Microsoft has released a preview of the new Remote Desktop app for Mac and it is available now from HockeyApp (the “platform for your apps” acquired by Microsoft late last year) for anyone to download.
The beta of the new Remote Desktop app for Mac comes with a new user interface and introduces a couple of new features.
The changes listed for the new version are:
Connection center – The connection center is the starting point of the app and allows you to easily find and manage the desktops that you want to connect to.
- Click the Add button (+) to add a new desktop
- Double click on a desktop tile to connect to it
- Hover over a desktop tile to see the edit button or simply right click on a tile to see options to edit, duplicate or remove the tile
Preferences – This is where you can manage global settings that can be applied across all desktops. Go here to
- Turn off desktop previews in the connection center
- Manage your user accounts
In addition to adding a refined user interface that includes the ability to manage accounts, Remote Desktop also now supports the “ability to use both CMD X/C/V and CTRL X/C/V interchangeably to cut/copy/paste within the remote session.”
The Remote Desktop Services team reminds users though that this is a pre-release app meant to showcase its new design and feature for soliciting feedback, and that it is not meant to be used in a live operating environment. Until the new version is finalized users should still rely on the current Microsoft Remote Desktop app for Mac in the Mac App Store for their everyday needs.
If you want to give the new app a try you can head over to HockeyApp and follow the instructions there on how to install the preview app and check for updates. And if you do have the chance to try out the new user interface and features, you can provide feedback on the beta app through User Voice, reporting an issue through the apps support feature, or simply by rating the app in the App store.
