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Restoring Remote Desktop Access After Uninstalling Citrix

Chad Brown

Aug 22 2025

4 min read

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which uses TCP port 3389 by default, is vital for Windows system administrators to manage servers remotely. When port 3389 stops listening, it prevents all incoming RDP connections. One situation where losing remote desktop access commonly occurs is after uninstalling a third-party virtualization or remote access software—Citrix, for example.

Recently, we encountered this exact scenario. A client had removed Citrix XenApp from a Windows Server 2019 machine. After rebooting, they were unable to connect via RDP. Port 3389 was no longer listening, and no Remote Desktop Services (RDS) sessions could be established.

Identifying the Issue

The first step in diagnosing an RDP issue is confirming that port 3389 isn’t actively listening. You can do this with the following command:

netstat -ano | findstr :3389

In our case, there was no output—clear evidence that the listener had been removed or corrupted. We also verified that RDP was enabled in System Properties > Remote, and the necessary firewall rules were in place.

Why Citrix Causes This

Citrix modifies RDP configurations and can register its own listener during installation. On removal, it may not fully restore the default Microsoft RDP listener. Registry keys under the WinStations path are often left misconfigured or deleted entirely.

Rebuilding the RDP Listener

To resolve this, we manually rebuilt the RDP listener:

Open Registry Editor (regedit)
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations
If RDP-Tcp is missing, recreate it by right-clicking WinStations > New > Key, and name it RDP-Tcp.
If it exists but seems corrupted, back it up and delete it.
Reboot the server.

After reboot, Windows regenerates the RDP listener with default values. You may need to re-enable Remote Desktop and reapply firewall rules.

Firewall and Service Checks

Ensure the Windows Firewall allows Remote Desktop:

Netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group=”remote desktop” new enable=Yes

Also verify that the Remote Desktop Services (TermService) is running and set to automatic.

Final Verification

Check that port 3389 is now listening:

netstat -ano | findstr :3389

You should see a line showing it is listening on 0.0.0.0 or a specific IP.

Conclusion

Third-party software like Citrix can silently alter RDP configurations. If you lose remote desktop access connectivity after uninstalling Citrix, rebuilding the 3389 listener is a reliable fix that restores remote access and ensures secure connectivity.

As an alternative, disabling Citrix services—rather than fully uninstalling—may allow RDP to continue functioning. However, this leaves Citrix installed but inactive on the system.

Have any questions about this process? Please feel free to reach out to our experts at any time!

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About the Author

Chad Brown

Chad Brown is a Senior Network Consultant at Sikich, assisting client in achieving their business objectives through technology and trusted advice. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology from University of Phoenix, as well as several industry certifications. His primary area of focus revolves around server infrastructure and Microsoft’s Cloud services.