SimpleRDP

A small, local multi-tab RDP client for Windows and macOS.

Save your servers by IP, open several at once in tabs, connect. No account, no workspace, no cloud sync, no subscription. Your connection list is a plain JSON file on your own machine.

Status

Early but usable. The Windows client (embedded multi-tab RDP) is furthest along. The macOS client manages connections and launches FreeRDP; embedding sessions in tabs there is the next step.

Layout

windows/   C#/.NET (WinForms) client — one Microsoft RDP ActiveX control per tab
macos/     Swift/AppKit client — manages connections, launches FreeRDP
shared/    connection file format shared by both clients
docs/      landing page (GitHub Pages)

Connection store

Both clients read/write the same file:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\SimpleRDP\connections.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/SimpleRDP/connections.json

See shared/connections.example.json for the format.

Build (Windows)

Requires Windows 10/11, the .NET 8 SDK, and Visual Studio 2022 (or the Build Tools).

cd windows
dotnet build -c Release

Or open windows/SimpleRDP.sln in Visual Studio and run.

The project references the Microsoft RDP ActiveX control (mstscax.dll) via a COM reference; Visual Studio resolves it and generates the interop assemblies automatically. If a command-line build can't generate the interop, add the reference once in Visual Studio: Project → Add → COM Reference → "Microsoft RDP Client Control" (latest version), then build again.

Roadmap

• Saved connections (add / edit / delete), local JSON store
• Connect to a server in a tab; multiple sessions at once
• Remember password, encrypted with Windows DPAPI
• Reconnect + per-tab status dots and a close button (Windows)
• macOS client — manage connections + connect via FreeRDP (own window per session)
• Import from .rdp, RDCMan .rdg, and mRemoteNG XML (both clients)
• Search / filter the connection list (both clients)
• Multi-monitor ("use all monitors") option
• Connection groups / folders
• CI builds signed-less binaries for Windows + macOS on every push
• Color labels, per-tab reconnect, and reordering connections
• Embed FreeRDP in macOS tabs (match the Windows in-app experience)

License

MIT — see LICENSE.