How can I use multiple monitors with Windows 365

Introduction

Windows 365 gives you the power to do your job anywhere, and when you install the Remote Desktop app (available for Windows, iOS, Android, Mac) you’ll be able to get your job done using multiple monitors. I’m a great believer in multiple monitor setups and like to use 3 monitors when working from home.

In this blog post you’ll see how you can use multiple monitors with Windows 365 whether you are using Windows or an Apple Mac as the base OS that you connect from.

Step 1. Get the Remote Desktop app

When you login to https://windows365.microsoft.com you’ll be presented with a web page similar to below showing one or more Cloud PC’s assigned to you.

web page login.png

Click on the download icon and click on it for Remote Desktop app.

download icon.png

 

Next, select the client agent download that matches your operating system (and architecture), in this example I’ll download the Windows client.

download rd client.png

 

Step 2. Configuring remote desktop for Windows

After the Remote Desktop app is installed and subscribed, it will launch. You can see your Cloud PCs in tiled format.

rd client installed.png

To modify the display setting for the Windows version of the Remote Desktop app, right click on the Cloud PC and settings will appear for that Cloud PC.

right click for settings.png

By default, Use default settings is enabled. Disable it to see more options.

Use Default settings.png

After turning default settings off, you’ll see some nice display options, click on the Drop Down Menu.

off and drop down focus.png

In my example, I want to use all three monitors and arrange them to my liking, so I select the Select Displays option, from there i can identify the order of my monitors and select how many I wish to use, I selected all 3.

 

3 displays.png

After enabling this, I close the settings option and launch the remote desktop app. Here is the result, my Windows 365 Cloud PC is using all 3 monitors. Awesome or what !

IMG_5987.JPG

If you take the display out of full screen you can right click the Remote Desktop toolbar and you’ll have some additional options with Display Settings.

display settings.png

 

Step 3. Configuring remote desktop for Apple Mac

On an Intel based Macbook Pro with DisplayLink drivers installed, the experience is similar except you first have to have configured your desired display settings in Mac System Preferences by clicking on the Display icon.

Displays.png

 

And then configure your desired preferences there.

Screenshot 2022-08-25 at 21.53.13.png

Next, open the Windows 365 Remote Desktop app and on your selected Cloud PC, use the 2 finger click on the touchpad and then select Edit.Screenshot 2022-08-25 at 21.48.27.png

 

Make your desired choice for how you want the monitors to display things by clicking on both the Apple Mac and the External monitors listed.

Screenshot 2022-08-25 at 21.53.44.png

Screenshot 2022-08-25 at 21.53.56.png

Once you are happy with the configured settings close that window by clicking on Done and launch your Cloud PC, here’s a view of the same thing via the Mac.

IMG_5988.JPG

So there you have it, you can really maximise the benifit of multiple monitors when using your Cloud PC.

cheers

niall

Related reading

Get started with the Windows Desktop client | Microsoft Docs

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2 Responses to How can I use multiple monitors with Windows 365

  1. ashwina says:

    Hi Niall, thanks for the great article. Not sure if the RD App has recently changed but I found that we are no longer able to right click on the cloud PC to bring up the settings menu. So I’m struggling to find a way to set multiple monitors. Have you come across this?
    Cheers A

  2. ncbrady says:

    hi Ashwina, i just checked and the options are still there for me, are you sure you are following my advice above ? what version of the rd app are you trying with ?

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