are gone after the GPO + cleanup. Users only see the two shared printers now.

Technician

Summary: To fix RDP printers duplicating each login, clean stale ports and ghost printers, reset user RDS printer profiles, and choose a single strategy: GPO-deployed printers or client printer redirection (not both). Standardize drivers and schedule periodic cleanup. Need help implementing? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when RDP printers duplicate each login: stop Spooler and purge Redirected queues, remove TS/WSD/TCP stale ports, reset affected user printer keys, and enforce GPO to disable client printer redirection when deploying printers via GPP. Standardize drivers or enable Easy Print to prevent re‑identification.

FAQ

Step‑by‑step (Server cleanup)

1. Stop Print Spooler on all RDS hosts.
2. Delete redirected queues and purge TS/WSD/TCP stale ports.
3. Start Spooler and remove ghost printers in Print Management.
4. Apply GPO to disable client printer redirection (if using GPP) or remove GPP (if using redirection).

Step‑by‑step (User profile reset)

1. Back up the user profile / FSLogix container.
2. Clear HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices and PrinterPorts.
3. Log in fresh and verify only intended printers map.

Sources

• Microsoft — Remote Desktop Easy Print
• Microsoft — PRINTUI commands
• Microsoft — PrintService logging

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