Hi Team, We have received email from Microsoft, replacing Remote Desktop Client with Windows Apps. Hust have few quick queries to understand the impact. Does it going to change anything if user is using browser-based client access to Azure Virtual Desktop? Any changes to MFA with Windows Apps? As of now we are using conditional access as one of the solutions to enforce MFA for Azure Virtual Desktop users connecting through browser-based client. Just wondering if we have solution available for MFA with Windows Apps as Remote desktop client was lacking on it. If it possible to push Windows Apps client to windows 11 machines through Intune? or users/IT admin need to install it manually on each user device accessing Azure Virtual Desktop? Any pointers will be helpful. Thanks in advance Regards,

Hello @Rohit Goel Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A platform. Let me help you with your queries. Firstly, the replacement of Remote Desktop Client with Windows Apps should not change anything if you are using the browser-based client access to Azure Virtual Desktop. The browser-based client access is a web-based client that runs in a browser and does not require any installation. Secondly, there should not be any changes to MFA with Windows Apps. You can continue to use conditional access as a solution to enforce MFA for Azure Virtual Desktop users connecting through Windows Apps. Thirdly, it is possible to push Windows Apps client to Windows 11 machines through Intune. You can use Microsoft Endpoint Manager to deploy and manage Windows Apps client on Windows 11 machines. You can also use the Microsoft Store for Business to distribute and manage Windows Apps client. More details: You can connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with Windows App, a single app to securely connect you to Windows devices and apps from Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and remote PCs. For more information, see What is Windows App? I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions. If I have answered your query, please click "Accept as answer" as a token of appreciation

@Rohit Goel Thanks for posting in our Q&A. I will answer the question about intune. For this question 3, we can push Windows Apps client to windows 11 machines through Intune. Currently, we can select "Windows app" under microsoft store app in intune portal. Hope it will give you some idea. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Remote Desktop clients is transitioning to Windows App starting in September 2024

Rohit Goel 10

Hi Team,

We have received email from Microsoft, replacing Remote Desktop Client with Windows Apps.

Hust have few quick queries to understand the impact.

Does it going to change anything if user is using browser-based client access to Azure Virtual Desktop?
Any changes to MFA with Windows Apps? As of now we are using conditional access as one of the solutions to enforce MFA for Azure Virtual Desktop users connecting through browser-based client. Just wondering if we have solution available for MFA with Windows Apps as Remote desktop client was lacking on it.
If it possible to push Windows Apps client to windows 11 machines through Intune? or users/IT admin need to install it manually on each user device accessing Azure Virtual Desktop?
1. Any pointers will be helpful. Thanks in advance

Regards,

Matthew Westby (staff) 10 Reputation points

2024-09-10T09:37:50.3466667+00:00

HI - how does this work with the existing RDC client does that become redundant and we need to deploy the new client or will there be a switch in the existing? also what happens to the existing url again do we need to instruct users to go to the new url?

THanks

Matt
Juan Sanchez 20 Reputation points

2024-10-29T16:35:31.0066667+00:00

The Windows App is the worse of the three clients. It just freezes, takes forever to load and sometimes the session takes minutes to open. Even on the later version of Windows 11.

I think there is a reason why the ratings are so low on the App store. I don't understand why Microsoft keep making this worse instead of improving on the Remote Client.
Jacob Høpfner 5 Reputation points

2025-02-21T11:27:59.5433333+00:00

I absolutely disagree on this. We manage about 4000 users on AVD, and for those migrated to Windows App, we see close to no issues, whereas those users still on Remote Desktop Client will generate incidents on a daily basis (performance, stability).

2 answers

Prrudram-MSFT 27,886 Reputation points

2024-09-10T06:23:47.4433333+00:00

Hello @Rohit Goel

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A platform. Let me help you with your queries.

Firstly, the replacement of Remote Desktop Client with Windows Apps should not change anything if you are using the browser-based client access to Azure Virtual Desktop. The browser-based client access is a web-based client that runs in a browser and does not require any installation.

Secondly, there should not be any changes to MFA with Windows Apps. You can continue to use conditional access as a solution to enforce MFA for Azure Virtual Desktop users connecting through Windows Apps.

Thirdly, it is possible to push Windows Apps client to Windows 11 machines through Intune. You can use Microsoft Endpoint Manager to deploy and manage Windows Apps client on Windows 11 machines. You can also use the Microsoft Store for Business to distribute and manage Windows Apps client.

More details:

You can connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with Windows App, a single app to securely connect you to Windows devices and apps from Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and remote PCs. For more information, see What is Windows App?

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.

If I have answered your query, please click "Accept as answer" as a token of appreciation
Please sign in to rate this answer.

3 people found this answer helpful.
Matthew Westby (staff) 10 Reputation points

2024-09-10T09:31:45.77+00:00

Hi,

What happens to the existing RDC client that users have installed does that become redundant? and the same for the url for the web access, what happens to that?

Thanks

Matt

Vivek Patel 10 Reputation points

2024-09-10T14:01:33.2566667+00:00

Does RDC client going to deprecate soon?

Arno Blokhuis 10 Reputation points

2024-09-10T14:10:31.7133333+00:00

Will the remote desktop (MSI) still remain the same or will this stop being supported as well?

Kevin DeVany 0 Reputation points

2024-09-10T22:29:12.3+00:00

What will happen to the existing Installed Remote Desktop (MSI) Client App? Is it being decommissioned, or will users still be able to use it even after the Windows App becomes available?

We understand that the Windows App can be deployed via Intune and other methods, but what we need to know is whether it is absolutely mandatory to replace the AVD Client with the Windows App and how soon?

What is the transition plan for this change? It says "While no action is required for admins, to best prepare for this change"

If we are required to deploy the Windows App to all machines and remove the AVD Client (whether it's the installed .MSI version or the Windows Store Beta version), it doesn't seem accurate to say that no action is required from admins.

Kevin DeVany 0 Reputation points

2024-09-10T22:29:48.74+00:00

What will happen to the existing Installed Remote Desktop (MSI) Client App? Is it being decommissioned, or will users still be able to use it after the Windows App becomes available?

We understand that the Windows App can be deployed via Intune and other methods, but what we need to know is whether it is absolutely mandatory to replace the AVD Client with the Windows App. What is the transition plan for this change?

If we are required to deploy the Windows App to all machines and remove the AVD Client (whether it's the installed .MSI version or the Windows Store Beta version), it doesn't seem accurate to say that no action is required from admins.

Roberto Martinez 0 Reputation points

2024-11-25T13:28:51.55+00:00

Question: Will the (now legacy) Remote Desktop MSI installer stop functioning as soon as the application is removed for download?
Will there be a time to transition to the Windows App Application? - we're experiencing freezes with it so I would prefer to wait until these issues are resolved before we mass-deploy it.
Is there a way to deploy Windows App on Windows 10? Seems the requirements are Windows 11+

Dobrowski, Mark 0 Reputation points

2025-02-27T00:46:21.4266667+00:00

When is the end-of-life date for the Remote Desktop client?
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Xenia-MSFT 4,830 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-09-11T07:38:44.1566667+00:00

@Rohit Goel Thanks for posting in our Q&A.

I will answer the question about intune. For this question 3, we can push Windows Apps client to windows 11 machines through Intune. Currently, we can select "Windows app" under microsoft store app in intune portal.

Hope it will give you some idea.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
Please sign in to rate this answer.

1 person found this answer helpful.
Xenia-MSFT 4,830 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-09-18T02:39:54.4566667+00:00

@Rohit Goel If you have a chance to review this thread, please check if my answer about intune scope is helpful. If there is anything else we can help, please let us know. Thanks.
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Remote Desktop clients is transitioning to Windows App starting in September 2024

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