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Applications in Windows 365

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As an IT admin, one of the easiest ways to get started with Windows 365 is to create Cloud PCs with default gallery images of Windows 10/11 Enterprise. After provisioning, you can customize the user experience by using Microsoft Intune to push apps to your users’ Cloud PCs. These images can include existing Windows client apps already in your Microsoft Intune environment. Since these Cloud PC devices are enrolled in Intune, you can treat them like any other Windows device in your environment.

The following apps are available with no need to upload:

Supported application formats in Windows 365

.IntuneWin

The IntuneWin format is a way to pre-process Windows classic (Win32) apps. The tool converts application installation files into the intunewin format.

After you use this tool on the app installer folder, you can create an app enrollment configuration for enhanced deployment capabilities. For example, OS version dependencies and uninstall methods when you need to remove applications remotely.

If you select the most common application format (Win32), you must encapsulate the .exe or .msi file into a IntuneWin file. Windows 365 needs this encapsulation as part of the App configuration set.

.MSI

Both the Line of Business and Windows app (win32) options within Intune support MSI format installers. The latter is more enhanced for app dependencies.

MSIX

MSIX is Microsoft’s new Windows app package format that provides a modern packaging experience to all Windows apps. The MSIX package format preserves the functionality of existing app packages and installs files. It also enables new, modern packaging and deployment features to Win32, WPF, and Windows Forms apps.

MSIX combines the best features of MSI, .appx, App-V.

AppX

Also known as modern (UWP) apps. Files with an AppX extension added are ready for distribution and installation.

Within the Windows Store as part of Windows 10/11 Enterprise, apps are automatically distributed as AppX – UWP format.

AppX is helpful for distributing applications supported for multiple devices, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones that run on Windows.

Office

Windows 365 Cloud PCs only support the Microsoft 365 Apps version of Office. For more information about the differences between Microsoft 365 Apps and other versions of Office, see About Microsoft 365 Apps in the enterprise.

Universal Print

Universal Print is a modern print solution that organizations can use to simplify their print infrastructure through cloud services from Microsoft. You can use Universal Print with Windows 365 Enterprise, either natively or through one of the Universal Print partners. Legacy print-server environments are also possible to use together with Windows 365.

For information on Universal Print requirements, see Universal Print printer provisioning tool.

For information on setting up Universal Print with a Windows 365 Enterprise hybrid Microsoft Entra configuration, see Enable Hybrid AD / Azure AD Environment on Universal Print.

Next steps

Assign apps to a Cloud PC