Azure Virtual Desktop: Start VM on connect

Question

The Start VM on connect is enabled in my Host Pool but user connections are not starting the VM.

I have a single VM in the host pool

Virtual Machine Contributor role is assigned at the VM Resource Group level.

Getting this error:
"We couldn’t connect because your VM failed to start. Try again later or contact your tech support for help if this keeps happening."

Answer 1

Hi Mark Palladino,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Platform. Thank you for posting your query here.

The Azure account you use to configure Start VM on Connect must have the Desktop Virtualization Host Pool Contributor role-based access control (RBAC) role assigned.

To configure Start VM on Connect, you need to assign the Desktop Virtualization Power On Contributor role-based access control (RBAC) role to the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal with your Azure subscription as the assignable scope. If you assign this role at any level lower than a subscription, such as the resource group, host pool, or VM, prevents Start VM on Connect from working properly.

Also, please check and confirm if the VM show as Healthy in the Azure Portal/PowerShell?

Please go through the document for reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/start-virtual-machine-connect?tabs=azure-portal#create-a-custom-role-for-start-vm-on-connect

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