Since everyone started working remotely, I've personally needed to Remote Desktop into more computers lately than ever before. More this week than in the previous decade.
I wrote recently about to How to remote desktop fullscreen RDP with just SOME of your multiple monitors which is super useful if you have, say, 3 monitors, and you only want to use 2 and 3 for Remote Desktop and reserve #1 for your local machine, email, etc.
IMHO, the Remote Desktop Connection app is woefully old and kinda Windows XP-like in its style.
There is a Windows Store Remote Desktop app at https://aka.ms/urdc and even a Remote Desktop Assistant at https://aka.ms/RDSetup that can help set up older machines (earlier than Windows 10 version 1709 (I had no idea this existed!)
The Windows Store version is nicer looking and more modern, but I can't figure out how to get it to Remote into an Azure Active Directory (AzureAD) joined computer. I don't see if it's even possible with the Windows Store app. Let me know if you know how!
Virtual desktop experiences can be enhanced using Windows Virtual Desktop, delivered on Azure. Establishing an environment in Azure simplifies management and offers the ability to scale the virtual desktop and application virtualization services through cloud computing. How Azure AD App Proxy works in an RDS deployment Configure the Remote Desktop web client Next, complete setup by enabling the Remote Desktop web client for user access. See details on how to do this at Set up the Remote Desktop web client for your users. Support for Workplace Join as an RDP client was added in Windows 10 build 20H1. RDP from Hybrid Azure AD joined machine to Azure AD joined is supported as well but is using different authentication flow. How RDP to AADJ RDP server works.
So, back to the old Remote Desktop Connection app. Turns out for whatever reason, you need to save the RDP file and open it in a text editor.
Add these two lines at the end (three if you want to save your username, then include the first line there)
Note that you have to use the style .AzureADemail@domain.com
The leading .AzureAD is needed - that was the magic in front of my email for login. Then enablecredsspsupport along with authentication level 2 (settings that aren't exposed in the UI) was the final missing piece.
Troubleshoot RDP issues in Azure for Windows VMs.
Add those two lines to the RDP text file and then open it with Remote Desktop Connection and you're set! Again, make sure you have the email prefix.
The Future?
Given that the client is smart enough to show an error from the remote machine that it's Azure AD enabled, IMHO this should Just Work.
More over, so should the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop client. It's beyond time for a refresh of these apps.
NOTE: Oddly there is another app called the Windows Desktop Client that does some of these things, but not others. It allows you to access machines your administrators have given you access to but doesn't allow you (a Dev or Prosumer) to connect to arbitrary machine. So it's not useful to me.
Azure Rdp App
There needs to be one Ultimate Remote Windows Desktop Client that lets me connect to all flavors of Windows machines from anywhere, is smart about DPI and 4k monitors, remotes my audio optionally, and works for everything from AzureAD to old school Domains.
Between these three apps there's a Venn Diagram of functionality but there's nothing with the Union of them all. Yet.
Until then, I'm editing RDP files which is a bummer, but I'm unblocked, which is awesome.
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About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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I have a VM that is joined to my Azure AD test tenant domain. I was having issues using RDP to access the box with my Azure AD credentials (username@tenant.onmicrosoft.com). I kept getting the following when trying to connect:
So I started researching and found that this was an common issue that many have started to face with their Azure AD Joined machines. Unfortunately, at this time it isn’t quite as easy as “open up a new RDP connection, type in the computer, type my email, and connect”. Here are the steps to connect a session to that Azure AD joined computer.
Steps to connect RDP to an Azure AD joined computer.
First, open remote desktop as if you were going to connect to any other computer. Type in the computer name or IP address and expand the the Show Options section. Next, click the Save As button to save the RDP file to your computer. At this point you can close the Remote Desktop Connection window as it isn’t needed any longer.
Next, open Notepad. Click File -> Open -> location your RDP file that was saved in the previous step.
Go to the very bottom of the list of parameters and add the following two lines:
enablecredsspsupport:i:0
authentication level:i:2
Save the changes to the .rdp file
NOTE: You can also add your username that will be used to connect to the session in the file as well:
username:s:.AzureADYOURusername@YOURtenantname.onmicrosoft.com
Now you are ready to connect! Double click on the RDP file and connect to the Azure AD Joined computer.
Enable Rdp For Azure Vm
KEEP RESEARCHING!
STAY POSITIVE! THE WORLD WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER FOR ALL OF US!
Azure Windows Rdp Software
REFERENCES:
Remote Desktop to Azure AD Joined Computer