Windows Virtual Desktop
Enable a secure, remote desktop experience from anywhere
Access your desktop and applications 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 licenses. 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 the best virtualized experience with the only solution fully optimized for Windows 10 and Office 365.
Built-in intelligent security
Keep your applications 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 licenses
Use existing licenses to save cost with a modern cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and pay only for what you use.
Access Windows 10 desktop and applications 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 teams 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 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 license 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 utilization of VMs with Windows 10 multi-session. Avoid upfront costs and align operational expenses to business usage.
Reduce management overhead by moving all 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. Setup 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.
See Windows Virtual Desktop pricingModernize your Citrix and VMWare virtual desktop infrastructure
Maximize 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 virtualization environments.
In addition to support for hybrid deployments, a centralized management, and advanced tooling, Citrix and VMware customers can rapidly deploy Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session on Azure virtual machines.
Learn more about Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop and VMware Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure.
Windows Virtual Desktop for industries
Modernize and help secure your remote work environment
Enable your employees to run FSI workloads, on any workstation, with enterprise-grade security, compliance and performance from anywhere. Learn more about Azure for financial services.
Rapidly onboard and enable access
Provide remote access to company desktops and apps with an optimized M365 and Teams experience for your new and existing dispersed financial employees, contractors, partners, and international workforce.
Improve risk management
Safely host applications, provide managed access to corporate data for international employees, and remain compliant with critical industry regulations including HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOX, SOC 1, and SOC 2.
Optimize costs and infrastructure
Increase business agility and scalability while optimizing cost savings on RDS licenses, hardware refresh, and IT infrastructure and management expenses.
Provide virtual desktops and apps for a mobile workforce
Give government employees the flexibility to work and collaborate securely from anywhere without compromising security. Learn more about Azure for government services.
Deter unauthorized remote work
Provide remote employees with more secure access to government desktops and applications. Implement safe, adaptive identities to enable the right level of access.
Collaborate across agencies
Give government employees the ability to collaborate more securely and share essential data with other agencies to improve citizen services.
Improve security and compliance
Help keep your applications and data secure and FedRAMP compliant with security capabilities that proactively detect threats and take remedial action.
Remote access with optimal performance for manufacturing workloads
Enable your frontline and information workers to run any smart manufacturing workload more securely from anywhere, on any workstation, with enterprise-grade security, compliance, and performance. Learn more about Azure for manufacturing.
Run robust workloads and apps
Enable an optimized Microsoft 365 and Teams experience with support for heavy workload apps such as GPU intensive 3D applications for design—like digital twin 3D models—and engineering teams like AutoCAD.
Reduce costs and complexity
Optimize costs by saving on licensing, IT infrastructure, hardware refresh deployment, and maintenance of your virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Simplify IT management and easily onboard new users with minimal effort.
Increase security and scalability
Help protect corporate and financial data with built-in intelligent security. Add or remove instances immediately to scale with the changing needs of your business.
Access retail desktops and apps anywhere
Equip retail and first-line employees to work anywhere with improved functionality, seamless access, and best-in-class security. Learn more about Azure for retail.
Empower a globally distributed workforce
Enable remote office, store, and call center employees to access corporate assets more securely. Quickly onboard new employees without the expense or the shipping delays of a corporate device.
Improve security and data privacy
Keep your applications and data more secure, ensure compliance with PCI mandates, and protect customer payment data with built-in intelligent security.
Reduce costs and complexity
Increase cost savings on your infrastructure, licenses, hardware, deployment, and management expenses by paying for only what you use.
Secure and modernize access to healthcare data and apps
Enable care teams to work remotely without compromising care delivery. Help ensure security of health data while maintaining compliance with evolving health regulations. Learn more about Azure for healthcare.
Ensure business continuity
Expedite rollouts to support a remote workforce and ensure that vital services are never disrupted. Gain the agility to deliver new products and services for patients and care teams.
Modernize healthcare delivery
Provide HPC and GPU virtual machines for clinical analytics, genomics workloads, and app development. Simplify access to electronic health records with an optimized end user experience and reduced latency for optimal patient care.
Help remain secure and compliant
Safely host health apps for partners, contractors, and remote office workers while remaining compliant with HIPAA and FedRAMP certifications. Prevent theft of Protected Health Information (PHI), patents, technology, and test data with built-in intelligent security.
Why trust Windows Virtual Desktop?
Built-in security
- Securely store all your employee and company data in Azure instead of local desktops
- Leverage Azure security offering such as Azure Firewall, Azure Security Center, Azure Sentinel and Microsoft Defender ATP for end to end security from the endpoint to the applications
Dynamic policy engines
- Use conditional access to manage risks before you grant users access to your Windows Virtual Desktop environment
- Setup Multi-factor authentication for secure login
- Protect your Azure infrastructure by enabling role-based access control (RBAC) and detect threats using Azure Security Center
Compliance
- Take advantage of Windows Virtual Desktop compliance certifications including ISO 27001, 27018 and 27701, PCI, FedRAMP High for Commercial and HIPAA
Reduce cost with Windows Virtual Desktop
Windows Virtual Desktop is a free service and can be used with your existing Microsoft 365 or Windows per user license. There are no additional license costs.
Save on infrastructure and IT overhead by moving all your VDI into a managed service in the cloud.
Windows Virtual Desktop resources and documentation
Learn more
Customers using Windows Virtual Desktop
Keep critical services operating during COVID-19 with remote solutions
Dwamelle McGill: Systems Engineer, Georgia Office of the State Treasurer"Windows Virtual Desktop provides more flexibility for the agency, more availability in case of disaster recovery, and security capabilities like encryption all the way down to the kernel, that we couldn't get from other solutions."
How Beiersdorf Shared Services cuts IT costs in half
Sebastian Meyer: Global Service Owner for Modern Client Technologies, Beiersdorf Shared Services"What Microsoft has developed here is simply phenomenal! Windows Virtual Desktop serves so many use cases and is very close to the end user. We were able to achieve maximum success with the project."
NYC Department of Environmental Protection connects employees
Farhan Abdullah, IT Director, NYC Department of Environmental Protection"Our help desk was going crazy. Windows Virtual Desktop helped us connect employees without a company laptop use their own devices and still have the full desktop experience."
Windows Virtual Desktop updates, blogs, and announcements
Frequently asked questions about Windows Virtual Desktop
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The virtual desktop infrastructure including broker, gateway, load balancer, diagnostics, etc. is managed by Windows Virtual Desktop.
You only need to focus on your virtual desktop and apps and any policies you need for governance.
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Windows Virtual Desktop supports Windows 10 multi-session, Windows 10 single-session, Windows 7 single-session, and Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer operating systems.
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Partners such as Citrix and VMware will deploy integrate and build on the Windows Virtual Desktop capabilities. Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers will offer Windows Virtual Desktop to their customers. Software and service providers will offer targeted solutions in the Azure Marketplace.