Remote Desktop is the Microsoft client for connecting to remote PCs, cloud desktops, and published applications over the Remote Desktop Protocol. It lets people work in a full desktop environment from another device, with local printers, drives, and audio available during the session.
Remote Desktop is the client application that opens a Remote Desktop Protocol session to another machine, so the remote screen, keyboard, and audio behave as though they were local. It connects to physical office PCs, Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Azure Virtual Desktop hosts, and RemoteApp or Cloud App resources published by an administrator. Users add a workspace or a PC by name or address, authenticate with their organisational account, and then pick a saved connection from a list whenever they need it. Once inside, they can move between monitors, redirect local devices, and copy files or text between the two systems, which makes working from a second machine or from home practical.
Remote Desktop fits situations where the machine holding the work cannot move with the person doing it. Administrators publish RemoteApp programs so that a single application appears alongside local windows rather than a whole desktop, and connection settings can be saved as files that standardise how a team reaches the same hosts. Security features matter in that context: multifactor authentication, single sign-on, and network-level authentication gate access, while policies decide whether clipboard, drive, printer, camera, or microphone redirection is allowed at all. Performance depends on bandwidth more than raw power, so multimedia redirection and adaptive resolution keep video calls and presentations usable. Teams that manage remote development environments, including the workflow described in our IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition article, often combine both approaches.
Remote Desktop is the practical answer when the work has to stay where it lives. Applications, files, and licences remain on a managed machine while the person connecting sees a familiar environment, which simplifies compliance and removes the need to install the same software in two places. Sessions travel well: a laptop, a home machine, or a shared terminal can open the same desktop with identical settings, bookmarks, and mapped drives. Because redirection is configurable, printing a document, moving a file, or joining a call usually works without extra steps, and administrators can disable anything that policy disallows. Multi-monitor support and resolution scaling make the experience close to working locally, while sign-in options such as multifactor authentication and single sign-on keep access controlled. For support teams, taking over a user's session often resolves problems faster than describing each click over the phone.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Remote Desktop keeps a list of PCs and workspaces so a session starts in two clicks rather than retyping an address. Connection settings can be exported as files, which helps teams standardise gateways, display options, and redirection rules across many users.
Subscriptions enrol with a work or school account, and the client lists the cloud PCs and hosted applications the user is entitled to. Hosted desktops and individual RemoteApp programs appear side by side, so a single application can open without loading an entire desktop.
Sessions can span several displays, use each monitor's full resolution, or run in a window that resizes dynamically. Display settings are stored per connection, so a docking station setup and a single-screen setup keep separate configurations instead of being adjusted each time.
Clipboard, drives, printers, audio, cameras, microphones, and selected USB devices can be made available inside the session, subject to administrative policy. Everyday tasks such as printing a signed form or moving a file from a local folder to the remote machine stay straightforward.
Multimedia redirection routes audio and video streams through the local device rather than the remote session, which improves call quality and reduces bandwidth demand. Video-heavy presentations and conferencing therefore stay usable on connections that would otherwise struggle with full-screen playback.
Network-level authentication verifies credentials before a session is created, and multifactor authentication or single sign-on can be required by policy. Conditional access rules decide which devices and networks may connect, so Remote Desktop access can be governed rather than assumed.
Disconnected sessions can be resumed where they were left, keeping documents and running applications intact. Users can switch between several saved desktops in one window, and administrators can monitor or take over sessions when hands-on support is needed.
Keyboard shortcuts can be sent to the remote system or handled locally, depending on preference, and the clipboard can carry text and files between machines. These small behaviours remove the friction that otherwise makes remote work feel slower than sitting at the machine itself.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Remote Desktop.
It connects to physical PCs running a Remote Desktop service, Windows 365 Cloud PCs, and Azure Virtual Desktop host pools. Administrators can also publish individual RemoteApp or Cloud App programs, so users open one application instead of a full desktop.
No. Connections can go through a Remote Desktop gateway or over the internet when the host is configured for it, and cloud desktops are reached through the service address that appears after signing in with an organisational account. Network-level authentication protects the session before it starts.
Yes, if the policy in place allows it. Clipboard, drives, printers, audio devices, cameras, microphones, and selected USB devices can be redirected so they appear inside the session as if they were attached to the remote machine.
Sessions can use all available displays, selected displays, or a single window, with the option to fit the remote desktop to each monitor's resolution. Display preferences are stored per connection, so different docking setups do not need to be reconfigured every time.
Access can be gated by network-level authentication, multifactor authentication, single sign-on, and conditional access policies that restrict which devices or locations may connect. Administrators also decide which redirection features are available, which limits how data can move between local and remote systems.
An interrupted session usually stays alive on the remote machine for a period, so reconnecting returns to the same state with open documents intact. Saved connections make reconnection quick, and support staff can also take over an existing session when a problem needs to be seen directly.
Remote Desktop is the Microsoft client for connecting to remote PCs, cloud desktops, and published applications over the Remote Desktop Protocol. It lets people work in a full desktop environment from another device, with local printers, drives, and audio available during the session.
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