Access local USB devices from a remote PC via remote desktop?
Is it possible for local USB devices to be accessed via a remote PC through remote desktop? Is there software or other configuration that can be done to support this? More specifically, I'm referring to the ability to access any USB device rather than just a flash drive. For example, I'd like the ability to plug in a USB smart card or fingerprint reader and have the remote PC recognize the device.
Yes and no.
If you are talking about USB flash drives, it is possible and share them as a hard drive.
The same goes with a few compatible Plug and Play devices, but not everything.
Open remote desktop (Mstsc) and click the "Local Resources" tab, then click "More" under the "Local devices and resources" section.
From here, you should be able to set what is shared from your local machine to the remote.
If you're using Microsoft Remote Desktop app for MacOS, settings for redirecting locally connected devices to a remote machine is similar to the Windows app.
When adding a new connection or editing an existing one, open the Devices & Audio tab and simply check what types of locally connected devices or services you want to redirect. You cannot control individual devices, unfortunately. There're the following options (in version 10.4.1 of the app):
- Printers
- Smart cards
- Clipboard
- Microphone
- Cameras
