Users on RDS (terminal server) has duplicate printers

Dear Team,

This problem is almost always caused by a combination of these factors:

Multiple printer mappings via Group Policy Preferences (GPP): If your GPP applies to both computer and user scope (or multiple overlapping groups), each login session may map the same printer multiple times, especially in RDS/Terminal Server environments.

Easy Print and Printer Redirection: Even if users don’t have a local printer, “printer redirection” (including RDS Easy Print) can sometimes still create extra instances if not properly restricted.

User Profile Caching: If the user profiles are not deleted/cleaned on logoff, previously mapped printers can accumulate and show as duplicates after re-login.

How to fix:

1. Review your GPP configuration:
   • Only assign printers once—preferably via user GPP, not both user and computer.
   • Make sure the GPP doesn’t re-apply on every login if the printer already exists.
2. This problem is almost always caused by a combination of these factors:
   1. Multiple printer mappings via Group Policy Preferences (GPP):
      If your GPP applies to both computer and user scope (or multiple overlapping groups), each login session may map the same printer multiple times, especially in RDS/Terminal Server environments.
   2. Easy Print and Printer Redirection:
      Even if users don’t have a local printer, “printer redirection” (including RDS Easy Print) can sometimes still create extra instances if not properly restricted.
   3. User Profile Caching:
      If the user profiles are not deleted/cleaned on logoff, previously mapped printers can accumulate and show as duplicates after re-login.
   How to fix:
   1. Review your GPP configuration:
      • Only assign printers once—preferably via user GPP, not both user and computer.
      • Make sure the GPP doesn’t re-apply on every login if the printer already exists.

Best Regards,