Windows App Updates: Remote Desktop Client for Windows (MSI) and Web Client Deprecated in Commercial Clouds

Remote Desktop Clients Are No Longer Supported

Effective March 27, 2026, the following clients are no longer supported in Microsoft commercial cloud environments:

• Remote Desktop client for Windows (MSI) — the traditional MSTSC-based installer package
• Remote Desktop web client — the browser-based RD Web Access client

Microsoft's direction is to migrate to the Windows App as the single client for accessing Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, and Remote Desktop Services in commercial cloud scenarios.

Windows App Improvements in This Update

The March 2026 Windows App update also introduces several reliability and security improvements highlighted in the Microsoft post, including:

• Keyboard input protection — an updated security control for remote sessions
• Productivity and reliability fixes across the Windows App client

What Endpoint and EUC Teams Should Do

1. Inventory current RD client usage. Identify users and managed devices still using the MSI-based Remote Desktop client or accessing resources via the RD web client.
2. Deploy Windows App to affected devices via Intune or SCCM. The Windows App is available from the Microsoft Store and as a deployable package.
3. Update user-facing guidance and helpdesk documentation to reference the Windows App rather than legacy client paths.
4. Test session host compatibility with the Windows App before cutting over user populations, particularly for RemoteApp and full desktop scenarios.

Source

This guidance is based on the official Windows IT Pro Blog post published by Microsoft on March 30, 2026.