Enabling the Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V and virtual machines

Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V makes working with Windows guests much nicer: you get clipboard integration, drive redirection, dynamic screen resolution, and access to local devices. It uses RDP under the hood instead of the basic console.

To enable it on the host (Windows 8.1, 10, or Windows Server 2012 R2 and later):

1. Open Hyper-V Manager.
2. Right-click the host name, then choose "Hyper-V Settings".
3. Under "Enhanced Session Mode Policy", check "Allow enhanced session mode".
4. Under "Enhanced Session Mode", check "Use enhanced session mode".

Inside the guest VM, you need:

• A supported OS (for example Windows 8.1 or later, Windows Server 2012 R2 or later).
• Integration services enabled (check VM settings, section "Integration Services").
• Remote Desktop must also be enabled inside the guest.

Next time you connect to the VM, Hyper-V will prompt you for display and local resource settings, just like an RDP connection. After that, you can resize the window and the desktop adjusts automatically, and copy/paste easily between host and guest.

It is a small configuration change, but if you spend a lot of time inside virtual machines, Enhanced Session Mode makes daily work more comfortable.