The Remote Desktop app for Windows is nearing its end; the Windows app will take its place. On Monday, Microsoft announced that its legacy Remote Desktop client, already replaced on other platforms, will no longer be supported on Windows after May 27, 2025. However, users will not lose any functionality, as they can still use built-in Windows features or the modern Windows app for remote access, which has a somewhat confusing naming convention.

According to Microsoft’s Hilary Braun, writing on the Windows IT Pro Blog, “Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation.” Users will need to switch to the Windows app to continue accessing Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box.

Microsoft states that connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked on May 27. For other users, the app will still function but will not receive support.

Adding to the confusion, Windows has a built-in Remote Desktop Connection app, which will remain the sole way to use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections after May 27. However, Microsoft plans to eventually integrate this into the Windows app.

As Thurrot.com notes, Microsoft had warned that it would replace the Remote Desktop app with the Windows app after the operating system’s namesake app launched last fall. The new app even replaced the Remote Desktop client on Apple’s App Store.

Regarding the Windows app’s unusual name, Microsoft likely chose this branding as it wants to move Windows to the cloud. The company’s Windows 365 service, introduced in 2021, allows users to stream a virtual version of the OS from any device. From this perspective, the name “Windows app” for the unified app used to access cloud and remote PCs seems slightly less confusing.

A Reddit thread from the Windows app’s September launch featured entertaining reactions from fans. One user posted, “Microsoft needs to collect all the staff responsible for naming or renaming their products in the past 15 years and shoot them into the sun.” Another user used the Xzibit meme: “Yo dawg, I heard you like Windows, so I took Windows App and put in your Windows so you can Windows while you Windows.”