Assign profiles

August 6, 2024

Contributed by:

C C

What methods can I use in Windows to assign profiles to users?

This article refers to the assignment of profiles in Microsoft Windows not Citrix Profile Management.

You can assign profiles to users in several ways:

Using their user account properties in Active Directory (AD)
Using Group Policy (GP)
Using the preceding methods to assign profiles specific to Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services) sessions

Some of these methods are only available in specific operating systems:

Remote Desktop Services. To assign Remote Desktop Services profiles on Windows Server 2008 R2, use the GPO setting Set path for Remote Desktop Services Roaming User Profile. It is located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Component\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Profiles. On earlier multi-session operating systems, use the setting Set path for TS Roaming Profiles, which is located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services.

To configure profiles for individual users, you can also set Set path for TS Roaming Profiles on the individual accounts in the User Account Properties pages in AD. However, typically it is much better to make this assignment in GP.

You can use the setting Use mandatory profiles on the terminal server to force the use of mandatory profiles.
Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows Server: Set roaming profiles on individual accounts using the User Account Properties pages. Also, for Windows Server 2008 AD and Windows 7 devices, you can use the GPO setting Set roaming profile path for all users logging on to this computer. This is located in Computer\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles. For users logging on to Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 computers, you can also set users’ home folders using Active Directory in Windows Server 2012.

What is the priority order for delivering profiles to domain users if more than one method is used?

When Profile Management is used to manage a user’s profile, it takes precedence over any other profile assignment method. A user whose profile data is not managed by Profile Management might be assigned a profile using multiple methods. The actual profile used is based on the following precedence:

Citrix user profile (that is, a profile created by Profile Management)
Remote Desktop Services profile assigned by a GPO
Remote Desktop Services profile assigned by a User Property
Roaming profile assigned by a GPO (Windows Server 2008 AD and Windows 7 only)
Roaming profile assigned by a User Property

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Assign profiles

August 6, 2024

Contributed by:

C C

August 6, 2024

Contributed by:

C C

Assign profiles

What methods can I use in Windows to assign profiles to users?

What is the priority order for delivering profiles to domain users if more than one method is used?

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