When should I use virtual desktops?
What is Azure Virtual Desktop?
In this articleAzure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and app virtualization service that runs on the cloud. Show Here's what you can do when you run Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure:
Introductory videoLearn about Azure Virtual Desktop, why it's unique, and what's new in this video: For more videos about Azure Virtual Desktop, see our playlist. Key capabilitiesWith Azure Virtual Desktop, you can set up a scalable and flexible environment:
You can deploy and manage virtual desktops:
You can also assign and connect users to your virtual desktops:
RequirementsThere are a few things you need to set up Azure Virtual Desktop and successfully connect your users to their Windows desktops and applications. We support the following operating systems, so make sure you have the appropriate licenses for your users based on the desktop and apps you plan to deploy: OS Required license Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session or Windows 10 Enterprise Microsoft 365 E3, E5, A3, A5, F3, Business PremiumWindows E3, E5, A3, A5 Windows 7 Enterprise Microsoft 365 E3, E5, A3, A5, F3, Business Premium Windows E3, E5, A3, A5 Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 RDS Client Access License (CAL) with Software Assurance Your infrastructure needs the following things to support Azure Virtual Desktop:
User requirements to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop:
The Azure virtual machines you create for Azure Virtual Desktop must be:
Note If you need an Azure subscription, you can sign up for a one-month free trial. If you're using the free trial version of Azure, you should use Azure AD Domain Services to keep your Windows Server Active Directory in sync with Azure Active Directory. For a list of URLs you should unblock for your Azure Virtual Desktop deployment to work as intended, see our Required URL list. Azure Virtual Desktop includes the Windows desktops and apps you deliver to users and the management solution, which is hosted as a service on Azure by Microsoft. Desktops and apps can be deployed on virtual machines (VMs) in any Azure region, and the management solution and data for these VMs will reside in the United States. This may result in data transfer to the United States. For optimal performance, make sure your network meets the following requirements:
You can see a typical architectural setup of Azure Virtual Desktop for the enterprise in our architecture documentation. Supported Remote Desktop clientsThe following Remote Desktop clients support Azure Virtual Desktop:
Important Azure Virtual Desktop doesn't support the RemoteApp and Desktop Connections (RADC) client or the Remote Desktop Connection (MSTSC) client. To learn more about URLs you must unblock to use the clients, see the Safe URL list. Supported virtual machine OS imagesAzure Virtual Desktop follows the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy and supports the following x64 operating system images:
Azure Virtual Desktop doesn't support x86 (32-bit), Windows 10 Enterprise N, Windows 10 LTSB, Windows 10 LTSC, Windows 10 Pro, or Windows 10 Enterprise KN operating system images. Windows 7 also doesn't support any VHD or VHDX-based profile solutions hosted on managed Azure Storage due to a sector size limitation. Available automation and deployment options depend on which OS and version you choose, as shown in the following table: Operating system Azure Image Gallery Manual VM deployment Azure Resource Manager template integration Provision host pools on Azure Marketplace Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session (Preview) Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows 11 Enterprise (Preview) Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, version 1909 and later Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows 10 Enterprise, version 1909 and later Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows 7 Enterprise Yes Yes No No Windows Server 2022 Yes Yes No No Windows Server 2019 Yes Yes No No Windows Server 2016 Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows Server 2012 R2 Yes Yes No NoNext stepsIf you're using Azure Virtual Desktop (classic), you can get started with our tutorial at Create a tenant in Azure Virtual Desktop. If you're using the Azure Virtual Desktop with Azure Resource Manager integration, you'll need to create a host pool instead. Head to the following tutorial to get started. Create a host pool with the Azure portal |