Microsoft is rolling out a heavily awaited feature that allows users to add direct RDP connections to the Windows App. This capability was one of the last missing pieces for customers who migrated from the legacy Remote Desktop app. With this update, the Windows App becomes a more complete and even better client for managing remote connections.
The old Remote Desktop App
For quite some time now, the old Remote Desktop app has been prompting users to migrate to its more modern and feature-rich successor, the Windows App. However, there was one major limitation. While connections to Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 were no longer supported in the legacy Remote Desktop app, the ability to connect directly to a Windows endpoint through the Windows App was not yet available.
This created an awkward situation. If you were using both AVD or Windows 365 and traditional Remote Desktop connections to Windows endpoints, you were stuck in the middle. The only option was to run both applications side by side, switching between them depending on the type of connection you needed.
RDP in the Windows App
The Windows App is now adding this popular feature, and it will be enabled automatically as part of the ongoing rollout. If you do not see it yet, it should appear soon as the update continues to be deployed.
The experience will look very familiar if you have used the Windows App on Android or iOS, since this functionality has been available on those platforms for quite some time.
When you press the new plus icon on the left, the app prompts you to enter a hostname. It resolves the name using DNS, but you can also enter an IP address if you prefer. You can also configure a friendly display name later in the connection settings to make it easier to recognize.
Selecting “Additional settings” opens the same configuration pane you would see when editing the connection afterwards. Here, you can define the display name mentioned earlier, and configure all display related settings to match your preferences.
The display settings introduce a redesigned version of what we are used to when editing an existing Cloud PC. The new layout feels cleaner and more streamlined. It’s likely that this updated experience will also appear in the Cloud PC settings as well, creating a more consistent interface across the Windows App.
The final option is the Redirections page. Here, you can configure which local resources are redirected and made available inside the remote session. These are all client side settings that control what your device shares with the remote host.
Keep in mind that host policies always take precedence. If the remote host blocks certain features, for example drive redirection, the drives will not be available in the remote session, even if you enable the setting on the client side.
Good to know
Direct RDP support is a powerful new feature, but there are a few important things you should know:
- You cannot migrate existing connections from the old Remote Desktop client. You will need to recreate them manually in the Windows App.
- Connections are not linked to your Entra account. They remain visible in the app, even if you sign in to a different tenant.
- You don’t even need an Entra account to make use of this functionality. You can use it without signing in.
Providing Feedback
Since this capability is currently in public preview, it has already gone through several internal testing phases and is now close to its final production shape. The current feature set is likely representative of what will become generally available.
That also means this is the perfect moment to provide feedback. If you notice missing functionality, unexpected behavior, or have ideas for improvement, you still have the opportunity to raise them with the product team. Public preview is exactly the phase where feedback can influence the final release, so your bug report or feature request could very well make it into a future update.
| You can submit bug reports or feature requests by clicking on the Feedback button in the bottom left corner of the Windows App. |
What are you still missing?
This got me thinking on how far the Windows App has evolved. It has become a very feature rich client that covers Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and now direct RDP connections as well.
So the real question is, what is still missing? Which capabilities would you like to see in a future update?
It is actually quite challenging to come up with additional features for an app that already feels complete. Still, there is always room for improvement. I would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments below.
Wrapping up
With direct RDP support, the Windows App finally becomes the single client for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and traditional remote desktop connections. If you were running both clients side by side, you can now fully transition to the Windows App.
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