What you must know
- Throughout Ignite 2023, Microsoft launched an all-new ‘Home windows App’ to stream Home windows PCs from anyplace.
- The app is suitable with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and even Home windows, however isn’t accessible for Android or ChromeOS.
- If you wish to use this with a Chromebook, you may should depend on the browser implementation.
Chromebook house owners have been eager for the power to make use of Home windows, or no less than Home windows apps, for years. There was some hope that this is able to have come from Parallels, however that is seemingly been locked all the way down to the enterprise market. Then, Microsoft gave us a glimmer of hope throughout Ignite 2023, as the corporate launched a brand new “Windows App.”
Awkward title apart, the Home windows App is designed to supply entry to cloud computer systems from suitable units. This contains issues resembling Azure Digital Desktop, Home windows 365, and Microsoft Dev Field. However, this new app additionally affords the restricted means to entry Distant Desktop Companies and distant PCs.
Sadly, it appears as if Android and ChromeOS have been overlooked to dry, for one motive or one other. Not solely is the Home windows App not suitable with Chromebooks, however you additionally will not discover a devoted Android app. Making issues much more irritating, Microsoft’s support documentation states that you just aren’t in a position to entry this service utilizing a cell browser.
The following roadblock, even in case you fired up Chrome, is that you’re going to want a registered work or faculty account. On the floor, that is an apparent limitation as it is not meant to present everybody with a Microsoft account entry to a PC within the cloud. Nevertheless, in case you’re utilizing a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, you possibly can truly connect with your individual Home windows pc, supplied that you’ve got Remote Desktop Services enabled.
Within the assist paperwork, Microsoft states that it “would not at present assist these connections.” Even nonetheless, it feels a bit odd to incorporate this performance to start with, even when it is not “formally” supported.
There are a couple of totally different options accessible for these utilizing Chromebooks within the enterprise area. Nevertheless, the identical cannot be stated on the subject of the buyer market. On one hand, Chromebooks proceed to enhance at an extremely speedy tempo, as evidenced by Google’s Chromebook Plus initiative.
Nevertheless, there are nonetheless some issues which you can’t do on ChromeOS that you are able to do on Home windows or macOS, and also you positively do not need to run Windows on a Chromebook. We’ll be conserving our fingers crossed to see if this modifications, however we aren’t holding our breath.