> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.devolutions.net/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.devolutions.net/rdm/knowledge-base/how-to-articles/bootstrap-portable-remote-desktop-manager-version.md).

# Bootstrap portable Remote Desktop Manager version

Sometimes, users lack the privilege to install Remote Desktop Manager on their machine. This obstacle can be circumvented by installing a portable version of Remote Desktop Manager and relying on an environment variable to set the path to the required .NET runtime.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Note that this method is not fully tested and may be unstable as a result.
{% endhint %}

Here are the steps:

1. Download the zipped .NET runtime and .NET Windows Desktop runtime. These are not available on Microsoft's download page, rather they need to be downloaded via the [official project releases](https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net/dotnet/release-metadata/8.0/releases.json).
2. Extract the runtime archives into the same directory.
3. Set the environment variable `DOTNET_ROOT` to point to the extracted .NET runtime directory.
4. Launch RemoteDesktopManager.exe with the environment variable properly set (from the same terminal/prompt).

Here is a simple script to set it up automatically, only the .NET runtime, .NET Windows Desktop runtime, and destination folder must be provided:

```powershell
function BootstrapPortableRDM {
    <#
    .SYNOPSIS
        Bootstrap a portable installation of RDM 2025.x
    .DESCRIPTION
        You must provide the zipped .NET Runtime and .NET Windows Desktop Runtime. The
        zip releases are not available on the Microsoft download page but can be found
        in the project releases at https://dotnetcli.blob.core.windows.net/dotnet/release-metadata/10.0/releases.json.
        Additionally you must provide the zipped Remote Desktop Manager and a location to
        create the portable package root.
        A launch script will be generated in the packaged `RDM` directory.
    .EXAMPLE
        $PackageRoot=Join-Path $Env:USERPROFILE "portable"
        ./setup-environment.ps1 -DotNetRuntimeArchiveFilePath "dotnet-runtime-10.0.3-win-x64.zip" -DotNetDesktopRuntimeArchiveFilePath "windowsdesktop-runtime-10.0.3-win-x64.zip" -RemoteDesktopManagerArchiveFilePath "Devolutions.RemoteDesktopManager.Bin.2025.1.31.0.zip" -PackageRootDirectory $PackageRoot
        & $(Join-Path $PackageRoot "RDM/launch-rdm.ps1")
    #>
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory, HelpMessage="The .NET Runtime .zip archive")]
        [string] $DotNetRuntimeArchiveFilePath,
        [Parameter(Mandatory, HelpMessage="The .NET Windows Desktop Runtime .zip archive")]
        [string] $DotNetDesktopRuntimeArchiveFilePath,
        [Parameter(Mandatory, HelpMessage="The Remote Desktop Manager .zip archive")]
        [string] $RemoteDesktopManagerArchiveFilePath,
        [Parameter(Mandatory, HelpMessage="The root packaging folder")]
        [string] $PackageRootDirectory
    )
    $ErrorActionPreference = "stop"
    $DotNetRuntimeArchiveFilePath = Resolve-Path $DotNetRuntimeArchiveFilePath
    $DotNetDesktopRuntimeArchiveFilePath= Resolve-Path $DotNetDesktopRuntimeArchiveFilePath
    $RemoteDesktopManagerArchiveFilePath= Resolve-Path $RemoteDesktopManagerArchiveFilePath
    New-Item -Path $PackageRootDirectory -Type Directory -Force
    Push-Location $PackageRootDirectory
    Expand-Archive $RemoteDesktopManagerArchiveFilePath -DestinationPath "RDM"
    Expand-Archive $DotNetRuntimeArchiveFilePath -DestinationPath "dotnet"
    Expand-Archive $DotNetDesktopRuntimeArchiveFilePath -DestinationPath "dotnet"
    $LaunchScript = @'
$DotNetRoot = Join-Path $(Get-Item $PSScriptRoot).Parent.FullName "dotnet"
$Env:DOTNET_ROOT=$DotNetRoot
$RdmDir = Join-Path $(Get-Item $PSScriptRoot).Parent.FullName "RDM"
$Rdm = Join-Path $RdmDir "RemoteDesktopManager.exe"
& "$Rdm"
'@
    $LaunchScript | Out-File $(Join-Path RDM "launch-rdm.ps1")
    Pop-Location
}
BootstrapPortableRDM @args
```


---

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