Windows App is Microsoft's unified client for reaching Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and remote PCs. It brings cloud and remote desktop access from Windows, macOS, mobile, and the browser into one secure workspace.
Windows App is the client Microsoft provides for reaching hosted and remote Windows environments. Sign in once with a work or school account and every resource you are entitled to appears in one list: Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Azure Virtual Desktop hosts, Microsoft Dev Box workstations, Remote Desktop Services sessions, and individually added remote PCs. Choose a device, authenticate, and the session opens in a window or full screen, with your local keyboard, mouse, clipboard, and printers available inside it. Administrators keep control through existing identity policies, so conditional access and multi-factor authentication apply before a connection starts. The app also exposes device actions such as restart, reset, and connection inspection for managed Cloud PCs and Dev Boxes.
Earlier versions of this client handled a narrower set of connection types, and Windows App now folds them into one installable app that behaves consistently across platforms. The same interface appears on Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android, Chrome OS, and a desktop web browser, so a tablet, a Surface, or a borrowed laptop can reach the same workspace without a separate configuration exercise. Sessions adapt to available screen space, span multiple monitors, and support Teams optimisation on supported hosts, which matters when a Cloud PC is someone's primary desk. Remote PC connections on Windows can also be added by name and used without signing in to a work account.
The first benefit is fewer moving parts. Instead of juggling separate clients for Cloud PCs, virtual desktops, and developer workstations, a single Windows App installation covers every connection type a typical organisation deploys, which simplifies onboarding, updates, and support. Because authentication flows through the organisation's existing identity provider, security teams keep the conditional access, multi-factor, and device compliance rules they already enforce rather than bolting on a parallel system. Redirected local resources make hosted sessions feel close to native: printing, clipboard sharing, microphone and webcam access, and folder redirection work without extra tooling. Multi-monitor and dynamic resolution support suit knowledge workers, designers, and developers who genuinely need screen space. Pinned favourites and taskbar shortcuts shorten the path from a cold start to a working desktop, while restart, reset, and inspection actions let helpdesk staff resolve common problems without leaving the client. Because a browser session needs no installation at all, temporary devices and locked-down machines can still reach the same governed environment.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Cloud PCs, virtual desktops, hosted apps, developer workstations, and individual remote PCs appear in one device list instead of four or five separate clients. Pinned favourites, recent connections, and a consistent layout across platforms shorten the path from launch to a live session.
Sessions stretch across several displays and adjust resolution and scaling as windows are resized or monitors are added or removed. Custom display settings let users match a remote desktop closely to the physical layout in front of them, which matters for anyone working from a laptop dock or a multi-screen desk.
Webcams, microphones, speakers, storage devices, printers, and local folders can be made available inside the remote session, so peripherals attached to the machine on your desk behave as though they were plugged directly into the Cloud PC. Administrators decide which redirection options are permitted.
On supported hosts, Teams calls and meetings offload audio and video processing to the device in front of you rather than the remote machine, which reduces latency and keeps conversations responsive during long remote working sessions. The result feels less like a streamed desktop and more like a local application.
People who work across more than one tenant, client, or identity can sign in with several accounts and move between them without signing out and back in again. Each account keeps its own device list, which allows separate work contexts to stay clearly divided inside a single client.
Windows App can restart, reset, restore, or rename a managed device, inspect its connection to the service, and show connection details directly from the device card. Support staff and administrators can troubleshoot common problems without opening a remote desktop session first, which keeps short interruptions short.
A supported desktop browser reaches the same workspace with nothing installed, which suits shared machines, temporary hardware, and restricted environments where users cannot install software. Sign-in and security policies apply exactly as they do in the installed client, so access stays governed rather than opening a separate path into company data.
Keyboard, mouse, touch, and pen input are handled natively, including familiar shortcut combinations, clipboard sharing, and automatic keyboard layout matching. Sessions therefore follow the habits users already apply on their own machine, which reduces the friction of moving between a local desktop and a remote one.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Windows App.
It is the client Microsoft provides for connecting to hosted and remote Windows environments. A single sign-in gives access to Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Azure Virtual Desktop desktops and published apps, Microsoft Dev Box workstations, Remote Desktop Services sessions, and remote PCs that you add yourself.
The client itself is free, but what you can open depends on your entitlements. Cloud PCs, virtual desktops, and developer boxes require a work or school account with the relevant service licence or assignment. Remote PC connections on Windows can be used without signing in to a work account.
It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android and Chrome OS, in supported desktop web browsers, and on Meta Quest headsets in preview. Not every connection type is available everywhere, so check the platform comparison in Microsoft's documentation before standardising on one device.
No. Signing in to reach Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, or Remote Desktop Services requires a work or school account issued by your administrator. Personal Microsoft accounts are not accepted for those services.
Yes, it is the successor client for cloud and remote Windows access, and Microsoft directs users to it for Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. One exception is Remote Desktop Services on Windows itself, where the earlier Remote Desktop app is still the supported client.
Yes. Multiple monitor support is built in, along with custom display resolutions and dynamic resolution and scaling, so the remote desktop can track changes to your local display layout as you work.
You can. On a desktop or laptop, a supported web browser reaches the same workspace with no download or installation, which is useful on borrowed or shared machines. Mobile web browsers are not supported, so phones and tablets need the installed app.
Device redirection covers printers, webcams, audio, storage devices, and folders, so local peripherals can be exposed inside the remote session. What is available depends on the settings your administrator permits for that host.
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