What does NTSTATUS 0xC00A0013 (STATUS_CTX_LICENSE_NOT_AVAILABLE) mean?

STATUS_CTX_LICENSE_NOT_AVAILABLE

The licensing path could not provide a usable CAL

STATUS_CTX_LICENSE_NOT_AVAILABLE means that the session host could not obtain the license required for the connection. The status is about the RDS licensing decision, not an indication that the Remote Desktop listener or user account necessarily failed.

An RDS deployment can use Per Device or Per User CALs. The license server tracks issued Per Device CALs and interacts with the session host during the connection flow; a mismatched mode, unavailable compatible CAL, inactive license server, or incorrect deployment configuration must be distinguished before changing capacity.

Useful evidence

• Check the deployment licensing mode, configured license servers, their activation state, installed CAL version, and available inventory.
• Compare the RD Session Host version with the license server and CAL versions; compatibility and upgrade order are deployment constraints, not client-side display settings.
• Use the RDS licensing diagnostics and event records to establish whether the failure is an exhausted pool, discovery/configuration problem, or version mismatch.

References

• Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
• Microsoft: RDS client access licenses
• Microsoft: troubleshoot RDS licensing