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The Microsoft Windows App can be used to connect to Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD), providing access to provisioned desktops and applications. This article will show you how to install the Windows App on your device and use it to connect to AVD.
Pre-Requisites
Before you download the Windows App, you will need to confirm your device is supported.
Windows Requirements:
Mac Requirements:
iOS/iPadOS Requirements:
Android/Chrome OS Requirements:
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Android 10 or later.
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Chrome OS 126 or later.
Install the Windows App
The Windows App was previously known as the Remote Desktop client, and can be found in the app store of most devices. The availability of the application on each device, will be impacted by the pre-requisites mentioned above.
The following instructions were collected while using a Windows device, the behaviour should be similar for non-windows devices.
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Go to your device's App Store (Microsoft Store, Mac App Store, Google Play Store, etc.)
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Search for, and select, the Windows App
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Click on Get (wording may vary based on device)
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The Windows App will be downloaded and installed
Connect to desktops and applications
Once the Windows App has been installed, locate it on your device and open it.
If your device is setup with SSO for your employee account, your credentials may be auto-filled. If they aren't, you can login by doing the following:
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Click on the Sign in button under Welcome to Windows App
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Select or enter your UFV email when prompted
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Enter your UFV password and click on Sign in
Once you are signed in you should be able to see the virtual desktops and applications that have been assigned to your account. To connect to a Virtual Desktop:
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Locate the desired desktop and click on its Connect button
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The desktop will provide a Connecting message in blue text under its name
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Once connected the desktop message will change to Authenticating, and a security pop-up will appear
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Enter your password when prompted and click OK
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Once authentication completes successfully, the Virtual Desktop will open
Display preferences
If you want to use different display settings than the defaults, you can configure custom settings by doing the following:
- Open the Windows App on your device.
- Click on the ellipses on the desired Virtual Desktop then select Settings.
- Toggle Use default settings to off.
- On the Display tab, you can select from the following options:
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Display Configuration
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Description
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All displays
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Automatically use all displays for the desktop. If multiple displays are available, all of them will be used
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Single display
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Only a single display is used by the remote desktop
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Select displays
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Only selected displays will be used by the remote desktop
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Each display configuration in the table above has its own settings. Use the following table to understand each setting:
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Display Configuration
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Setting
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Description
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All displays
Single display
Select displays
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Fit session to window
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When you resize the window, the scaling of the desktop will automatically adjust to fit the new window size. The resolution will stay the same.
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All displays
Select displays
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Single display when in windowed mode
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Only use a single display when running in windows mode, rather than full screen.
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Select displays
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Choose which display to use for this session
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Select which displays you want to use. All selected displays must be next to each other.
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Select displays
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Maximize to current displays
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The remote desktop will show full screen on the current display(s) the window is on, even if this isn't the display selected in the settings. If this is off, the remote desktop will show full screen the same display(s) regardless of the current display the window is on. If your window overlaps multiple displays, those displays will be used when maximizing the remote desktop.
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Single display
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Update the resolution on resize
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When you resize the window, the resolution of the desktop will automatically change to match.
If this is disabled, a new option for Resolution is displayed where you can select from a pre-defined list of resolutions.
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Single display
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Start in full screen
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The desktop will be displayed full screen.
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Input Methods
Keyboard
There are a number of keyboard shortcuts that can be helpful when utilizing different features. The following shortcuts can help control how the Windows App displays a session:
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Key Combination
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Description
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CTRL+ALT+HOME
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Activates the connection bar when in full-screen mode and the connection bar isn't pinned.
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CTRL+ALT+PAUSE
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Switches the client between full-screen mode and window mode.
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Most of the common shortcuts are the same when using AVD. However, when using a remote desktop or app in windowed mode there are some shortcuts that are different, allowing Windows to know if they should be used in AVD or on the local device. These shortcuts are:
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Windows Shortcut
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AVD Shortcut
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Description
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CTRL+ALT+DELETE
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CTRL+ALT+END
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Shows the Windows Security dialog box. Also applicable in fullscreen mode.
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ALT+TAB
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ALT+PAGE UP
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Switches between programs from left to right.
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ALT+SHIFT+TAB
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ALT+PAGE DOWN
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Switches between programs from right to left.
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WINDOWS key, or CTRL+ESC
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ALT+HOME
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Shows the Start menu.
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ALT+SPACE BAR
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ALT+DELETE
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Shows the system menu.
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PRINT SCREEN
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CTRL+ALT+”+”(plus sign)
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Takes a snapshot of the entire remote session, and places it in the clipboard.
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ALT+PRINT SCREEN
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CTRL+ALT+”-“(minus sign)
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Takes a snapshot of the active window in the remote session, and places it in the clipboard.
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Redirect devices, audio, and clipboard
The Windows App can make your local clipboard and local devices available in your remote session where you can copy and paste text, images, and files. The audio from the remote session can also be redirected to your local device. However, redirection can't be configured using the Remote Desktop client for Windows. This behavior is configured by your admin in Azure Virtual Desktop. Here's a list of some of the devices and resources that can be redirected. For the full list, see Compare the features of the Remote Desktop clients when connecting to Azure Virtual Desktop.
- Printers
- USB devices
- Audio output
- Smart cards
- Clipboard
- Microphones
- Cameras
App display modes
You can configure the Windows App to be displayed in light or dark mode, or match the mode of your system:
- Open the Windows App on your device.
- Select Settings.
- Under General > Choose your mode, select Light, Dark, or Use system settings. The change is applied instantly.
Views
You can view your remote desktops and apps as either a tile view (default) or list view:
- Open the Windows App on your device.
- If you want to switch to List view, select the icon for list view located on the right side above the available desktops.
- If you want to switch to Tile view, select the tile view icon.