The end is nigh for Microsoft's Remote Desktop application. The IT giant will pull support on May 27 when users must transition to the corp's Windows App, with all the positives and negatives that entails.
The Windows App arrived in 2024 to a lukewarm reception. At the time, Microsoft said: "This unified app serves as your secure gateway to connect to Windows across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and more."
Effectively, it's the Remote Desktop app in new clothes. Or as Microsoft put it: "Unified access to multiple Windows services, including Cloud PCs and virtual desktops from a single, streamlined interface."
One user called it "the dumbest rebranding ever."
However, the writing was on the wall for the Remote Desktop app, and on May 27, the code will be removed from the Microsoft Store. Need to access Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, or Microsoft Dev Box? You'll need to use the Windows App... until Microsoft rebrands again and finds a way of shoehorning the word "Copilot" in there.
One shouldn't confuse the Remote Desktop app with the Remote Desktop Connection application, which has been included in Windows for decades. According to Microsoft, the connection type used by Remote Desktop Connection and Remote Desktop Services is not yet supported by the Windows App.
Currently, users must also have either a school or work account to use the Windows App.
The Windows App supports customizable home screens, multi-monitor setups, and dynamic resolution scaling. There is also device redirection and optimization for Microsoft Teams. Private Link for connecting to Azure Virtual Desktop isn't supported, nor is local Start Menu integration.
Microsoft warned that the Windows App doesn't work in some environments where proxy servers require proxy/HTTP authentication. Single sign-on (SSO) with Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) is also not supported.
Customers using the Remote Desktop app must migrate by May 27. After that date, "connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked." ®