Redirect USB devices, webcams and smart cards over RDP

A Windows VPS has no USB ports you can reach, but Remote Desktop can pass some local devices into your session. Smart cards and webcams usually work well. Generic USB devices are harder and sometimes impossible. This guide explains the three kinds of redirection, how to enable each one, and how to tell early when a device will not work.

Before you start

• Your server's IP address, username and password from your VPS provider's control panel.
• A Windows 10 or 11 computer with Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc). The Mac and mobile apps support fewer device types.
• Administrator rights on both your local computer and the server.
• The device working on your local computer, with its driver installed.

Know the three kinds of redirection

Remote Desktop handles devices in two different ways:

• High-level redirection sends the device's function, not the raw USB traffic. Smart cards, webcams (video capture), audio, printers, drives and the clipboard all work this way. They are efficient, tolerate network delay well, and the server usually needs no special driver.
• RemoteFX USB redirection forwards the raw USB traffic for a device. The server then needs the device's own driver. It is sensitive to latency and only suits devices that do not need fast, constant communication.

A third case is serial (COM) port redirection, used by some older hardware. You enable it with the Ports box under More….

Use high-level redirection whenever the device type supports it. Fall back to RemoteFX USB only when nothing else fits.

Redirect a smart card

Smart card redirection is built in and on by default.

1. Open mstsc, click Show Options and enter 203.0.113.10:3389.
2. Open Local Resources and click More… under Local devices and resources.
3. Tick Smart cards and click OK.

The .rdp line is:

redirectsmartcards:i:1

Inside the session, check the card is visible:

certutil -scinfo

It lists the reader and the certificates on the card. Applications that sign documents or log in to bank or government portals with a card should now see it.

Redirect a webcam

Webcams use video capture redirection, which is more reliable than raw USB.

1. In mstsc, go to Local Resources → More….
2. Expand Video capture devices and tick your camera, or tick the whole group.
3. Connect and open the Camera app or your meeting app inside the session.

In an .rdp file, camerastoredirect:s:* redirects all cameras. Expect lower frame rates than locally, because video travels over your internet link.

Enable RemoteFX USB redirection

This needs a change on your local computer first, because Windows hides the option by default.

1. On your local PC, press Win + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter. (Windows Home has no gpedit.msc; this route needs Pro or higher.)
2. Go to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Connection Client → RemoteFX USB Device Redirection.
3. Open Allow RDP redirection of other supported RemoteFX USB devices from this computer, set it to Enabled, and choose Administrators and Users for access rights.
4. Run gpupdate /force and restart your local computer.
5. Open mstsc → Local Resources → More…. A new group, Other supported RemoteFX USB devices, now lists eligible devices. Tick the one you need.

On the server, make sure Do not allow supported Plug and Play device redirection under Device and Resource Redirection is not enabled. Then install the device's driver on the server, just as you would on a local PC.

Know the limits

Some devices will not work well, or at all, over a VPS link:

• Licence dongles for software often check timing or use custom drivers. Many refuse to work remotely, and some licences forbid it. Check with the software vendor.
• Scanners, audio interfaces and capture cards stream large amounts of data. Delay over the internet makes them unreliable.
• Phones and hardware wallets may connect but behave unpredictably. Keep them on your local machine.
• Keyboards and mice are already handled by RDP itself. Do not redirect them.

Where a device fails, move the work that needs it to your local computer and share the results with the server through a redirected folder. See Share local drives with your server over Remote Desktop.

Check it works

Inside the session, open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc). Redirected smart card readers, cameras and RemoteFX USB devices appear in their usual categories. A yellow warning sign means the server is missing a driver. You can also list them in PowerShell:

Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly | Where-Object Status -ne 'OK'

An empty result means every present device has a working driver.

Troubleshooting

• Other supported RemoteFX USB devices does not appear: the local client policy is not enabled, or you did not restart after enabling it.
• Device appears but shows a driver error: install the vendor's driver on the server, then disconnect and reconnect.
• Smart card not detected: check Smart cards is ticked and the reader works locally. Confirm the Smart Card service (SCardSvr) is running on the server.
• Webcam shows a black image: close any local app that is using the camera, then reconnect.
• Device works for a minute, then stops: the link is dropping packets. Use a wired connection, or keep that device local.

Next steps

• Sound and microphones: Play sound and use a microphone over Remote Desktop.
• Printing locally: Print from your remote server to a local printer.