Microsoft warns of Remote Desktop failures after Windows updates

Microsoft says recent Windows updates may prevent some non-admin users from connecting to devices through Remote Desktop when the “Administrator protection” security feature is enabled. The issue mainly affects enterprise-managed devices used as Remote Desktop hosts.

Connections may fail with error 0xC000000D and the message, “The token that was passed to the function is invalid.” Microsoft says the problem can occur after installing the KB5124010 September 2026 non-security preview update or later updates on Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, and 26H2.

Administrator protection began rolling out with the KB5067036 preview update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 in October 2025. It is enabled by default in organizations using Windows security baselines after the October 2026 security update. Microsoft says the feature keeps logged-in users at standard-user permissions and requires Windows Hello authentication to install apps or change the registry.

Microsoft is working on a fix and advises IT administrators to temporarily disable Administrator protection through their policy management method. For Microsoft Intune or Group Policy, the company says administrators need to reset the “User Account Control Type Of Admin Approval Mode” policy.

Microsoft fixed a similar Remote Desktop and RDS issue in March 2025. Last month, it also released emergency out-of-band updates for Remote Desktop Services failures on Windows Server devices following September 2026 security updates.