Publish applications with RemoteApp in Azure Virtual Desktop

There are two ways to make applications available to users in Azure Virtual Desktop: as part of a full desktop or as individual applications with RemoteApp. You publish applications by adding them to an application group, which is associated with a host pool and workspace, and assigned to users. For more information about application groups, see Terminology.

You publish applications in the following scenarios:

• For RemoteApp application groups, you publish applications to stream remotely that are installed locally on session hosts or delivered dynamically using app attach and MSIX app attach and presented to users as individual applications in one of the supported Remote Desktop clients.

• For desktop application groups, you can only publish a full desktop and all applications in MSIX packages using MSIX app attach to appear in the user's start menu in a desktop session. If you use app attach, applications aren't added to a desktop application group.

This article shows you how to publish applications that are installed locally with RemoteApp using the Azure portal and Azure PowerShell. You can't publish applications using Azure CLI.

Prerequisites

Azure portal

In order to publish an application to a RemoteApp application group, you need the following things:

• An Azure account with an active subscription.

• An existing host pool with session hosts, a RemoteApp application group, and a workspace.

• At least one session host is powered on in the host pool the application group is assigned to.

• The applications you want to publish are installed on the session hosts in the host pool the application group is assigned to. If you're using app attach, you must add and assign an MSIX package to your host pool before you start. For more information, see Add and manage app attach applications.

• As a minimum, the Azure account you use must have the Desktop Virtualization Application Group Contributor built-in role-based access control (RBAC) roles on the resource group, or on the subscription to create the resources.

Azure PowerShell

In order to publish an application to a RemoteApp application group, you need the following things:

• An Azure account with an active subscription.

• An existing host pool with session hosts, a RemoteApp application group, and a workspace.

• At least one session host is powered on in the host pool the application group is assigned to.

• The applications you want to publish are installed on the session hosts in the host pool the application group is assigned to. If you're using app attach, you must add and assign an MSIX package to your host pool. For more information, see Add and manage app attach applications.

• As a minimum, the Azure account you use must have the Desktop Virtualization Application Group Contributor built-in role-based access control (RBAC) roles on the resource group, or on the subscription to create the resources.

• If you want to publish an app attach application, you need to use version 4.2.0 or later of the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module, which contains the cmdlets that support app attach. You can download and install the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module from the PowerShell Gallery.

• If you want to publish an application from the Microsoft Store, you also need the Appx module, which is part of Windows.

Add applications to a RemoteApp application group

To add applications to a RemoteApp application group, select the relevant tab for your scenario and follow the steps.

Azure portal

Here's how to add applications to a RemoteApp application group using the Azure portal.

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.

2. In the search bar, type Azure Virtual Desktop and select the matching service entry.

3. Select Application groups, then select the RemoteApp application group you want to add an application to.

4. Select Applications, select + Add. Make sure you have at least one session host powered on in the host pool the application group is assigned to.

5. On the Basics tab, from application source drop-down list, select App Attach, Start menu, or File path. The remaining fields change depending on the application source you select.

   • For App Attach, complete the following information. Your MSIX package must already be added and assigned to your host pool.

     Parameter	Value/Description
     Package	Select a package available for the host pool from the drop-down list. Regional packages are from app attach and host pool packages are from MSIX app attach.
     Application	Select an application from the drop-down list.
     Application identifier	Enter a unique identifier for the application.
     Display name	Enter a friendly name for the application that is to users.
     Description	Enter a description for the application.

   • For Start menu, complete the following information:

     Parameter	Value/Description
     Application	Select an application from the drop-down list.
     Display name	Enter a friendly name for the application that is to users.
     Description	Enter a description for the application.
     Application path	Review the file path to the .exe file for the application and change it if necessary.
     Require command line	Select if you need to add a specific command to run when the application launches. If you select Yes, enter the command in the Command line field.

   • For File path, complete the following information:

     Parameter	Value/Description
     Application path	Enter the file path to the .exe file for the application.
     Application identifier	Enter a unique identifier for the application.
     Display name	Enter a friendly name for the application that is displayed to users.
     Description	Enter a description for the application.
     Require command line	Select if you need to add a specific command to run when the application launches. If you select Yes, enter the command in the Command line field.

   Once you've completed this tab, select Next.

6. On the Icon tab, the options you see depend on the application source you selected on the Basics tab. With app attach you can use a UNC path, but for Start Menu and File path you can only use a local path.

   • If you selected App Attach, select Default to use the default icon for the application, or select File path to use a custom icon.

     For File path, select one of the following options:

     • Browse Azure Files to use an icon from an Azure file share. Select Select a storage account and select the storage account containing your icon file, then select Select icon file. Browse to the file share and directory your icon is in, check the box next to the icon you want to add, for example MyApp.ico, then select Select. You can also use a .png file. For Icon index, specify the index number for the icon you want to use. This is usually 0.

     • UNC file path to use an icon from a file share. For Icon path, enter the UNC path to your icon file, for example \\MyFileShare\MyApp.ico. You can also use a .png file. For Icon index, specify the index number for the icon you want to use. This is usually 0.

   • If you selected Start menu or File path, for Icon path, enter a local path to the .exe file or your icon file, for example C:\Program Files\MyApp\MyApp.exe. For Icon index, specify the index number for the icon you want to use. This is usually 0.

   Once you've completed this tab, select Review + add.

7. On the Review + add tab, ensure validation passes and review the information that is used to add the application, then select Add to add the application to the RemoteApp application group.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to add applications to a RemoteApp application group using the Az.DesktopVirtualization PowerShell module. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. Add an application to a RemoteApp application group by running the commands in one of the following examples.

   • To add an application from the Windows Start menu of your session hosts, run the following commands. This example publishes WordPad with its default icon and has no command line parameters.

     # List the available applications in the start menu
     $parameters = @{
          ApplicationGroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
          ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
     }
     
     Get-AzWvdStartMenuItem @parameters | Select-Object Name, AppAlias
     

     Use the AppAlias value from the previous command for the application you want to publish:

     # Use the value from AppAlias in the previous command
     $parameters = @{
          Name = 'WordPad'
          AppAlias = 'wordpad'
          GroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
          ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
          CommandLineSetting = 'DoNotAllow'
     }
     
     New-AzWvdApplication @parameters
     

   • To add an application by specifying a file path on your session hosts, run the following commands. This example specifies Microsoft Excel with a different icon index, and adds a command line parameter.

     $parameters = @{
          Name = 'Microsoft Excel'
          FilePath = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE'
          GroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
          ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
          IconPath = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE'
          IconIndex = '1'
          CommandLineSetting = 'Require'
          CommandLineArgument = '/t http://MySite/finance-template.xltx'
          ShowInPortal = $true
     }
     
     New-AzWvdApplication @parameters
     

   • To add an MSIX or Appx application from app attach or MSIX app attach, your MSIX package must already be added and assigned to your host pool. Run the commands from one of the following examples:

     • For MSIX app attach, get the application details and store them in a variable:

       $parameters = @{
           HostPoolName = '<HostPoolName>'
           ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
       }
       
       $package = Get-AzWvdMsixPackage @parameters | ? DisplayName -like *<DisplayName>*
       
       Write-Host "These are the application IDs available in the package. Many packages only contain one application." -ForegroundColor Yellow
       $package.PackageApplication.AppId
       

       Make a note of the application ID you want to publish (for example App), then run the following commands to add the application to the RemoteApp application group:

       $parameters = @{
           Name = '<ApplicationName>'
           ApplicationType = 'MsixApplication'
           MsixPackageFamilyName = $package.PackageFamilyName
           MsixPackageApplicationId = '<ApplicationID>'
           GroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
           ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
           CommandLineSetting = 'DoNotAllow'
       }
       
       New-AzWvdApplication @parameters
       

     • For app attach, get the package and application details and store them in a variable by running the following commands:

       $parameters = @{
           Name = '<Name>'
           ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
       }
       
       $package = Get-AzWvdAppAttachPackage @parameters
       
       Write-Host "These are the application IDs available in the package. Many packages only contain one application." -ForegroundColor Yellow
       $package.ImagePackageApplication.AppId
       

       Make a note of the application ID you want to publish (for example App), then run the following commands to add the application to the RemoteApp application group:

       $parameters = @{
           Name = '<ApplicationName>'
           ApplicationType = 'MsixApplication'
           MsixPackageFamilyName = $package.ImagePackageFamilyName
           MsixPackageApplicationId = '<ApplicationID>'
           GroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
           ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
           CommandLineSetting = 'DoNotAllow'
       }
       
       New-AzWvdApplication @parameters
       

3. Verify the list of applications in the application group by running the following command:

   $parameters = @{
       GroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
       ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
   }
   
   Get-AzWvdApplication @parameters
   

Assign applications to users

Applications aren't assigned individually to users unless you're using app attach. Instead, users are assigned to application groups. When a user is assigned to an application group, they can access all the applications in that group. To learn how to assign users to application groups, see Assign users to an application group or Add and manage app attach applications.

Publish Microsoft Store applications

Applications in the Microsoft Store are updated frequently and often install automatically. The directory path for an application installed from the Microsoft Store includes the version number, which changes each time an application is updated. If an update happens automatically, the path changes and the application is no longer available to users. You can publish applications using the Windows shell:appsFolder location as the path in the format shell:AppsFolder\<PackageFamilyName>!<AppId>, which doesn't use the .exe file or the directory path with the version number. This method ensures that the application location is always correct.

Using shell:appsFolder means the application icon isn't picked up automatically from the application. You should provide an icon file on a local drive on each session host in a path that doesn't change, unlike the application installation directory.

Select the relevant tab for your scenario and follow the steps.

Azure portal

Here's how to publish a Microsoft Store application using the Windows user interface and the Azure portal:

1. On your session host, open File Explorer and go to the path shell:appsFolder.

2. Find the application in the list, right-click it, then select Create a shortcut.

3. For the shortcut prompt that appears, select Yes to place the shortcut on the desktop.

4. View the properties of the shortcut and make a note of the Target value. This value is the package family name and application ID you need to publish the application.

5. Follow the steps in the section Add applications to a RemoteApp application group for publishing an application based on File path. For the parameter Application path, use the value from the Target field of the shortcut you created, then specify the icon path as your local icon file.

Azure PowerShell

Here's how to publish a Microsoft Store application using PowerShell and Azure PowerShell. Be sure to change the <placeholder> values for your own.

1. Open Azure Cloud Shell in the Azure portal with the PowerShell terminal type, or run PowerShell on your local device.

   • If you're using Cloud Shell, make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

   • If you're using PowerShell locally, first sign in with Azure PowerShell, and then make sure your Azure context is set to the subscription that you want to use.

2. You also need to connect to a session host to run PowerShell commands as an administrator. On a session host, get a list of installed applications from the Microsoft Store by running the following commands:

   Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Sort-Object Name | Select-Object Name, PackageFamilyName
   

3. Make a note of the value for PackageFamilyName, then run the following command to get the AppId value:

   $packageFamilyName = '<PackageFamilyName>'
   
   (Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | ? PackageFamilyName -eq $packageFamilyName | Get-AppxPackageManifest).Package.Applications.Application.Id
   

4. Use Azure PowerShell with the values for PackageFamilyName and AppId combined with an exclamation mark (!) in between, together with the FilePath parameter to add an application to a RemoteApp application group by running the following commands. In this example, Microsoft Paint from the Microsoft Store is added:

   $parameters = @{
       Name = 'Microsoft Paint'
       ResourceGroupName = '<ResourceGroupName>'
       ApplicationGroupName = '<ApplicationGroupName>'
       FilePath = 'shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Paint_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App'
       CommandLineSetting = 'DoNotAllow'
       IconPath = 'C:\Icons\Microsoft Paint.png'
       IconIndex = '0'
       ShowInPortal = $true
   }
   
   New-AzWvdApplication @parameters
   

   The output should be similar to the following example:

   Name
   ----
   myappgroup/Microsoft Paint
   

Publish Windows Sandbox

Windows Sandbox provides a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation. You can use Windows Sandbox with Azure Virtual Desktop in a desktop or RemoteApp session.

Your session hosts need to use a virtual machine (VM) size that supports nested virtualization. To check if a VM series supports nested virtualization, see Sizes for virtual machines in Azure, go to the relevant article for the series of the VM, and check the list of supported features.

1. To install Windows Sandbox on your session hosts, follow the steps in Windows Sandbox overview. We recommend you install Windows Sandbox in a custom image you can use when creating your session hosts.

2. Once you installed Windows Sandbox on your session hosts, it's available in a desktop session. If you also want to publish it as a RemoteApp, follow the steps to Add applications to a RemoteApp application group and use the file path C:\Windows\System32\WindowsSandbox.exe.

Next steps

• Learn how to Add and manage app attach applications.

• Learn about how to customize the feed so resources appear in a recognizable way for your users.

• If you encounter issues with your applications running in Azure Virtual Desktop, App Assure is a service from Microsoft designed to help you resolve them at no extra cost. For more information, see App Assure.