Sometimes an application does not work as desired when published as an application through Citrix Virtual Apps.  In the diagnostic process, you might be asked to test the application without Citrix as an RDP Initial App. 

Instructions

Prepare a RD session host:

1. Build a clean Windows 2016 or 2019 server. 
2. Join it to the domain so that a user can log into it.
3. Install the RD session host role:  From an elevated powershell prompt run:

                              add-windowsfeature rds-rd-server  

4. Install the application that you need to test.
5. Configure this registry setting here* :

Prepare the .rdp file that will launch Chrome:

1. On your endpoint, open the rdp client (mstsc).
2. Enter the IP or FQDN of the new machine you just made.
3. Under the Options, choose Save As… and save the .rdp file with a unique name.  
4. Open Notepad.  Choose File Open and change the file type in the lower right corner from "Text Documents (*.txt)" to "All Files (*.*)"

5. Open your .rdp file that you created in step 3 above.  Find the line that says “alternateshell:s:” 
6. Type in the full path to the application that you want to launch for the test.  In this example, we plan to launch Chrome. 

7. Save the file.

Launch the application:

• Double-click the .rdp file to launch the application. 
• A new RDP session will start to the RD session host. 
• The application will fill the desktop and there will be no direct access to the desktop.