远程桌面协议（英语：Remote Desktop Protocol，缩写：RDP）是一个多信道（multi-channel）的协定，让用户（用户端或称「本地电脑」）连上提供微软终端机服务的电脑（服务器端或称「远程电脑」）。大部分的Windows都有用户端所需软件。其他操作系统也有这些用户端软件，例如Linux、FreeBSD、Mac OS X。伺服端电脑方面，则听取送到TCP 3389端口的数据。

Remote Desktop Services (RDS), known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 and earlier, is one of the components of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to take control of a remote computer or virtual machine over a network connection. RDS is Microsoft's implementation of thin client, where Windows software and the entire desktop of the computer running RDS, are made accessible to a remote client machine that supports Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). With RDS, only software user interfaces are transferred to the client system. All input from the client system is transmitted to the server, where software execution takes place. This is in contrast to application streaming systems, like Microsoft App-V, in which computer programs are streamed to the client on-demand and executed on the client machine.