Configure personal desktop assignment

A personal host pool is a type of host pool that has personal desktops. Personal desktops have one-to-one mapping, which means a single user can only be assigned to a single personal desktop. Every time the user signs in, their user session is directed to their assigned personal desktop session host. This host pool type is ideal for customers with resource-intensive workloads because user experience and session performance will improve if there's only one session on the session host. Another benefit of this host pool type is that user activities, files, and settings persist on the virtual machine operating system (VM OS) disk after the user signs out.

Users must be assigned to a personal desktop to start their session. You can configure the assignment type of your personal desktop host pool to adjust your Azure Virtual Desktop environment to better suit your needs. In this topic, we'll show you how to configure automatic or direct assignment for your users.

Note

The instructions in this article only apply to personal desktop host pools, not pooled host pools, since users in pooled host pools aren't assigned to specific session hosts.

Prerequisites

If you're using either the Azure portal or PowerShell method, you'll need the following things:

• A personal host pool with at least one session host.
• An Azure account assigned the Desktop Virtualization Contributor role.
• If you want to use Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell locally, see Use Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell with Azure Virtual Desktop to make sure you have the desktopvirtualization Azure CLI extension or the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module installed. Alternatively, use the Azure Cloud Shell.

If you're assigning desktops with PowerShell, you'll need to download and install the Azure Virtual Desktop PowerShell module if you haven't already.

Configure automatic assignment

Automatic assignment assigns users a personal desktop the first time they connect. It's the default assignment type for new personal desktop host pools you create in your Azure Virtual Desktop environment. Automatically assigning users doesn't require a specific session host.

To automatically assign users, first assign them to the personal desktop host pool so that they can see the desktop in their feed. When an assigned user launches the desktop in their feed, their user session will be load-balanced to an available session host if they haven't already connected to the host pool. You can still assign a user directly to a session host before they connect, even if the assignment type is set automatic.

Azure portal

To configure automatic assignment in the Azure portal:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. In the search bar, enter Azure Virtual Desktop and select the matching service entry.

3. Select Host pools, then select the personal host pool you want to configure automatic assignment.

4. Next, select Properties, then go to the Assignment drop-down menu and select Automatic.

5. Select Save.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to VMs using the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the command in the following example to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to session hosts:

   Update-AzWvdHostPool -ResourceGroupName <ResourceGroupName> -Name <HostPoolName> -PersonalDesktopAssignmentType Automatic
   

Azure CLI

Here's how to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to VMs using the desktopvirtualization command. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the Bash terminal type, or run the Azure CLI on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using the Azure CLI locally, first sign in with the Azure CLI, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the command in the following example to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to session hosts:

   az desktopvirtualization hostpool update \
       --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> \
       --name <HostPoolName> \
       --personal-desktop-assignment-type Automatic
   

Configure direct assignment

Unlike automatic assignment, when you use direct assignment, you assign a specific personal desktop to a user first. You must assign the user to both the personal desktop host pool and a specific session host before they can connect to their personal desktop. If the user is only assigned to a host pool without a session host assignment, they won't be able to access resources and will see an error message that says No resources available.

Azure portal

To configure direct assignment in the Azure portal:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. In the search bar, type Azure Virtual Desktop and select the matching service entry.

3. Select Host pools, then select the personal host pool you want to configure automatic assignment.

4. Next, select Properties, then go to the Assignment drop-down menu and select Direct.

5. Select Save.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to configure a host pool to require direct assignment of users to session hosts using the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the command in the following example to configure a host pool to require direct assignment:

   Update-AzWvdHostPool -ResourceGroupName <ResourceGroupName> -Name <HostPoolName> -PersonalDesktopAssignmentType Direct
   

Azure CLI

Here's how to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to VMs using the desktopvirtualization command. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the Bash terminal type, or run the Azure CLI on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using the Azure CLI locally, first sign in with the Azure CLI, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the command in the following example to configure a host pool to automatically assign users to session hosts:

   az desktopvirtualization hostpool update \
       --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> \
       --name <HostPoolName> \
       --personal-desktop-assignment-type Direct
   

Directly assign users to session hosts

Here's how to directly assign users to session hosts using the Azure portal or Azure PowerShell. You can't assign users to session hosts using Azure CLI.

Azure portal

To directly assign a user to a session host in the Azure portal:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. Enter Azure Virtual Desktop into the search bar.

3. Under Services, select Azure Virtual Desktop.

4. At the Azure Virtual Desktop page, go the menu on the left side of the window and select Host pools.

5. Select the host pool you want to assign users to.

6. Next, go to the menu on the left side of the window and select Application groups.

7. Select the name of the app group you want to assign users to, then select Assignments in the menu on the left side of the window.

8. Select + Add, then select the users or user groups you want to assign to this app group.

9. Select Assign VM in the Information bar to assign a session host to a user.

10. Select the session host you want to assign to the user, then select Assign. You can also select Assignment > Assign user.

11. Select the user you want to assign the session host to from the list of available users.

12. When you're done, select Select.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to configure a host pool to assign a user to a specific session host using the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the Update-AzWvdHostPool command in the following example to assign a user to a session host. For more information about the parameters, see the Update-AzWvdHostPool reference.

   Update-AzWvdSessionHost -HostPoolName <HostPoolName> -Name <SessionHostName> -ResourceGroupName <ResourceGroupName> -AssignedUser <UserUPN>
   

Unassign a personal desktop

Here's how to unassign a personal desktop using the Azure portal or Azure PowerShell. You can't unassign a personal desktop using Azure CLI.

Azure portal

To unassign a personal desktop in the Azure portal:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. Enter Azure Virtual Desktop into the search bar.

3. Under Services, select Azure Virtual Desktop.

4. At the Azure Virtual Desktop page, go the menu on the left side of the window and select Host pools.

5. Select the host pool you want to modify user assignment for.

6. Next, go to the menu on the left side of the window and select Session hosts.

7. Select the checkbox next to the session host you want to unassign a user from, select the ellipses at the end of the row, and then select Unassign user. You can also select Assignment > Unassign user.

   

   

8. Select Unassign when prompted with the warning.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to configure a host pool to unassign a personal desktop. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the Invoke-AzRestMethod command in the following example to unassign a personal desktop. For more information about the parameters, see the Invoke-AzRestMethod reference.

   $unassignDesktopParams = @{
     Path = "/subscriptions/$subscriptionId/resourceGroups/$resourceGroupName/providers/Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostPools/$hostPoolName/sessionHosts/$($sessionHostName)?api-version=2022-02-10-preview&force=true"
     Payload = @{
       properties = @{
         assignedUser = ''
       }} | ConvertTo-Json
     Method = 'PATCH'
   }
   Invoke-AzRestMethod @unassignDesktopParams
   

Reassign a personal desktop

Here's how to reassign a personal desktop using the Azure portal or Azure PowerShell. You can't reassign a personal desktop using Azure CLI.

Azure portal

To reassign a personal desktop in the Azure portal:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. Enter Azure Virtual Desktop into the search bar.

3. Under Services, select Azure Virtual Desktop.

4. At the Azure Virtual Desktop page, go the menu on the left side of the window and select Host pools.

5. Select the host pool you want to modify user assignment for.

6. Next, go to the menu on the left side of the window and select Session hosts.

7. Select the checkbox next to the session host you want to reassign to a different user, select the ellipses at the end of the row, and then select Assign to a different user. You can also select Assignment > Assign to a different user.

   

   

8. Select the user you want to assign the session host to from the list of available users.

9. When you're done, select Select.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to reassign a personal desktop using the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Run the following command to define the $reassignUserUpn variable by running the following command:

   $reassignUserUpn = <UPN of user you are reassigning the desktop to>
   

3. Run the Invoke-AzRestMethod command in the following example to reassign a personal desktop. For more information about the parameters, see the Invoke-AzRestMethod reference.

   $reassignDesktopParams = @{
     Path = "/subscriptions/$subscriptionId/resourceGroups/$resourceGroupName/providers/Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization/hostPools/$hostPoolName/sessionHosts/$($sessionHostName)?api-version=2022-02-10-preview&force=true"
     Payload = @{
       properties = @{
         assigneduser = $reassignUserUpn
       }} | ConvertTo-Json
     Method = 'PATCH'
   }
   Invoke-AzRestMethod @reassignDesktopParams
   

Give session hosts in a personal host pool a friendly name

You can give personal desktops you create friendly names to help users distinguish them in their feeds using PowerShell. The Azure portal or Azure CLI doesn't currently have a way to give session host friendly names.

1. Launch the Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first Sign in with Azure PowerShell, then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription you want to use.

2. Run the following command in PowerShell to add or change a session host's friendly name:

   $parameters = @{
      HostPoolName = 'HostPoolName'
      Name = 'SessionHostName'
      ResourceGroupName = 'ResourceGroupName'
      FriendlyName = 'SessionHostFriendlyName'
   }
   
   Update-AzWvdSessionHost @parameters
   

3. To get the session host friendly name, run the following command in PowerShell:

   $sessionHostParams = @{
      HostPoolName = 'HostPoolName'
      Name = 'SessionHostName'
      ResourceGroupName = 'ResourceGroupName'
   }
   
   Get-AzWvdSessionHost @sessionHostParams | FL Name, AssignedUser, FriendlyName
   

Next steps

Now that you've configured the personal desktop assignment type and given your session host a friendly name, you can sign in to an Azure Virtual Desktop client to test it as part of a user session. These articles will show you how to connect to a session using the client of your choice:

• Connect with the Windows Desktop client
• Connect with the web client
• Connect with the Android client
• Connect with the iOS client
• Connect with the macOS client