Windows is now an app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC

Microsoft has created a Windows app for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows and web browsers. The app essentially takes the previous Windows 365 app and turns it into a central hub for streaming a copy of Windows from a remote PC, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, and Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft.

Microsoft supports multiple monitors through its Windows app, custom display resolutions and scaling, and device redirection for devices like webcams, storage devices, and printers. However, the preview version of the Windows app is currently not available for Android.

The Windows app is also limited to Microsoft’s line of business accounts, but there are signs that it will be available to consumers as well. The login prompt on the Windows app on Windows (yes, it’s a mouthful) suggests that you can access the app using a personal Microsoft account, but this feature doesn’t work at the moment.

Microsoft has offered similar applications for connecting to PCs remotely for decades, most notably with its Remote Desktop Connection application that comes with Windows. A dedicated “Windows app” is unusual branding, however, and could signal that Microsoft’s broader ambitions to move Windows entirely to the cloud are underway.

Microsoft has created a new web-focused Windows team after former Surface and Windows chief Panos Panay left the company for Amazon in September. The new “Windows and Web Experiences” team appears to be largely focused on building AI-driven web services for Windows. We’ve already seen a number of web features appear in Windows 11, with the main search interface dynamically updating from the web, a widget system, and even Copilot integration.

During the FTC vs. Microsoft Hearing, we learned that Microsoft wants to move Windows entirely to the cloud on the consumer side, something it already offers to businesses with Windows 365. The Windows app could well pave the way for consumers to access cloud PCs and applications Windows on devices. that do not run Microsoft’s operating system.