All your Remote Desktop connections one click away in the system tray — with securely stored logons.
Aloaha RDPLauncher (tray name: Aloaha RDP System Tray) lists every .rdp connection in the Windows system tray, stores the logon inside the connection file with Windows DPAPI encryption and starts Remote Desktop with one click — no password prompt every time. It also joins CodeB / Aloaha video meetings in a window of its own, with screen sharing and consent-gated remote support.
Single RDPLauncher.exe · no installer · no administrator rights · Windows with .NET Framework 4.8, 32-bit and 64-bit · version 5.1.0.0.
A small tray helper for people who use Remote Desktop every day.
You keep your .rdp connection files in one folder. RDPLauncher lists them in the system tray. Click a connection and the standard Windows Remote Desktop client (mstsc.exe) opens, already logged in. The logons live inside the connection files, encrypted with Windows DPAPI so only your Windows user on this PC can decrypt them.
Because the files stay in the mstsc-format, Remote Desktop can still open them directly. Nothing about the connection is hidden or proprietary.
Alongside the RDP menu, RDPLauncher can join a CodeB / Aloaha video meeting in a window of its own — useful for asking a colleague to look at your screen without switching between apps and browsers.
For users, and for administrators.
For users
- Tray menu Call RDP Hosts: every .rdp file in the RDP folder, one click to connect.
- Call RDP starts the plain Remote Desktop client; Call smartRDP lets you pick any .rdp file and connect.
- Edit RDP Hosts: small dialog for host (optionally with port), user name, domain and password. Buttons: Save, Save and Call RDP, Save as (copy a connection), Notepad (edit the file directly), Open Folder (the RDP folder in Explorer).
- Password entered twice (repeat check) and stored encrypted with Windows DPAPI for your Windows user on this PC. Nobody else, and no other PC, can decrypt it.
- Automatically launch on startup: pick one connection that opens when the tray app starts.
- Start with Windows tray toggle: one click to start the tray automatically at logon (per user), one click to remove it again.
- Works with IPv4, host names, IPv6 addresses, custom RDP ports and network (UNC) folders, in any encoding.
- Optional Tools submenu: Remote Desktop client, Adobe Acrobat / Reader, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, portable Firefox, Command Prompt.
For administrators
- Master folder (registry MasterRDPFolder): a read-only, admin-managed set of connections. Users can use but not edit them.
- Global folder (registry GlobalRDPFolder): machine-wide connections shown to every user, added to their own.
- Per-user folder (registry RDPFolder), with automatic fallback to Documents\RDPFiles when none is configured.
- Every tray menu item can be shown or hidden per user or machine-wide through simple registry switches under HKCU\Software\Aloaha\SysTray and HKLM\Software\Aloaha\SysTray — including hiding Exit or the tray icon itself, for kiosk / locked-down desktops.
- One instance per user session, suitable for terminal servers / RDS.
- Upgrade-safe: settings, registry values and .rdp files stay compatible with older RDPLauncher builds, and a backup of all configuration is created automatically on first start of a new version.
- Built-in HTML manual (tray menu Help) and About dialog with contact data.
Menu switches (registry values)
Set each value to "1" to show the corresponding tray entry, "0" to hide it. Same names under HKCU\Software\Aloaha\SysTray (per user) or HKLM\Software\Aloaha\SysTray (machine-wide; needs administrator rights only to write).
| Value name | Controls |
|---|---|
| editrdp | Edit RDP Hosts dialog |
| rdplist | Call RDP Hosts submenu |
| callrdp | Call RDP entry (plain mstsc) |
| tools | Tools submenu |
| adobe, ie, firefox, chrome | Individual entries inside Tools |
| rdp | Remote Desktop client entry inside Tools |
| cmd | Command Prompt entry (default hidden) |
| exitvisible | Exit entry visibility |
| trayvisible | The tray icon itself |
| autostart | Start-with-Windows entry |
| joinmeeting, meeting | Join Meeting entries |
| help, about | Help (HTML manual) and About dialog |
Three steps.
- Put your .rdp files in the RDP folder (default Documents\RDPFiles).
- Open Edit RDP Hosts and set user name, domain and password once. RDPLauncher writes them encrypted into the file with Windows DPAPI.
- Click the connection in the tray. Remote Desktop opens, already logged in.
Administrators can put an admin-managed set of connections in MasterRDPFolder (read-only) and a shared set in GlobalRDPFolder. Users see all three folders in one menu.
Join a CodeB / Aloaha meeting from the tray, share your screen, get help with your permission.
Join Meeting
Opens a CodeB / Aloaha video meeting in a window of the tray app — no separate browser. Room code or invite link, or Create new room and Copy invite link. Works without a microphone or camera (the tray then suggests sharing the screen). The meeting server is configurable; the default is phone.codeb.io.
Screen sharing
Choose a whole screen, a window or a browser tab. A clear orange bar "You are sharing your screen" with Stop sharing is always visible while sharing.
Remote support — let someone control your screen (only with your permission)
- A participant clicks Request control on your picture.
- You see who is asking, with a verified identity when the meeting server confirmed it, otherwise marked Unverified. You must tick "I trust …" and click Allow. Deny is the default and is chosen automatically after 60 seconds.
- While someone has control, a bar on every screen says "name is controlling your screen" with Stop. Ctrl+Alt+F12 also stops it at any time.
- Control also ends automatically when you stop sharing, leave the meeting, lock Windows, after 10 minutes without remote input, and after 30 minutes at most (your helper can ask again).
- Only while a whole screen is shared, so the helper can only click what they can see. Only one helper at a time.
- The meeting window minimises itself while someone has control, and comes back afterwards.
- The helper's mouse pointer takes the same shape as on your computer (arrow, text cursor, hand, resize arrows, program cursors).
Aloaha RDPLauncher does not allow unattended access or control of a PC without the user. Someone has to be at the PC to share the screen. A plain meeting-room link never gives control. Only an invite link that carries an access code the user created and sent themselves does — see below.
Remote help with an access code (like a session password)
When you join a meeting you can turn on Remote help: allow control with an access code. The tray app generates a random 6-character code (letters and digits, without confusable characters), shows it in the meeting window with a Copy code button, and lets you pick:
- Validity: 10 minutes up to 24 hours, or until the meeting window closes (default 30 minutes).
- Uses: once, 2, 3, 5, 10 times, or any number of times (default once).
Read the code to your helper by phone. When your helper enters the code with the request, control starts without the Allow dialog. A wrong code just shows the normal Allow / Deny dialog. Three wrong codes block the code until you create a new one.
In the Join Meeting dialog you can also tick "Put the code into the invite link". The tray app then copies a link like https://phone.codeb.io/room.html?room=…#rc=<code>. The code is in the URL fragment only, so the meeting server never sees it and it never reaches server logs, proxies or a Referer header. When your helper opens the link, the page strips the fragment from the address bar immediately and requests control as soon as you share the whole screen — with no click on either side.
Never read an access code to a caller you did not expect — even if they say they are from IT, your bank, Microsoft or Aloaha. Give a code only to a person you already know and trust, and only for the moment you need help. Prefer the once setting so the code is used up after one session.
Honest limits
- The person who is being helped needs Aloaha RDP System Tray on Windows. The helper can join from a normal browser.
- Windows does not let a normal program operate windows that run with administrator rights (for example UAC prompts) or the Windows lock screen. If your task needs elevation, you dismiss the UAC yourself; the helper waits.
- Remote control needs a whole-screen share. Sharing a single window or a tab does not enable it.
Your passwords, your consent, your network.
- DPAPI encryption per Windows user and per PC. Passwords are never stored in plain text. Temporary copies are deleted as soon as the Remote Desktop client has read them.
- No logs, no telemetry. Network traffic goes to the meeting server (default phone.codeb.io) only while a meeting window is open. Remote Desktop connects to the servers you choose.
- Remote support only with consent: Allow click or a user-created access code. Always visible while it is happening. Instant Stop. Automatic end on lock, disconnect, share stop, 10 minutes without input, 30 minutes maximum.
- Camera, microphone and screen sharing only after you allow them, and only for the meeting server.
- No administrator rights for any function.
Get RDPLauncher.
Aloaha RDPLauncher · 5.1.0.0
Download: https://www.aloaha.com/download/rdplauncher.zip
The zip contains RDPLauncher.exe and readme rdplauncher.txt. Unpack anywhere and run — there is no installer.
Requirements:
- Windows with .NET Framework 4.8 (Windows 10 / 11 and Windows Server 2016+ include it or can install it).
- 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
- Windows Remote Desktop client (mstsc.exe, part of Windows).
- For meetings and remote support: Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime — part of Windows 10 / 11. If it is missing, RDPLauncher offers Microsoft's download page and WebView2 installs without administrator rights.
- No administrator rights needed for any function.
Licence: Free for private use. Commercial use requires a licence — please contact info@aloaha.com.
Frequently asked questions.
Where are my RDP connections stored?
In the RDP folder — by default Documents\RDPFiles for each user, or a folder set via the registry value RDPFolder. Administrators can add a machine-wide GlobalRDPFolder and a read-only MasterRDPFolder. The tray menu combines all three.
Can a colleague read my RDP password from the .rdp file?
No. Passwords are encrypted with Windows DPAPI for your Windows user on your PC. Nobody else, and no other PC, can decrypt them. The .rdp files remain standard mstsc-format files so Remote Desktop can still open them directly.
Does RDPLauncher need administrator rights?
No, for no function. The program never asks for elevation. Administrator rights are only needed if you want to write machine-wide (HKLM) settings such as GlobalRDPFolder or MasterRDPFolder.
Can someone control my PC without my permission?
No. Control only starts after you click Allow — or with a short access code you created yourself and gave out. A bar on every screen always says who has control, and Stop or Ctrl+Alt+F12 ends the session instantly. Control also ends automatically when you stop sharing, lock Windows, leave the meeting, after 10 minutes without input, and after 30 minutes at most.
Does the helper need Aloaha RDPLauncher too?
No. The helper can join the meeting from a normal browser. Only the person who is being helped needs Aloaha RDP System Tray, because that is what handles the consent dialog and OS-level input on the controlled PC.
Why must I share my whole screen for remote control?
So the helper can only click what they can see. If you share a single window or a browser tab, remote control stays disabled. That way sensitive content in other windows never becomes reachable by accident.
Can the helper operate administrator windows?
No. Windows does not allow a normal program to operate windows that run with administrator rights (for example UAC prompts) or the lock screen. If your task needs elevation, you dismiss the UAC yourself; the helper waits and then continues.
How does the remote-help access code work?
When you join a meeting you can turn on Remote help with an access code. The tray app generates a random 6-character code, shows it in the meeting window with a Copy button, and lets you pick the validity (10 minutes to 24 hours) and how often it can be used (once to 10 times). You read the code to your helper by phone. When your helper requests control with that code, control starts without the Allow dialog. Three wrong attempts block the code. Never give a code to a caller you did not expect — that is how support scams work.
Can I put the access code into the invite link?
Yes, as an option in the Join Meeting dialog. When enabled, the tray app copies a link with the code in the URL fragment only — the meeting server never sees it. When your helper opens the link, the page strips the fragment immediately from the address bar and requests control as soon as you share the whole screen. Anyone who has that link can take control while the code is valid, so send it only to your helper and prefer once.
Does RDPLauncher run on terminal servers?
Yes. RDPLauncher runs one instance per user session and is safe to use on Remote Desktop Session Host / RDS environments. Administrators typically point every user to a read-only MasterRDPFolder for the standard set of connections, and let users add their own in the per-user RDPFolder.
Is there telemetry?
No. RDPLauncher writes no log files and sends no telemetry. It connects to the meeting server (phone.codeb.io by default, configurable) only while a meeting window is open. Remote Desktop connects to the servers you choose. After 30 days of use it opens www.codeb.io or www.aloaha.com in the browser about once a week — nothing else.
Can I roll back to an older version?
Yes. Settings, registry values and .rdp files stay compatible with older RDPLauncher builds, and a backup zip of all configuration is created automatically on first start of a new version at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Aloaha_Limited\RDPLauncher.exe_StrongName_….
Talk to us.
Email info@aloaha.com. Phone (Germany) +49 541 3859 4554 or +49 151 5761 0183. CET business hours, Monday to Friday. English and German.