Microsoft has announced the end of support for the Remote Desktop app for Windows. You’ll need to switch to the ‘Windows App’ to continue remotely accessing your Windows PCs or servers, though this shutdown doesn’t affect all types of remote connections.
The Windows App was released to the general public in September 2024, after previously only being available for businesses and organizations using Windows 365 cloud computers. It’s supposed to unify all cloud and remote Windows desktop services in one place, complete with customizable home screens, multi-monitor support, and dynamic display resolutions.
Microsoft has now confirmed that the ‘Remote Desktop’ app for Windows will no longer be supported, starting on May 27, 2025. It will be removed from the Microsoft Store and won’t be available for download and installation. The Android, iOS, and Mac apps for Remote Desktop were already updated to the Windows App, so you don’t need to do anything there.
The Remote Desktop Connection application isn’t going anywhere, at least for now. That’s a built-in system application, and the Windows App on Windows doesn’t support local RDP connections just yet. Microsoft said in a blog post, “Users connecting to remote desktops from the Remote Desktop app should use Remote Desktop Connection until support for this connection type is available in Windows App.”
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The ’Windows App’ name is also adding to the confusion. As many people have already pointed out, including countless IT administrators, the name is difficult to use in discussions and explanations, and web searches bring up unrelated results about software for Windows. It’s already confusing enough when a well-known application or service changes its name, but this one is too easily confused for the Windows operating system.
Most people outside businesses and organizations are using the Remote Desktop Connection utility for remote desktop access on Windows PCs, and that use case isn’t changing yet. However, most of the functionality handled by the full-featured Remote Desktop application has moved to Windows App, such as connections with Microsoft Dev Box and Azure Virtual Desktop. Those features are primarily used by large companies and organizations. Windows 365, the company’s cloud Windows PC service, isn’t even available to home customers.
Presumably, the Windows App will eventually take over the functionality of the Remote Desktop Connection utility and other existing tools. Until then, the “unified access” isn’t very unified, and the confusing name is making the situation even more complicated to understand.
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The Windows App has an average rating of 2.6 stars on the Microsoft Store out of 121 ratings. However, many of those low ratings are from people trying to use it for local remote desktop connections (which still uses the Remote Desktop Connection utility). There are a few complaints about the general design and crashes, along with positive reviews about the unified Task View. As with many recent Microsoft app releases, it was rough at first and is taking a while to improve. The Windows App is compatible with Windows 10 version 19044 or higher.
In summary: if you are using Remote Desktop Connection on your Windows PC, you don’t have to do anything yet. Microsoft already changed the Remote Desktop apps for mobile devices and Mac to Windows App, so you don’t have to do anything there either. If you use Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box, you probably need to set up Windows App.
Source: Windows IT Pro Blog
