# Windows Desktops

> Source: https://parallelworks.com/docs/run/sessions/desktops/windows-desktops

# Windows Desktops

A Windows desktop session opens a Windows Server desktop in your browser over Remote Desktop (RDP). It runs on a Windows **instance**, a single cloud VM you create in ACTIVATE. You don't need an RDP client, a VPN, or a password: ACTIVATE signs you in automatically.

:::info Feature preview
Instances are a feature preview. To turn them on, open your user menu, choose **Feature Preview**, select **Single VM**, and click **Enable**. **Instances** then appears in the navigation under **Compute**.
:::

![Screenshot of the Feature Preview dialog with Single VM selected and the Enable button highlighted.](/content-images/docs/run/sessions/desktops/feature-preview-single-vm.png?v=af9fefcf)

RDP viewer"]

    subgraph platform["ACTIVATE"]
        api["Session relay"]
        creds["Stored instance<br/>credential"]
    end

    subgraph instance["Windows instance (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud)"]
        agent["ACTIVATE agent"]
        rdp["Remote Desktop<br/>service"]
    end

    browser -->|"desktop stream"| api
    api --> rdp
    agent -->|"creates your Windows account,<br/>reports its credential"| creds
    creds -. "automatic sign-in" .-> browser

    classDef platformNode fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#3b82f6,stroke-width:2px,color:#1e3a5f
    classDef clusterNode fill:#d1fae5,stroke:#10b981,stroke-width:2px,color:#064e3b
    classDef userNode fill:#ede9fe,stroke:#8b5cf6,stroke-width:2px,color:#4c1d95
    class api,creds platformNode
    class agent,rdp clusterNode
    class browser userNode
    style platform stroke:#3b82f6,stroke-width:2px
    style instance stroke:#10b981,stroke-width:2px
`} />

## Create a Windows instance

1. Go to **Instances** and click **Add instance**.
2. Under **Choose an available provider**, select **AWS**, **Azure**, or **Google**. Windows images aren't available on Oracle.
3. Under **General Settings**, enter a **Name** and choose a **Cloud Network**.
4. Under **Instance Settings**, choose a **Region**, **Root Size (GiB)**, and **Instance Type**.
5. For **Image**, open **Cloud Images** and pick a Windows Server image:

   | Provider | Windows Server images |
   | --- | --- |
   | AWS | 2022 and 2019, each in Full and Core editions |
   | Azure | 2022 Datacenter and 2019 Datacenter (Gen1 and Gen2) |
   | Google | Images from the `windows-cloud` project |

   Choose a Full (Desktop Experience) image for a desktop. Core editions have no graphical shell.

   ![Screenshot of the Add instance page with a Windows Server 2022 image selected in the Image picker.](/content-images/docs/run/sessions/desktops/add-windows-instance.png?v=18e69ad0)
6. Click **Add instance**.

When the instance is provisioned, the ACTIVATE agent sets it up: it enables Remote Desktop (with Network Level Authentication), installs OpenSSH, and creates a local Windows account named after your ACTIVATE username. The account is a local administrator unless your organization's policy disallows root access.

## Open the desktop

1. Go to **Sessions**, click **Create**, and choose **Desktop session**.
2. For **Target**, choose your instance from the **Instances** group. Only running Windows instances are listed.

   ![Screenshot of the Target list in the Desktop session dialog with a Windows instance highlighted under Instances.](/content-images/docs/run/sessions/desktops/create-desktop-windows-target.png?v=a3545d36)

3. Click **Create session**, then click the session's name.

ACTIVATE connects and signs you in to Windows as your account. You never see or type the password; it's generated on the instance, rotated each time the instance starts, and stored encrypted by ACTIVATE.

## Using the desktop

The desktop scales to fit your browser window. Move your mouse to the top of the screen to show the toolbar:

| Control | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Ctrl+Alt+Del** | Sends <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>Alt</kbd>+<kbd>Del</kbd> to Windows, for example to open Task Manager or lock the screen. |
| **Fullscreen** | Fills your screen with the desktop. |
| **Open in new tab** | Opens the desktop in its own full-window tab. |
| **Restart** | Restarts the desktop session. Shown to the session owner. |
| **Reconnect** | Shown after a disconnect. Connects again. |

Copy and paste between your computer and the Windows desktop isn't supported. To move files, use the instance's **Open Terminal** (SSH) or your cloud storage.

When you're done, delete the session from **Sessions**. The instance keeps running, and costing money, until you delete it from **Instances**.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause and fix |
| --- | --- |
| The instance isn't listed under **Target** | Only Windows instances that are running are listed, and only for **Desktop session**. Wait for provisioning to finish. |
| _Windows credential is not available yet for this instance_ | The agent hasn't finished setting up your account. Wait a few minutes after the instance is provisioned and try again. |
| The desktop never connects | Remote Desktop is left off when your organization disallows root access on instances. Ask your administrator. |
| Only a command prompt appears | The instance uses a Core image. Create an instance from a Full image. |