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Prerequisites for Session State Retention eligibility
Baseline prerequisites
Cloud PC configuration
- Windows 365 Flex Cloud PC in dedicated mode.
- Windows 11, version 24H2 or newer, deployed from a Microsoft gallery image. Custom images aren't in scope for the initial preview.
- Cloud PC size of 4 vCPU / 16 GB RAM / 128 GB or higher. 2 vCPU sizes are out of scope. State retention will be attempted on a best-effort basis but isn't guaranteed.
User connection
- Users must connect through a Windows App client: Web, Windows, iOS, macOS, or Android. Connections through third-party clients aren't supported.
Power policy
- Cloud PCs that have a power-policy configuration applied (through Group Policy, Intune, or local changes) are excluded from the experience until the policy is removed or restored to default settings. For details and remediation, see Common customer-actionable issues.
Supported Azure regions
- Central US
- Canada Central
- France Central
- Norway East
- Sweden Central
- UK South
- South Africa North
- Korea Central
- Japan East
- Japan West
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia
Additional requirements
- Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) interaction. If VBS, Credential Guard, or HVCI is enabled inside the Cloud PC, Windows 11 24H2 (build 26100) or later is required. For Cloud PCs that meet the baseline 24H2 prerequisite, this requirement is automatically satisfied.
- Hardening requirements. Hardening baselines (CIS, STIG, or custom service-disablement scripts) must not disable the Windows Power service or the Hyper-V Guest Shutdown Service (
vmicshutdown). Both services are required for the Cloud PC to participate in State Retention. - State-retention file protection.
C:\hiberfil.sysmust not be deleted by cleanup automation, antivirus software, or DLP tooling. Add an exclusion for this file on Flex dedicated Cloud PCs. - Disk space requirements. State Retention requires approximately the amount of storage equal to the Cloud PC's RAM allocation. Ensure adequate free space on the OS disk.
- Windows hibernation must remain enabled. Scripts that run
powercfg /h off, or registry tooling that setsHKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\HibernateEnabledto0, must not apply to these Cloud PCs. - Azure capacity constraints can affect State Retention availability.
Common customer-actionable issues
If a Cloud PC meets the prerequisites but still doesn't enter State Retention when a user disconnects, one of the issues below is typically the cause. The following table summarizes each issue and the action an administrator can take to remediate it.
Note
A Cloud PC can fail multiple eligibility checks simultaneously. Resolve all applicable issues before revalidating eligibility.
Quick reference table
| Issue | One-line action | Where you take action |
|---|---|---|
| VBS / Guest VSM is on with an incompatible OS configuration | Update to Windows 11 24H2 or later, or disable VBS via Intune/GPO | Intune / Windows Update for Business |
| Power policy is suppressing State Retention while on AC | Restore default power settings (powercfg /change hibernate-timeout-ac 0) |
Cloud PC / Intune Settings Catalog / GPO |
| State-retention file (hiberfil.sys) is missing or cannot be created | Free disk space, remove deletion policies, and run powercfg /h on |
Cloud PC / Intune |
| Cloud PC is on a VM size that doesn't support State Retention | Switch to a 4-vCPU or larger SKU | Intune provisioning policy |
| Hyper-V Guest Shutdown Service has been disabled | Set vmicshutdown to Automatic and start the service |
Cloud PC / Intune remediation |
| Windows Power service has been disabled | Set the Power service to Automatic and start the service | Cloud PC / Intune remediation |
| Custom image isn't state-retention compatible | Switch to a gallery image or rebuild the custom image | Intune provisioning policy |
| Guarded Host is enabled inside the Cloud PC | Disable the Guarded Host configuration | Cloud PC / image baseline |