Microsoft Remote Desktop Freezes Constantly - Apple Macbook M1

Question

I have a late 2020 first gen Macbook M1 running the latest OS (Big Sur 11.6). Every time I launch a Microsoft RDP session it works for 30 seconds or so then freezes. My VPN session is still connected and functioning and all other Mac applications are otherwise functioning but RDP freezes preventing control within the application. If I close it and relaunch it, it then works again for 30 seconds or so before freezing again. This is happening constantly to several different machines I try to reach via RDP from my Macbook. I have the latest version of Microsoft Remote Desktop as provided in the app store. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

I have the same bug on my macOS Monterey-12.6 (M1) + Microsoft Remote Desktop 10.7.9 (2011).
Remote desktop hangs several times per day (the mouse cursor becomes a spinning wheel).

I use Microsoft Remote Desktop on macOS (M1) to remote login to a Linux machine (xubuntu-18.05.6).

When Microsoft Remote Desktop hangs, I see that the slack client also always hangs.
When I kill Microsoft Remote Desktop, slack recovers.
The issue is not with slack since Microsoft Remote Desktop also often hangs when I don't run the slack client.

Answer 2

Same issue with Microsoft Remote Desktop 10.8.1 on macOS 13.2.

The dreaded spinning wheel happens once in a while. Not only it blocks remote desktop, but it even blocks my slack client. I have to kill remote desktop and restart it. After that, slack client is also unblocked somehow.

Quite an annoying bug with no acknowledgement or fix from Microsoft.

Answer 3

I have the same problem, but it happens when I have an external monitor connected to my macbook pro m1 max. Without an external monitor everything works stably. At the same time, the entire macbook freezes and then reboots. Macos Sonoma 14.2.1 (23C71) Microsoft Remote Desktop Version 10.9.5 (2179)

Answer 4

try using a usb-c <-> displayPort cable rather than HDMI