Introduction

Azure Virtual Desktop delivers cloud-hosted desktops and remote applications with a consistent management plane in Azure. This page collects the docs, tools, and community resources I use when planning, deploying, and operating Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 environments. It mirrors my public GitHub list so you can search it directly on this site and keep track of updates.

GitHub source: https://github.com/schmittnieto/awesome-azure-virtual-desktop

Who is this for

  • Cloud architects and endpoint engineers designing virtual desktop platforms
  • AVD and Windows 365 administrators running pooled and personal desktops
  • Operations teams that want proven references for day to day work

What you will find

  • Official documentation and learning paths
  • FSLogix, Azure Files, and App Attach references
  • Windows App, Windows 365, and Microsoft Intune resources
  • Third party management, testing, and thin client vendors
  • Tools, scripts, and community write ups

How to use it

  • Use the table of contents to jump to a topic
  • Press Ctrl F to search within the page
  • Open links in a new tab to keep your place

If you spot a gap or a broken link, open an issue or pull request in the GitHub repo link.

Official

Only official links published or maintained by Microsoft or Azure.

Important Announcements

⚠️ The Microsoft Entra ID memberOf operator preview ends on 3 November 2026. After that date, dynamic membership groups, dynamic administrative units and entitlement management auto-assignment policies that use memberOf stop updating and stay at their last state. Many Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and Intune assignments rely on these groups, so review and migrate the affected rules before 3 November 2026. More info: Configure dynamic membership groups with the memberOf operator (preview).

What’s new in Azure Virtual Desktop

What’s new in Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop receives continuous monthly service updates. Below is a summary of key updates from October 2025 onward.

Autoscale and Host Pool Management

  • Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid (Public preview: May 2026; GA: September 2026) - running session hosts on any on-premises hypervisor (Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, Nutanix AHV) or headless physical Windows Server through Azure Arc, for a service fee of $10 per user per month on top of the usual Windows or RDS user licenses. Windows multi-session, autoscale, power management, Start VM on Connect and session host configuration aren’t supported.
  • Regional host pools (GA: September 2026) - storing host pool metadata in the selected Azure region instead of a shared geographical database, removing cross-region dependencies and limiting the impact of infrastructure issues to the affected region.
  • Managed identity support for host pools (GA: September 2026) - using managed identities for session host configuration, autoscale, Start VM on Connect and Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Local instead of assigning permissions to the Azure Virtual Desktop service principal.
  • Windows 11, version 26H2 images (Available: September 2026) - Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 11 Enterprise + Microsoft 365 Apps 26H2 images in Azure Marketplace for new session hosts.
  • Automated host pools (GA: June 2026) - using a single session host configuration to automatically enforce settings across all session hosts in a pool, updated by editing the configuration instead of each host individually.
  • Dynamic autoscaling (GA: June 2026) - creating and deleting session host virtual machines automatically based on usage patterns for pooled host pools that use session host configuration.
  • Ephemeral OS disk support (Public preview: October 2025; GA: June 2026) - enabling stateless session hosts to use local VM storage for faster provisioning, reimaging and performance.
  • RDP Multipath (Enhanced session resilience preview: April 2026; redundant TCP GA: July 2026; Azure Government UDP GA and Windows App on macOS beta: September 2026) - improving connection reliability by using multiple network paths between the client and session host or Cloud PC.

App Delivery and Profile Management

  • App Attach (Windows Server 2025 and 2022 support: April 2026; App-V packages with multiple user configuration files: August 2026) - supports MSIX, Appx and App-V package formats and simplifies the staging and assignment workflow through the Azure portal.
  • Pin RemoteApp shortcuts to local desktops (Public preview: September 2026) - letting administrators or users pin RemoteApp shortcuts to local desktops for faster access to frequently used apps.
  • Remote assistance for RemoteApp sessions with Intune Remote Help (July 2026) - letting helpers see and control the published apps a user is running without access to the rest of the desktop.
  • FSLogix support for cloud-only and external identities (Preview: November 2025; GA: May 2026) - enabling FSLogix profile containers for both cloud-only and external identities in pooled host pools.
  • Enhanced RemoteApps (Preview: November 2025) - improving RemoteApp behavior with better Windows Snap support, full-screen mode, DPI handling and visual integration with Windows.

Security and Compliance

  • Display Protection (Public preview: September 2026) - securing the display path between the session host and supported endpoint devices, configurable per host pool in the Azure portal.
  • In-session passwordless authentication (Android preview: July 2026; macOS preview: August 2026; iOS preview: September 2026) - completing WebAuthn challenges inside the remote session with passkeys on the local device or a connected security key.
  • Screen capture protection for web connections (August 2026) - extending screen capture protection to sessions opened from supported web browsers.
  • Context-based redirections (Public preview: June 2026) - dynamically controlling clipboard, printer, drive and low-level USB redirection based on user identity, device compliance and network conditions, extending server-side policy enforcement for BYOD scenarios.
  • External identity support (GA: November 2025; Windows App for US Government GA: April 2026; Android GA: July 2026; macOS GA: September 2026; iOS GA: October 2026) - allowing external identities to access Azure Virtual Desktop resources with Windows App on every major client platform.
  • Centralized RDP Shortpath management (GA: January 2026) - enabling administrators to configure RDP Shortpath transport modes through Microsoft Intune or Group Policy.
  • RDP Shortpath over Private Link (GA: February 2026) - enabling UDP-based RDP Shortpath connections over Azure Private Link with explicit opt-in.
  • Windows Cloud Keyboard Input Protection (Preview: November 2025) - encrypting keystrokes at the kernel level to help protect sessions from keylogger malware and endpoint threats.

Client Experience

  • TWAIN scanner redirection (Public preview: September 2026) - redirecting supported scanners on local Windows devices into the remote session through high-level redirection, with a better scanning experience than USB redirection.
  • RAW printing support (Public preview: August 2026) - sending redirected print jobs as RAW instead of XPS for devices such as label printers, reducing the need for printer drivers on session hosts.
  • Modern Auto-Reconnect (Public preview and phased rollout: August 2026) - preserving session state during temporary network interruptions and automatically restoring connectivity when network conditions improve, powered by RDP Multipath for faster recovery and fewer user-visible disruptions than the traditional reconnect model.
  • Microsoft Teams media optimization (WebRTC-based Teams GA and macOS preview: March 2026) - reducing latency and improving call quality for meetings running inside AVD sessions through newer optimization architectures.

Azure Virtual Desktop

Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid and Azure Local

  • Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid Overview (Microsoft Docs)
    Overview of Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid, which keeps the AVD service in Azure while running session hosts on any on-premises hypervisor or bare-metal Windows Server through Azure Arc. Generally available since September 2026, it does not support Windows 10 or Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session, autoscale, power management or Start VM on Connect.
  • Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid is now generally available (Tech Community)
    General availability announcement from September 2026 for session hosts on Arc-enabled servers running on Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, Nutanix AHV or physical hardware.
  • Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid (Microsoft Docs)
    How to install the Azure Virtual Desktop Arc extension on an Arc-enabled machine to install the AVD components and register it with a host pool.
  • Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid pricing and licensing (Microsoft, PDF)
    One-page summary of the AVD Hybrid service fee of $10 per user per month, which covers the AVD service for Windows 11 single-session and Windows Server session hosts. Users still need a Windows license (Microsoft 365 E3/E5/F3/F5, Business Premium, Windows Enterprise E3/E5 or Windows VDA) or an RDS license (RDS CAL with Software Assurance, RDS User Subscription or RDS SAL). Purchase goes through the Microsoft account team.
  • Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Local (Microsoft Docs)
    Running Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts on Azure Local for data residency, latency and on-premises scenarios. In contrast to generic AVD Hybrid, Azure Local also supports Windows 11 and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session alongside single-session desktops and Windows Server images. The AVD service fee on Azure Local is billed per session host virtual core per hour instead of per user, which usually comes out cheaper with multi-session.
  • Microsoft Entra only join for AVD on Azure Local (Microsoft Docs)
    AVD session hosts on Azure Local support native Microsoft Entra join, removing the need for an AD DS domain. Deploy these session hosts through PowerShell or other automated methods, since the AVD portal only adds session hosts to an AD DS domain.
  • Awesome Azure Local - Azure Virtual Desktop (GitHub)
    Companion curated list for Azure Local with a dedicated Azure Virtual Desktop section covering deployment, management tooling and community resources for running AVD on Azure Local.

FSLogix

Azure Files

App Attach

Windows App

Windows 365

Microsoft Intune

Monitoring and Insights

Network

Architecture and Best Practices

GitHub Repositories

  • AVD Accelerator (GitHub)
    Official Microsoft repository with Bicep and Terraform reference implementations for deploying AVD following the enterprise-scale landing zone pattern.
  • RDS-Templates (GitHub)
    Official Microsoft repository containing ARM templates and PowerShell scripts for host pool creation, session host provisioning and application group management.

Third Party

Independent vendors offering management, testing, assessment and access solutions for Azure Virtual Desktop environments.

Management Platforms

Software commonly used to manage, automate and optimize Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure.

Nerdio

ControlUp

  • ControlUp - Azure Virtual Desktop
    ControlUp landing page for AVD, covering real-time session analytics, automated remediation and user experience monitoring.
  • ControlUp - Platform Overview
    Overview of ControlUp’s agent-based telemetry, script-based automation and multi-tenant management capabilities for AVD and hybrid EUC environments.

Hydra by Login VSI

Citrix

Testing and Assessment

Tools used to test application compatibility, simulate user load and measure session host performance.

Login VSI

Lakeside SysTrack

Rimo3

Thin Clients

Hardware and software vendors offering purpose-built thin client endpoints for accessing Azure Virtual Desktop.

IGEL

  • IGEL - Azure Virtual Desktop
    IGEL landing page for AVD, covering how IGEL OS provides a secure and managed thin client endpoint for accessing AVD sessions with minimal local attack surface.
  • IGEL Community
    Community hub for IGEL users and administrators with AVD-specific discussions, how-to guides and troubleshooting resources.
  • IGEL Ready Program
    Partner ecosystem listing hardware and peripherals certified to work with IGEL OS in AVD environments.

10ZiG

  • 10ZiG - Azure Virtual Desktop
    10ZiG landing page for AVD, covering thin client hardware and 10ZiG NOS purpose-built for accessing Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
  • 10ZiG Manager - Central Management
    Overview of 10ZiG’s endpoint management platform for deploying and maintaining 10ZiG thin clients at scale in AVD deployments.

Community

Resources that do not come from Microsoft or the vendors listed in the Third Party section.

Blog

To avoid an excessive list, only entire blogs are referenced, not individual posts.

  • schmitt-nieto.com
    Blog with hands-on content about AVD implementation and management.
  • gettothe.cloud
    Blog by Alex ter Neuzen focused mainly on AVD, Windows Cloud and IaC.
  • AVD Community Newsletter Community-run newsletter curated mainly by Aresh Sarkari, with recurring AVD links, Microsoft announcements and contributions from authors such as Johan Vanneuville, Marcel Meurer and Travis Roberts.
  • Windows365, AVD Weekly News LinkedIn newsletter by Michel Roth collecting weekly Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and endpoint management news from Microsoft and community authors.
  • AskAresh Blog by Aresh Sarkari with hands-on AVD, Terraform, automation and end-user computing content frequently referenced by the AVD Community Newsletter.
  • johanvanneuville.com Blog by MVP Johan Vanneuville covering Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Nerdio and cloud endpoint security.
  • whyazure.in Blog by Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 MVP Aavisek Choudhury with more than 150 articles on AVD and Windows 365 features, deployment and troubleshooting, plus Citrix and Azure infrastructure content.
  • blog.itprocloud.de
    Blog by Marcel Meurer featuring AVD automation tools, Hydra technical deep dives and host pool management patterns.
  • ciraltos.com Blog by Microsoft MVP Travis Roberts with practical AVD networking, regional host pool, Windows 365 and Azure infrastructure walkthroughs.
  • rozemuller.com
    Blog by MVP Sander Rozemuller focused on Azure Virtual Desktop automation using the REST API, PowerShell and infrastructure-as-code.
  • imab.dk Blog by Martin Bengtsson with practical Intune, Microsoft 365 and PowerShell content focused on implementation and scripted automation.
  • andrewstaylor.com Blog by Andrew Taylor covering Intune, FSLogix configuration without Group Policy, application packaging, AVD automation and EUC tooling.
  • All about Endpoint Management Blog by Eswar Koneti covering Intune, Configuration Manager, Conditional Access, Windows Update for Business and AVD or Windows 365 operational scenarios.
  • All about Microsoft Intune Blog by Peter van der Woude covering Intune, Windows 365, Cloud PCs, Conditional Access and endpoint configuration.
  • Benoit Hamet Blog by Benoit Hamet covering Microsoft Intune, Azure Virtual Desktop clipboard redirection and Microsoft 365 administration.
  • Call4Cloud Blog by Rudy Ooms focused on Intune internals, Windows Autopilot, Endpoint Privilege Management and endpoint troubleshooting.
  • mikemdm.de
    Blog by MVP Michael Meier covering AVD and Azure Local labs and real-world implementations.
  • joeyverlinden.com
    Blog by Joey Verlinden featuring AVD implementation guides, FSLogix tips and automation scripts.
  • msendpointmgr.com
    Multi-author blog covering endpoint management including AVD image management, Intune integration and application packaging for virtual environments.
  • michaelsendpoint.com
    Blog by Michael Frank with step-by-step Microsoft guides covering Intune, Microsoft Entra ID, Windows 365, security and PowerShell automation relevant to endpoint and AVD management.
  • Observability for Azure Virtual Desktop
    Blog post by Ruben Zimmermann covering Azure Virtual Desktop observability with SquaredUp Cloud, Log Analytics and focused KQL queries for VM state, agent health, performance metrics, user connections, configuration changes and session usage.

LinkedIn

Most day-to-day news on Azure Virtual Desktop arrives first on LinkedIn. Here are relevant community profiles.

  • Christiaan Brinkhoff
    Senior Director of Product R&D at Nerdio and former Microsoft Windows Cloud product leader who publishes cloud endpoint strategy, AVD, Windows 365 and community content.
  • Ryan Mangan
    UK-based MVP who publishes detailed AVD content covering new features, optimization techniques and real-world troubleshooting cases.
  • Marcel Meurer
    Creator of WVD Admin and Hydra who shares AVD tooling updates, automation patterns and community resources.
  • Sander Rozemuller
    Dutch MVP publishing AVD automation content focused on REST API usage, Bicep and infrastructure-as-code approaches.
  • Stefan Dingemanse
    Netherlands-based MVP and AVD specialist who publishes practical content covering networking, identity and deployment automation.
  • Tom Hickling
    Microsoft Senior Product Manager for Azure Virtual Desktop Engineering covering enterprise deployments, service resilience and best practices.
  • Johan Vanneuville Windows and Devices MVP, Nerdio NVP and co-author of Securing Cloud PCs and Azure Virtual Desktop who publishes practical AVD and Windows 365 security guidance.
  • Thomas Marcussen Microsoft MVP and early AVD Community contributor involved in newsletter publishing and broader Microsoft endpoint community work.
  • Shabaz Darr Microsoft MVP and I Am IT Geek creator publishing Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Nerdio and Microsoft cloud architecture content.
  • Andrew Taylor Microsoft MVP publishing Intune automation, AVD deployment, FSLogix configuration and endpoint management tooling.
  • Joey Verlinden AVD and Intune community contributor publishing implementation guides, FSLogix tips, automation scripts and Envoy user environment management updates.
  • Peter van der Woude Microsoft MVP focused on Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, Conditional Access and modern endpoint management.
  • Benoit Hamet Microsoft cloud specialist publishing Intune, Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft 365 and security configuration content.
  • Rudy Ooms Microsoft MVP focused on Intune internals, Windows Autopilot, Endpoint Privilege Management and endpoint troubleshooting.
  • Bas van Kaam
    End-user computing specialist and author who regularly shares community updates, book insights and technical deep dives.

YouTube

Channels with recurring Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Windows Cloud and related Azure infrastructure content.

  • Azure Academy Channel by Dean Cefola with Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Azure infrastructure and Microsoft cloud operations walkthroughs.
  • Microsoft Mechanics Official Microsoft channel with demos and product walkthroughs for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Windows App and Microsoft 365 services.
  • I Am IT Geek Channel by Microsoft MVP Shabaz Darr covering Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Nerdio, Azure security and Microsoft cloud architecture.
  • John Savill’s Technical Training Technical training channel by John Savill covering Azure platform services, identity, networking and selected Azure Virtual Desktop scenarios.
  • Travis Roberts Channel by Microsoft MVP Travis Roberts with Azure, AVD, Windows 365 and infrastructure tutorials often paired with Ciraltos blog posts.
  • Jonathan Edwards Channel covering Microsoft 365, Intune, Windows 365, security and endpoint management topics relevant to AVD operations.
  • Neil McLoughlin Channel by Neil McLoughlin covering Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Nerdio and EUC architecture topics.
  • Susanth Sutheesh Channel covering Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Intune, Microsoft 365 and endpoint administration.
  • Mike in the Cloud Channel covering Microsoft cloud administration, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365 and endpoint management.

GitHub Repos and Tools

  • AVD Accelerator (GitHub)
    Official Microsoft repository with Bicep and Terraform code for deploying AVD following the enterprise-scale landing zone pattern.
  • RDS-Templates (GitHub)
    Official Microsoft repository with ARM templates and PowerShell scripts for host pool creation, session host registration and application group management.
  • GetToThe-Cloud - Website (GitHub)
    Source repository for the GetToThe.Cloud website, including AVD-related Terraform and deployment scripts used across the site.
  • Sander Rozemuller - GitHub
    GitHub profile of Sander Rozemuller (MVP) with scripts and modules for managing Azure Virtual Desktop through the REST API and PowerShell, covering host pools, session hosts and application groups.
  • Marcel Meurer - WVD-Hydra (GitHub)
    Open-source AVD management tool by Marcel Meurer covering host pool automation, image management and session control, predecessor to the commercial Hydra product.
  • Intune Drive Mapping Generator
    Web generator by Nicola Suter for building Intune PowerShell scripts that map network drives on Intune-managed Windows devices. The GitHub repository includes source code, documentation and examples for migrating existing Group Policy drive mappings or creating mappings from scratch.
  • Envoy (GitHub) Open-source lightweight user environment manager by Joey Verlinden for Intune-managed Windows devices, useful in AVD and Windows 365 environments that need logon-time drive mappings, printer mappings, registry settings, file actions and shortcuts targeted by Microsoft Entra ID group membership.
  • Intunewin Downloader (GitHub)
    Windows troubleshooting tool by Rudy Ooms (Call4Cloud) that downloads and decrypts Win32 app packages and remediation scripts a device is already assigned in Microsoft Intune, without needing Graph API permissions or an app registration. Useful for inspecting and validating app delivery on AVD and Windows 365 session hosts from within the existing Intune enrollment context.
  • AVD - FSLogix Profile Status (Tool)
    After the deprecation of FXTray, it became difficult to check the status of FSLogix profiles. With this PowerShell script, it is once again possible to verify profile status in a simple and centralized way. The GitHub repository contains the Profile Monitor for FSLogix source and releases.
  • Profile Toolkit for FSLogix (GitHub)
    GUI toolkit by Drazen Nikolic for enterprise FSLogix management, built with Electron and React. It covers real-time profile monitoring, profile migration, diagnostics, best practice assessment and advanced VDI operations, extending his earlier FSLogix Profile Status script into a full desktop application.

Chats and Channels

Trainings

Events

Name Description Price Remote Date
AVD Tech Fest 2025 - Berlin (Germany) Community-driven EUC event focused on Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Citrix, Omnissa and digital workspace solutions. 99 EUR No September 10-11, 2025
EUC World Virtual 2026 Vendor-neutral virtual EUC conference with sessions on digital workspaces, Intune, Nerdio Manager and desktop modernization. Not listed Yes April 29, 2026
NerdioCon 2026 - Palm Springs (USA) Nerdio conference focused on Microsoft cloud endpoint management, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Intune and AI-driven operations. Not listed No May 4-6, 2026
EUCforumDE Community Day 2026 - Darmstadt (Germany) Community-driven end-user computing conference covering digital workplace architectures, security and automation topics. Free No June 25, 2026
Windows Cloud Workshop series - multiple cities Hands-on Nerdio and Microsoft workshop series for Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, cloud endpoint strategy and guided lab practice. Not listed No May 13 - June 11, 2026
EUC World 2026 - Milwaukee (USA) Community-driven EUC conference covering virtual desktops, DaaS, Windows in the Cloud, app delivery and digital workspace operations. $250-$400, depending on registration date No September 29 - October 1, 2026
Security Ninjas Germany 2026 - Munich (Germany) Microsoft security community conference at Microsoft Germany HQ with two parallel tracks on identity, endpoint, cloud and detection across the Microsoft security stack. Not listed No October 20, 2026
EUCforumDE - Karlsruhe (Germany) Community evening at Hoepfner Burghof with sessions on Citrix Provisioning Services, an open “Ask Euch Anything” talk and thin and zero clients for VDI and DaaS by 10ZiG. Free No October 22, 2026
SwissEUC - Zurich (Switzerland) Community afternoon at Digicomp Academy with sessions on automated Azure Virtual Desktop deployment, AVD landing zones at scale and Windows 365 and AVD in real-world operations. Free No October 27, 2026
EUCforumDE - Cologne (Germany) Community evening with sessions on deploying XenServer at scale with configuration as code and on AI-assisted software creation for non-developers. Free No November 5, 2026
Microsoft Ignite 2026 - San Francisco (USA) Microsoft flagship conference for Azure, Windows, Microsoft 365 and security, with expected Windows Cloud, Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 announcements. Not listed To be confirmed November 17-20, 2026
E2E EUCDEX.Ai - Nice (France) Independent EUC conference with 40-50 sessions on server, application, desktop and storage virtualization, preceded by the “Ai in EUC III” master class on April 8. Venue to be announced in November 2026. 449 EUR super early bird, including the master class No April 9-11, 2027
SwissEUC - Bern (Switzerland) Community afternoon with a vendor technical session, community talks and a tech talk on EUC technologies. Agenda and registration to be published. Free No May 25, 2027
EUCtech Denmark 2027 - Billund (Denmark) 10th edition of the Danish EUC conference at LEGOLAND Hotel & Conference, with 40-minute sessions at level 200-500 on cloud infrastructure and DaaS, EUC datacenter operations, security and governance, plus modern workplace management. Not listed No May 26-27, 2027

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