Microsoft is releasing a new Windows app called Windows App to run Windows applications

Microsoft today announced a new app called Windows App, which is a Windows app that lets users run Windows and Windows apps (it will also be available on macOS, iOS, web browsers, and in preview for Android).

On most of these platforms, the Windows App replaces the Microsoft Remote Desktop app that was used to connect to a copy of Windows running on a remote computer or server. For some users and IT organizations, it’s a relatively simple way to run Windows software on devices that don’t run Windows or can’t run Windows natively.

The new name, while potentially misleading, attempts to summarize the app’s purpose: a unified way to access your own Windows PCs with Remote Desktop Access enabled, cloud-hosted Windows 365 and Microsoft Dev Boxes, and individual remotely hosted apps that have been provided by your company or school.

“This unified app serves as a secure gateway for connecting to Windows through Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box, and more,” reads Hilary Braun, senior product manager for Windows 365 at Microsoft, in a post.

Microsoft says that in addition to unifying multiple services into a single app, improvements to the Windows app include easier account switching, better device management for IT admins, support for versions of Windows 365 for Firstline Workers, and support for Microsoft’s “Relayed RDP Shortpath” protocol, which enables remote desktop use over networks that don’t normally allow its use.

On macOS, iOS, and Android, the Windows App completely replaces the Remote Desktop Connection app—if you have Remote Desktop installed, an update will change it to the Windows App. On Windows, Remote Desktop Connection remains available, and the Windows App is used only for other Microsoft services; it also requires some sort of Windows account login, whereas on other platforms it works without a user account.

When it comes to connections to computers that support Remote Desktop, the Windows App has most of the same features and requirements as the Remote Desktop Connection app before it, including support for multiple monitors, redirection of devices such as webcams and audio input/output devices, and support for dynamic resolution (so that the Windows desktop resizes as the app window resizes).