Microsoft Remote Desktop update improves thumbnails and bookmarks

Remote Desktop Ipad Mac
Remote Desktop Ipad Mac (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Remote Desktop just received an update on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
  • The iOS version of the app now supports a two-column thumbnail view for larger iPhones.
  • On macOS, the app adds a background refresh feature for subscribed workspaces.

Microsoft Remote Desktop has updates available on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. Both versions of the app have a long list of new features, including background refresh for subscribed workspaces on macOS and a two-column thumbnail view for larger iPhones like the iPhone 12.

Microsoft Remote Desktop has a long changelog for macOS, including several fixes and general improvements:

  • Added background refresh for subscribed workspaces.
  • Fixed an issue where the session window may jump to another monitor when auto-reconnect kicks in.
  • Fixed an issue where the session window would sometimes be enlarged after connecting.
  • Addressed an issue where the name of a redirected folder would be incorrect in the remote session.
  • Fixed a bug that made it difficult to resize remote app windows.
  • Improved the error messages that are displayed when user accounts fail to update.
  • Fixed an issue where window titles in the list of connected remote apps were blank.
  • Addressed a multimon issue where the mouse cursor shape would not update correctly when dragging between monitors.
  • Added a checkbox to General Preferences to enable/disable Microsoft Teams optimizations.
  • Added UI to report if a remote app could not be launched on the server due to not being on the system allow list.
  • Fixed an issue where the session window could not be made wider when placed at the top or bottom of the screen.
  • Addressed scenarios where the mouse cursor would disappear while connected to a remote PC.
  • Deletion of an Azure Virtual Desktop workspace now correctly removes all associated workspaces.
  • Fixed an issue where adding a folder to redirect to a bookmark would enable the "Add" button with an empty PC name.
  • Addressed an issue where double-clicking the title bar incorrectly stretched the session window.
  • Updated the mouse to change to a hand glyph when hovering over a red input error indicator.
  • Fixed an issue where the session window would flash rapidly in the "Mission Control" or "Application windows" view.

Here's what's new for Microsoft Remote Desktop on iOS and iPadOS:

  • Additional two-column thumbnail view for larger iPhones.
  • Revamped PC thumbnail styling.
  • Cleaned up PC bookmark list view (only available on iPhones).
  • Press-and-hold semantics for PC bookmarks and workspace headers.
  • New context menus for interaction with PC bookmarks and workspaces.
  • Ability to duplicate PC bookmarks.
  • Full preview of the PC bookmark thumbnail after a press-and-hold.
  • New pull-down menu for interaction with the Connection Center.
  • Pull-to-refresh behavior for subscribed workspaces.
  • Animated sorting of PC bookmarks by name or last connected time.
  • Auto-expanded search field on iPads.

If you're new to using a remote desktop, make sure to check out our guide on how to use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows 10 PC.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.