Desktops v2.0

By Mark Russinovich

Published: October 17, 2012

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Introduction

Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using. After you configure hotkeys for switching desktops, you can create and switch desktops either by clicking on the tray icon to open a desktop preview and switching window, or by using the hotkeys.

Using Desktops

Unlike other virtual desktop utilities that implement their desktops by showing the windows that are active on a desktop and hiding the rest, Sysinternals Desktops uses a Windows desktop object for each desktop. Application windows are bound to a desktop object when they are created, so Windows maintains the connection between windows and desktops and knows which ones to show when you switch a desktop. That making Sysinternals Desktops very lightweight and free from bugs that the other approach is prone to where their view of active windows becomes inconsistent with the visible windows.

Desktops reliance on Windows desktop objects means that it cannot provide some of the functionality of other virtual desktop utilities, however. For example, Windows doesn’t provide a way to move a window from one desktop object to another, and because a separate Explorer process must run on each desktop to provide a taskbar and start menu, most tray applications are only visible on the first desktop. Further, there is no way to delete a desktop object, so Desktops does not provide a way to close a desktop, because that would result in orphaned windows and processes. The recommended way to exit Desktops is therefore to logoff.

Screenshot

Configuration Dialog

Tray Desktop Switch Window

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Runs on:

• Client: Windows Vista and higher.
• Server: Windows Server 2008 and higher.

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Connect with the Windows Desktop client

You can access Windows Virtual Desktop resources on devices with Windows 10, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, and Windows 7 using the Windows Desktop client.

This does not support Window 8 or Windows 8.1.

This only supports Azure Resource Manager objects, to support objects without Azure Resource Manager, see Connect with Windows Desktop (classic) client.

This does not support the RemoteApp and Desktop Connections (RADC) client or the Remote Desktop Connection (MSTSC) client.

Install the Windows Desktop client

Download the client based on your Windows version:

During installation to determine access, select either:

• Install just for you
• Install for all users of this machine (requires admin rights)

To launch the client after installation, use the Start menu and search for Remote Desktop.

Subscribe to a Workspace

To subscribe to a Workspace, choose to either:

• Use a work or school account and have the client discover the resources available for you
• Use the specific URL of the resource

To launch the resource once subscribed, go to the Connection Center and double-click the resource.

To launch a resource from the Start menu, you can find the folder with the Workspace name or enter the resource name in the search bar.

Use a user account

1. Select Subscribe from the main page.
2. Sign in with your user account when prompted.

The resources grouped by workspace will appear in the Connection Center.

The Windows client automatically defaults to Windows Virtual Desktop (classic).

However, if the client detects additional Azure Resource Manager resources, it adds them automatically or notifies the user that they’re available.

Use a specific URL

Select Subscribe with URL from the main page.

Enter either the Workspace URL or an email address:

• For Workspace URL, use the URL provided by your admin.

Available Resources	URL
Windows Virtual Desktop (classic)	https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/feeddiscovery/webfeeddiscovery.aspx
Windows Virtual Desktop	https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery
Windows Virtual Desktop (US Gov)	https://rdweb.wvd.azure.us/api/arm/feeddiscovery

• For Email, use your email address.

The client will find the URL associated with your email, provided your admin has enabled email discovery.

Select Next.

Sign in with your user account when prompted.

The resources grouped by workspace will appear in the Connection Center.

Next steps

To learn more about how to use the client, check out Get started with the Windows Desktop client.

If you’re an admin interested in learning more about the client’s features, check out Windows Desktop client for admins.

Windows Virtual Desktop pricing

The best virtual desktop experience, delivered on Azure

Access Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 7 Enterprise desktops and apps at no additional cost if you have an eligible Windows or Microsoft 365 license. Get free Extended Security Updates until January 2023 for your Windows 7 virtual desktop—offering more options to support legacy apps while you transition to Windows 10.

Access desktops powered by Windows Server Remote Desktop Services desktops and apps at no additional cost if you are an eligible Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access License (CAL) customer.

You need an Azure account to quickly deploy and manage your virtualization environment. Pay only for the virtual machines and storage you use and take advantage of options such as one-year or three-year Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances, which can save you up to 72 percent versus pay-as-you-go pricing. Reserved Virtual Machine Instances are flexible and can easily be exchanged or returned.

* Customers can access Windows Virtual Desktop from their non-Windows Pro endpoints if they have a Microsoft 365 E3/E5/F3/Business/ A3/A5/Student Use Benefits or Windows 10 VDA per user license.

Type	Description	Eligibility
Virtualize Windows 10 and Windows 7	Access Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 7 Enterprise desktops and apps at no additional cost if you have an eligible Windows or Microsoft 365 license. Get free Extended Security Updates until January 2023 for your Windows 7 virtual desktop—offering more options to support legacy apps while you transition to Windows 10.	You are eligible to access Windows 10 and Windows 7 with Windows Virtual Desktop if you have one of the following per user licenses*: Microsoft 365 E3/E5 Microsoft 365 A3/A5/Student Use Benefits Microsoft 365 F3 Microsoft 365 Business Premium** Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5 Windows 10 Education A3/A5 Windows 10 VDA per user
Virtualize Windows Server	Access desktops powered by Windows Server Remote Desktop Services desktops and apps at no additional cost if you are an eligible Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access License (CAL) customer.	You are eligible to access Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer desktops and apps if you have a per-user or per-device RDS CAL license with active Software Assurance (SA).

** Microsoft 365 Business Premium was previously named Microsoft 365 Business prior to April 21, 2020.

You need an Azure account and subscription to quickly deploy and manage your virtualization environment. These are the Azure components that factor into the price of a Windows Virtual Desktop deployment.

• Virtual machines and operating system (OS) storage
• Data disk (personal desktop only)
• User profile storage
• Networking

Windows Virtual Desktop session host virtual machines (VMs) including Citrix Cloud and VMW Horizon Cloud on Azure deployments are charged at Linux compute rates for Windows 10 single, Windows 10 multi-session and Windows Server. Learn how to apply your license to a deployment at the Virtual Desktop documentation.

Take advantage of options such as one-year or three-year Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances, which can save you up to 72 percent versus pay-as-you-go pricing. Reserved Virtual Machine Instances are flexible and can easily be exchanged or returned.

Personal Desktop example scenarios

Sample use cases for single users accessing a persistent virtual desktop

Example workloads	Number of users in scenario	Type of user	vCPUs	RAM	East US Pricing	West Europe Pricing	Southeast Asia Pricing
Graphics Workstation	100	Engineers and graphic designers with 3D modeling, simulations, and CAD workloads. Users spend 5-6 hours a day requiring workstation capability.	12	112 GB	See estimate	See estimate	See estimate
Microsoft Office	1000	Standard knowledge workers making use of Microsoft Office products. Users work 8-10 hour days.	2	4 GB	See estimate	See estimate	See estimate

Multi-session Desktop example scenarios

Sample use cases for multiple users sharing a pooled (non-persistent) virtual desktop

Example workloads	Number of users in scenario	Type of user	User density	East US Pricing	West Europe Pricing	Southeast Asia Pricing
Microsoft Office	1000	Standard knowledge workers making use of Microsoft Office products. 24/7 RI is used to avoid need for management of virtual machines.	2 per vCPU	See estimate	See estimate	See estimate
Call center/data entry	1000	Call center users with low intensity workloads, primarily engaged in data entry. Users operate in three 8-hour shifts, making a 24/7 RI instance the most cost effective option.	6 per vCPU	See estimate	See estimate	See estimate

Azure pricing and purchasing options

Connect with us directly

Get a walkthrough of Azure pricing. Understand pricing for your cloud solution, learn about cost optimization, and request a custom proposal.

See ways to purchase

Purchase Azure services through the Azure website, a Microsoft representative, or an Azure partner.

Windows Virtual Desktop

Enable a secure, remote desktop experience from anywhere

Access your desktop and apps from anywhere

Set up Windows Virtual Desktop in minutes to enable secure remote work. Provide the familiarity and compatibility of Windows 10 with the new scalable multi-session experience for your end users and save costs by using the same Windows licences. Manage your end-to-end Windows Virtual Desktop deployment alongside other Azure services within the Azure portal.

Deliver Windows 10 desktops on any device, anywhere

Provide employees with the best virtualised experience with the only solution fully optimised for Windows 10 and Office 365.

Built-in intelligent security

Keep your apps and data secure and compliant with security capabilities that can proactively detect threats and take remedial action.

Deploy and scale in minutes

Simplify deployment and management of your infrastructure and quickly scale based on your business needs.

Reduce cost using existing licences

Use existing licences to save costs with a modern cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and only pay for what you use.

Access Windows 10 desktop and apps from anywhere, on any device.

Regardless of your device type (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or any other device with an HTML5 web client) bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and remote connect to your enterprise experience with Windows Virtual Desktop. ITs can pick whatever Azure VM will meet their team’s needs and leverage the Windows 10 multi-session advantage that only Azure offers. With Windows 10 multi-session, you can run multiple concurrent user interactive sessions easily with the same deployment for more cost efficiency.

Leverage the seamless Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office experience

Provide employees with the same experience as a local desktop or laptop – whether you are managing your inbox with Outlook, sharing files on OneDrive or collaborating with colleagues on Microsoft Teams meetings.

Reduce cost

No additional licence costs – Windows Virtual Desktop is a free service and can be used with your existing Microsoft 365 or Windows per-user license.

Reduce infrastructure costs by right sizing VMs and shutting down VMs in use. Increase utilisation of VMs with Windows 10 multi-session. Avoid upfront costs and align operational expenses to business usage.

Reduce management overhead by moving all of your VDI into a managed service in the cloud.

Deploy and scale quickly with Azure portal

The Azure portal is your management hub for Windows Virtual Desktop. Configure network, deploy desktop and enable security with a few clicks. Set up automated scaling with Logic Apps and manage your images efficiently with Azure image gallery. You focus on your desktop apps and policies and Azure will focus on managing the rest.

Modernise your Citrix and VMWare virtual desktop infrastructure

Maximise investments and skills with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop service and VMware Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure to integrate Windows Virtual Desktop into existing desktop and app virtualisation environments.

In addition to support for hybrid deployments, a centralised management and advanced tooling, Citrix and VMware customers can rapidly deploy Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session on Azure virtual machines.