---
title: "Session shadowing can't be established"
slug: "session-shadowing-cannot-be-established"
updated: 2025-09-07T10:23:28Z
published: 2025-09-07T10:23:28Z
canonical: "support.controlup.com/session-shadowing-cannot-be-established"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Session shadowing can't be established

## Issue

The **Session Remote Control** or **Session Shadowing** actions might fail in any of the following cases:

- The “Allow users to start both listed and unlisted programs on initial connection” setting is not selected in RemoteApp configuration on your RDS.
- The “Run initial program specified by user” setting is not selected setting on the Environment tab of RDP properties in Terminal Services Configuration.
- The “Always Show Desktop on Connection” setting in Group Policy is enabled.
- In Citrix XenApp environments, the “Launching of non-published programs during client connection” in XenApp user policies is not enabled.
- When executing Remote Control on Citrix ICA sessions, the Citrix Online Plugin is not installed on the computer on which you are running ControlUp console.
- Several known issues ([http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125693](http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125693) ) affect the session shadowing functionality in various scenarios including multiple monitors, using Windows Aero and more.

## Solution

Using Remote Assistance instead of session shadowing is a recommended fallback option in these cases.