# Windows App review (2026): is it any good? > Microsoft's free client for remote Windows PCs and cloud desktops Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Windows App is Microsoft's client for connecting to Windows devices and apps remotely: Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services and individual PCs. It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android and ChromeOS, in a web browser and on Meta Quest. The app itself is free; the cloud desktops it connects to are billed separately. - **Category:** Remote Desktop - **Made by:** Microsoft Corporation - **Website:** https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n1f85v9t8bn - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to reach a Mac or Linux computer, as it connects to Windows only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Windows App is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The app is a free download from the Microsoft Store. Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and Dev Box are separate Microsoft services with their own pricing. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Windows App | $0 | Free client app. Sign-in with a work or school account is needed only for Microsoft's cloud and Remote Desktop Services connections. | Read from https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n1f85v9t8bn on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Windows App before buying. ## Key features - **One app for several Microsoft services:** Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services and remote PCs from a single customizable home screen. - **Connect to a remote PC without signing in:** On the platforms that support remote PC connections, the app can be used without signing in to a Microsoft account. - **Display options:** Multiple monitor support, custom display resolutions, and dynamic resolution and scaling. - **Device redirection:** Webcams, audio, storage devices and printers can be redirected between the local device and the remote session. - **Teams optimizations:** Microsoft says the app includes optimizations for Microsoft Teams inside remote sessions. - **Multiple accounts:** Sign in with several accounts and switch between them. ## Good for - Employees who connect to Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 Cloud PCs - People connecting to a remote Windows PC from a Mac, phone, tablet or browser - Organizations standardizing on Microsoft's remote desktop stack ## Worth knowing - Signing in takes a Microsoft work or school account from an administrator; a personal Microsoft account does not work. - Remote Desktop Services connections are not supported from Windows App on Windows, where Microsoft says to keep using the Remote Desktop app, or from the web browser client. - Remote PC connections are not available from the web browser client, and the Meta Quest support is listed as a preview. - It connects to Windows devices and apps; the pages describe no way to reach a Mac or Linux computer with it. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Windows App is Microsoft's free client for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Dev Box and remote PCs, on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web. The app costs nothing, but the cloud desktops it opens are separate paid Microsoft services, and signing in takes a work or school account from an administrator. - **Value for money: C.** The app is free, but the desktops it is built for are billed by Microsoft as Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and Dev Box. Against a category that charges $4.17 to $28 a month, that leaves it at the middle. - **Free plan and trial: C.** The download is free and a remote PC can be added without signing in. For Microsoft's cloud connections you need a work or school account from an administrator, and a personal Microsoft account does not work. - **Features: C.** It opens Windows desktops and apps, with display options, device redirection and Teams optimizations. Remote Desktop Services is not supported from Windows App on Windows or from the web client, and the pages describe no way to reach a Mac or Linux computer. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. Getting connected means accounts, an administrator and a connection to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: A.** Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and a web client, plus Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Dev Box and Teams. Meta Quest support is a preview. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Windows App's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among remote desktop apps - Windows App's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 35 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 31 of 35) and worst on features (C, above 0). - Windows App has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/remote-access ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Windows App is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 16 of the 35 other remote desktop apps grade higher. - You could not: A fast, secure link to another computer through any network. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, Microsoft Teams **Tags:** Remote desktop, File sharing ## Alternatives - [Chrome Remote Desktop](https://toolgpa.com/tools/chrome-remote-desktop): Google's free remote access to your own computers from a browser. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chrome-remote-desktop-vs-windows-app) - [Jump Desktop](https://toolgpa.com/tools/jump-desktop): Remote desktop with one-time app licences and a per-user team plan. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/jump-desktop-vs-windows-app) - [Royal TS](https://toolgpa.com/tools/royal-ts): Connection manager for RDP, SSH, VNC and web sessions. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/royal-ts-vs-windows-app) - [Remmina](https://toolgpa.com/tools/remmina): Free Linux remote desktop client for RDP, VNC and SSH. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/remmina-vs-windows-app) - [mRemoteNG](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mremoteng): Free tabbed connection manager for RDP, VNC and SSH on Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mremoteng-vs-windows-app) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n1f85v9t8bn - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-app/overview - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-app/get-started-connect-devices-desktops-apps Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/windows-app Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).