Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the Remote Desktop client for macOS

The Microsoft Remote Desktop client is used to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop to access your desktops and applications. This article shows you how to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the Remote Desktop client for macOS.

You can find a list of all the Remote Desktop clients at Remote Desktop clients overview.

If you want to connect to Remote Desktop Services or a remote PC instead of Azure Virtual Desktop, see Connect to Remote Desktop Services with the Remote Desktop client for macOS.

Prerequisites

Before you can access your resources, you'll need to meet the prerequisites:

  • Internet access.

  • A device running macOS 12 or later.

  • Download and install the Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.

Note

The macOS Remote Desktop client currently isn't distributed in the China region in the App Store.

Subscribe to a workspace

A workspace combines all the desktops and applications that have been made available to you by your admin. To be able to see these in the Remote Desktop client, you need to subscribe to the workspace by following these steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Remote Desktop app on your device.

  2. In the Connection Center, select +, then select Add Workspace.

  3. In the Email or Workspace URL box, either enter your user account, for example user@contoso.com, or the relevant URL from the following table. After a few seconds, the message A workspace is associated with this URL should be displayed.

    Tip

    If you see the message No workspace is associated with this email address, your admin might not have set up email discovery. Use one of the following workspace URLs instead.

    Azure environment Workspace URL
    Azure cloud (most common) https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com
    Azure for US Government https://rdweb.wvd.azure.us/api/arm/feeddiscovery
    Azure operated by 21Vianet https://rdweb.wvd.azure.cn/api/arm/feeddiscovery
  4. Select Add.

  5. Sign in with your user account. After a few seconds, your workspaces should show the desktops and applications that have been made available to you by your admin.

Once you've subscribed to a workspace, its content will update automatically every six hours and each time you start the client. Resources may be added, changed, or removed based on changes made by your admin.

Connect to your desktops and applications

  1. Open the Microsoft Remote Desktop app on your device.

  2. Double-click one of the icons to launch a session to Azure Virtual Desktop. You may be prompted to enter the password for your user account again, depending on how your admin has configured Azure Virtual Desktop.

Beta client

If you want to help us test new builds before they're released, you should download our beta client. Organizations can use the beta client to validate new versions for their users before they're generally available. For more information, see Test the beta client.

Important

The Remote Desktop app is changing to Windows App. To ensure you can validate the upcoming Windows App update before it's released into the store, the Windows App preview is now available in the Remote Desktop Beta channels where you can test the experience of updating from Remote Desktop to Windows App. To learn more about Windows App, see Get started with Windows App to connect to devices and apps.

Next steps