If you need to “remote” in to a local PC while on vacation. there’s a new way to do it: the Windows App, which is replacing the Remote Desktop app within Windows.
Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app is one of the easier ways to remotely connect to a PC while you’re out and about, allowing you to access a PC remotely and even perform some basic file transfers. (Unfortunately, since the October 2024 Update for Windows 11, the app has had some issues.)
In September 2024, however, Microsoft began rounding up some of its connectivity services and putting them inside what it calls the Windows App. (Yes, we think that the name isn’t the best, either.) However, Microsoft did so as a unified way to allow users to connect remotely from other PCs or mobile devices.
Now, having migrated users over to the Windows App, Microsoft is removing support for the Remote Desktop app, it said this week.
“Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation,” Microsoft said. “Users must transition to Windows App to ensure continued access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box.”
The process has some nuances. If you’re a Remote Desktop user, you’ll need to keep using the Remote Desktop Connection until this feature is in the Windows App, Microsoft said. If you use Remote Desktop Services, you should use the RemoteApp and Desktop Connection until support for this connection type is available in Windows App, the company said.
Everyday PC users who need to remote into far-away computers might be better off with one of our favorite remote desktop services.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.