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Windows 365 identity and authentication

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A Cloud PC user's identity defines which access management services manage that user and Cloud PC. This identity defines:

  • The types of Cloud PCs the user has access to.
  • The types of non-Cloud PC resources the user has access to.

A device can also have an identity determined by its join type to Microsoft Entra ID. For a device, the join type defines:

  • If the device requires line of sight to a domain controller.
  • How the device is managed.
  • How users authenticate to the device.

Identity types

There are three identity types:

  • Hybrid identity: Users or devices that are created in on-premises Windows Server Active Directory, then synchronized to Microsoft Entra ID.
  • Cloud-only identity: Users or devices that are created and only exist in Microsoft Entra ID.
  • External identity: Users who are created and managed outside of your Microsoft Entra tenant but are invited in to your Microsoft Entra tenant to access your organization's resources.

Note

Windows 365 does not support external identities.

Device join types

There are two join types that you can select from when provisioning a Cloud PC:

The following table shows key capabilities or requirements based on the selected join type:

Capability or requirement Microsoft Entra hybrid join Microsoft Entra join
Azure subscription Required Optional
Azure virtual network with line of sight to the domain controller Required Optional
User identity type supported for login Hybrid users only Hybrid users or cloud-only users
Policy management Group Policy Objects (GPO) or Intune MDM Intune MDM only
Windows Hello for Business sign-in supported Yes, and the connecting device must have line of sight to the domain controller through the direct network or a VPN Yes

Authentication

To successfully access a Cloud PC, a user must authenticate, in turn, with both:

  • The Windows 365 service.
  • The Cloud PC.

Windows 365 offers single sign-on (defined as a single authentication prompt that can satisfy both the Windows 365 service authentication and Cloud PC authentication) as part of the service. For more information, see single sign-on.

Important

In order for authentication to work properly, the user's local machine must also be able to access the URLs in the Remote Desktop clients section of the Azure Virtual Desktop required URL list.

Windows 365 service authentication

Users must authenticate with the Windows 365 service when:

This authentication triggers a Microsoft Entra ID, allowing any credential type that is supported by both Microsoft Entra ID and your OS.

Passwordless authentication

You can use any authentication type supported by Microsoft Entra ID, such as Windows Hello for Business and other passwordless authentication options (for example, FIDO keys), to authenticate to the service.

Smart card authentication

To use a smart card to authenticate to Microsoft Entra ID, you must first configure AD FS for user certificate authentication or configure Microsoft Entra certificate-based authentication.

Cloud PC authentication

Users must authenticate to their Cloud PC when:

  • They navigate to the URL that maps directly to their Cloud PC.
  • They use a Remote Desktop client to connect to their Cloud PC.

This authentication request is processed by Microsoft Entra ID for Microsoft Entra joined Cloud PCs and on-premises Active Directory for Microsoft Entra hybrid joined Cloud PCs.

Note

If a user launches the web browser URL that maps directly to their Cloud PC, they will encounter the Windows 365 service authentication first, then encounter the Cloud PC authentication.

The following credential types are supported for Cloud PC authentication:

Single sign-on (SSO)

Single sign-on (SSO) allows the connection to skip the Cloud PC VM credential prompt and automatically sign the user in to Windows through Microsoft Entra authentication. Microsoft Entra authentication provides other benefits including passwordless authentication and support for third-party identity providers. To get started, review the steps to configure single sign-on.

Without SSO, the client prompts users for their Cloud PC credentials for every connection. The only way to avoid being prompted is to save the credentials in the client. We recommend you only save credentials on secure devices to prevent other users from accessing your resources.

In-session authentication

Once you're connected to your Cloud PC, you may be prompted for authentication inside the session. This section explains how to use credentials other than username and password in this scenario.

In-session passwordless authentication

Windows 365 supports in-session passwordless authentication using Windows Hello for Business or security devices like FIDO keys when using the Windows Desktop client. Passwordless authentication is enabled automatically when the Cloud PC and local PC are using the following operating systems:

When enabled, all WebAuthn requests in the session are redirected to the local PC. You can use Windows Hello for Business or locally attached security devices to complete the authentication process.

To access Microsoft Entra resources with Windows Hello for Business or security devices, you must enable the FIDO2 Security Key as an authentication method for your users. To enable this method, follow the steps in Enable FIDO2 security key method.

In-session smart card authentication

To use a smart card in your session, make sure you've installed the smart card drivers on the Cloud PC and allow smart card redirection as part of managing RDP device redirections for Cloud PCs. Review the client comparison chart to make sure your client supports smart card redirection.

Next steps

Learn about the Cloud PC lifecycle.