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Using VMware Horizon Client for
Windows
VMware Horizon Client for Windows 4.5

This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is
replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of
this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-002510-00

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com

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Contents

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients 9
System Requirements for Windows Clients 10
System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video 11
System Requirements for Scanner Redirection 12
System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection 13
System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR) 13
System Requirements for Flash Redirection 14
Requirements for Using Flash URL Redirection 15
System Requirements for Microsoft Lync with Horizon Client 15
Requirements for Using URL Content Redirection 16
Requirements for Using Skype for Business with Horizon Client 17
Smart Card Authentication Requirements 17
Device Authentication Requirements 18
Supported Desktop Operating Systems 19
Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client 19
Clearing the Last User Name Used to Log In to a Server 20
Configure VMware Blast Options 20
Using Internet Explorer Proxy Settings 21
Horizon Client Data Collected by VMware 22

2 Installing Horizon Client for Windows 25

Enabling FIPS Mode in the Windows Client Operating System
Install Horizon Client for Windows 26
Installing Horizon Client From the Command Line 27
Installation Commands for Horizon Client 27
Installation Properties for Horizon Client 28
Install Horizon Client From the Command Line 30
Verify URL Content Redirection Installation 31
Upgrade Horizon Client Online 32

3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users 33

Common Configuration Settings 33
Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client 34
Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs 34
Examples of vmware-view URIs 37
Configuring Certificate Checking for End Users 39
Setting the Certificate Checking Mode for Horizon Client
Configuring Advanced TLS/SSL Options 41
Configure Application Reconnection Behavior 42

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Using the Group Policy Template to Configure VMware Horizon Client for Windows 42
Scripting Definition Settings for Client GPOs 43
Security Settings for Client GPOs 45
RDP Settings for Client GPOs 49
General Settings for Client GPOs 52
USB Settings for Client GPOs 54
PCoIP Client Session Variables ADMX Template Settings
Running Horizon Client from the Command Line 61
Horizon Client Command Usage 61
Horizon Client Configuration File 64
Using the Windows Registry to Configure Horizon Client

4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections 67

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application 67
Use Unauthenticated Access to Connect to Remote Applications 70
Tips for Using the Desktop and Application Selector 71
Share Access to Local Folders and Drives 72
Hide the VMware Horizon Client Window 74
Reconnecting to a Desktop or Application 74
Create a Desktop or Application Shortcut on Your Client Desktop or Start Menu
Switch Desktops or Applications 75
Log Off or Disconnect 76

5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application 79

Feature Support Matrix for Windows Clients 79
Features Supported in Nested Mode 82
Internationalization 83
Use a Local IME with Remote Applications 83
Enabling Support for Onscreen Keyboards 84
Resizing the Remote Desktop Window 84
Monitors and Screen Resolution 85
Supported Multiple Monitor Configurations 85
Select Specific Monitors in a Multiple-Monitor Setup 86
Use One Monitor in a Multiple-Monitor Setup 86
Use Display Scaling 87
Using DPI Synchronization 88
Change the Display Mode While a Desktop Window Is Open 89
Connect USB Devices 89
Configure Clients to Reconnect When USB Devices Restart 92
Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and Microphones 93
When You Can Use Your Webcam 93
Select a Preferred Webcam or Microphone on a Windows Client System 93
Copying and Pasting Text and Images 94
Configuring the Client Clipboard Memory Size 95
Using Remote Applications 95
Saving Documents in a Remote Application 95
Printing from a Remote Desktop or Application 96
Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printer Feature on a Remote Desktop

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Contents

Using USB Printers

Control Adobe Flash Display 97
Clicking URL Links That Open Outside of Horizon Client 98
Using the Relative Mouse Feature for CAD and 3D Applications 98
Using Scanners 99
Using Serial Port Redirection 100
Keyboard Shortcuts 101

6 Troubleshooting Horizon Client 105

Problems with Keyboard Input 105
Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode 106
What to Do If Horizon Client Exits Unexpectedly 106
Restart a Remote Desktop 106
Reset a Remote Desktop or Remote Applications 107
Repair Horizon Client for Windows 108
Uninstall Horizon Client for Windows 108

Index 109

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

This guide, Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows, provides information about installing and using
®
VMware Horizon Client™ software on a Microsoft Windows client system to connect to a remote desktop
or application in the datacenter.
The information in this document includes system requirements and instructions for installing and using
Horizon Client for Windows.
This information is intended for administrators who need to set up a Horizon deployment that includes
Microsoft Windows client systems, such as desktops and laptops. The information is written for experienced
system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

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System Requirements and Setup for
Windows-Based Clients

Systems running Horizon Client components must meet certain hardware and software requirements.
Horizon Client on Windows systems uses Microsoft Internet Explorer Internet settings, including proxy
settings, when connecting to Connection Server. Ensure that your Internet Explorer settings are accurate and
that you can access the Connection Server URL through Internet Explorer.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“System Requirements for Windows Clients,” on page 10

“System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video,” on page 11

“System Requirements for Scanner Redirection,” on page 12

“System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection,” on page 13

“System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR),” on page 13

“System Requirements for Flash Redirection,” on page 14

“System Requirements for Microsoft Lync with Horizon Client,” on page 15

“Requirements for Using URL Content Redirection,” on page 16

“Requirements for Using Skype for Business with Horizon Client,” on page 17

“Smart Card Authentication Requirements,” on page 17

“Device Authentication Requirements,” on page 18

“Supported Desktop Operating Systems,” on page 19

“Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client,” on page 19

“Clearing the Last User Name Used to Log In to a Server,” on page 20

“Configure VMware Blast Options,” on page 20

“Using Internet Explorer Proxy Settings,” on page 21

“Horizon Client Data Collected by VMware,” on page 22

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

System Requirements for Windows Clients
You can install Horizon Client for Windows on PCs or laptops that use a supported Microsoft Windows
operating system.
The PC or laptop on which you install Horizon Client, and the peripherals it uses, must meet certain system
requirements.
Model

All x86 or x86-64 Windows devices

Memory

At least 1GB of RAM

Operating systems

The following operating systems are supported:
Service Pack or Servicing
Option

Supported
Editions

32- or 64-bit

Current Branch (CB) version
1703 (Creators Update)
Current Branch (CB) version
1607 (Anniversary Update)
Current Branch for Business
(CBB) version 1607
(Anniversary Update)
Long-Term Servicing Branch
(LTSB) version 1607
(Anniversary Update)

Home, Pro,
Enterprise, and IoT
Core

Windows 8 or
8.1

32- or 64-bit

None or Update 2

Pro, Enterprise, and
Industry Embedded

Windows 7

32- or 64-bit

SP1

Home, Enterprise,
Professional, and
Ultimate

Windows
Server 2008 R2

64-bit

Latest Update

Standard

Windows
Server 2012 R2

64-bit

Latest Update

Standard

Version

Windows 10

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 are supported for the
purposes of running Horizon Client in nested mode. For more information,
see “Features Supported in Nested Mode,” on page 82.
Connection Server,
Security Server, and
View Agent or
Horizon Agent

Latest maintenance release of View 6.x and later releases.
If client systems connect from outside the corporate firewall, VMware
recommends that you use a security server or Unified Access Gateway
appliance so that client systems do not require a VPN connection.
Note Clients can also connect to the Unified Access Gateway appliance,
which is available with Horizon 6 version 6.2 and later releases.

Display protocols

VMware Blast, PCoIP, and RDP

Hardware Requirements
for PCoIP and VMware
Blast

x86-based processor with SSE2 extensions, with a 800MHz or higher
processor speed.

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Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

Available RAM above system requirements to support various monitor
setups. Use the following formula as a general guide:
20MB + (24 * (# monitors) * (monitor width) * (monitor height))

As a rough guide, you can use the following calculations:
1 monitor: 1600 x 1200: 64MB
2 monitors: 1600 x 1200: 128MB
3 monitors: 1600 x 1200: 256MB

Hardware Requirements
for RDP

Software Requirements
for RDP

x86-based processor with SSE2 extensions, with a 800MHz or higher
processor speed.

128MB RAM.

For Windows 7, use RDP 7.1 or 8.0. Windows 7 includes RDP 7.
Windows 7 SP1 includes RDP 7.1.

For Windows 8, use RDP 8.0. For Windows 8.1, use RDP 8.1.

For Windows 10, use RDP 10.0.

(Supported with View Agent 6.0.2 and earlier only) For Windows XP
desktop virtual machines, you must install the RDP patches listed in
Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) articles 323497 and 884020. If you do not
install the RDP patches, a Windows Sockets failed error message might
appear on the client.

The agent installer configures the local firewall rule for inbound RDP
connections to match the current RDP port of the host operating system,
which is typically 3389. If you change the RDP port number, you must
change the associated firewall rules.

You can download Remote Desktop Client versions from the Microsoft
Download Center.
Video and Graphics
Requirements

Graphics card that supports Direct3D 11 Video.

Latest video and graphics card drivers.

For Windows 7 SP1, install the Platform update for Windows 7 SP1 and
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. For information, go to
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2670838.

System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video
Real-Time Audio-Video works with standard webcam, USB audio, and analog audio devices, and with
standard conferencing applications like Skype, WebEx, and Google Hangouts. To support Real-Time AudioVideo, your Horizon deployment must meet certain software and hardware requirements.
Remote desktops

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The desktops must have View Agent 5.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or
later, installed. For View Agent 5.2 desktops, the desktops must also have the
corresponding Remote Experience Agent installed. For example, if View
Agent 5.2 is installed, you must also install the Remote Experience Agent
from View 5.2 Feature Pack 2. See the View Feature Pack Installation and

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Administration document. If you have View Agent 6.0 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, no feature pack is required. To use Real-Time
Audio-Video with published desktops and applications, you must have
Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later.
Horizon Client computer
or client access device

Display protocols

Real-Time Audio-Video is supported on all operating systems that run
Horizon Client for Windows. For details, see “System Requirements for
Windows Clients,” on page 10.

The webcam and audio device drivers must be installed, and the
webcam and audio device must be operable, on the client computer. To
support Real-Time Audio-Video, you do not have to install the device
drivers on the desktop operating system where the agent is installed.

PCoIP

VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

System Requirements for Scanner Redirection
You can scan information into your remote desktops and applications with scanners that are connected to
your local client system. To use this feature, your remote desktops, applications, and client computers must
meet certain system requirements.
Remote desktops

The remote desktops must have View Agent 6.0.2 or later, or Horizon Agent
7.0 or later, installed with the Scanner Redirection setup option, on the parent
or template virtual machines or RDS hosts. On Windows desktop and
Windows Server guest operating systems, the Horizon Agent Scanner
Redirection setup option is deselected by default.
For information about which guest operating systems are supported on
single-user virtual machines and on RDS hosts, and for information about
configuring scanner redirection in remote desktops and applications, see
"Configure Scanner Redirection" in Configuring Remote Desktop Features in
Horizon 7.

Horizon Client computer
or client access device

Scanner redirection is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and
Windows 10.

The scanner device drivers must be installed, and the scanner must be
operable, on the client computer. You do not need to install the scanner
device drivers on the remote desktop operating system where the agent
is installed.

Scanning device
standard

TWAIN or WIA

Display protocols

PCoIP

VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

Scanner redirection is not supported in RDP desktop sessions.

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Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection
With this feature, users can redirect locally connected, serial (COM) ports, such as built-in RS232 ports or
USB to Serial adapters, to their remote desktops. To support serial port redirection, your Horizon
deployment must meet certain software and hardware requirements.
Remote desktops

The remote desktops must have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent
7.0 or later, installed with the Serial Port Redirection setup option, on the
parent or template virtual machines. This setup option is deselected by
default.
The following guest operating systems are supported on single-session
virtual machines:
n

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8.x

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 10

Windows Server 2008 R2 configured as a desktop

Windows Server 2012 R2 configured as a desktop

Windows Server 2016 configured as a desktop

This feature is not currently supported for Windows Server RDS hosts.
Serial port device drivers do not have to be installed on the desktop
operating system where the agent is installed.
Note For information about configuring serial port redirection in remote
desktops, see "Configuring Serial Port Redirection" in Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7.
Horizon Client computer
or client access device

Display protocols

Serial port redirection is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8.x client
systems, and Windows 10.

Any required serial port device drivers must be installed, and the serial
port must be operable, on the client computer. You do not need to install
the device drivers on the remote desktop operating system where the
agent is installed.

PCoIP

VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

VMware Horizon serial port redirection is not supported in RDP desktop
sessions.

System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR)
With multimedia redirection (MMR), the multimedia stream is processed, that is, decoded, on the client
system. The client system plays the media content, thereby reducing the load on the ESXi host.
Remote desktops

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Single-user desktops must have View Agent 6.0.2 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed.

Session-based desktops must have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed on the RDS host.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

For information about operating system requirements and other
software requirements and configuration settings for the remote desktop
or application, see the topics about Windows Media Multimedia
Redirection in Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7.

Horizon Client computer
or client access device

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.x, or Windows 10.

Supported media
formats

Media formats that are supported on Windows Media Player are supported.
For example: M4V; MOV; MP4; WMP; MPEG-4 Part 2; WMV 7, 8, and 9;
WMA; AVI; ACE; MP3; WAV.
Note DRM-protected content is not redirected through Windows Media
MMR.

System Requirements for Flash Redirection
With Flash Redirection, if you use Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11, Flash content is sent to the client system.
The client system plays the media content, which reduces the load on the ESXi host.
Remote desktop

Horizon Agent 7.0 or later must be installed in a single-user (VDI)
remote desktop, with the Flash Redirection option. The Flash
Redirection option is not selected by default.
See the topics about installing Horizon Agent in the Setting Up Virtual
Desktops in Horizon 7 document.

Horizon Client computer
or client access device

Display protocol for the
remote session

The appropriate group policy settings must be configured. See the topics
about configuring Flash Redirection in the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 document.

Flash Redirection is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1,
and Windows 10 single-user remote desktops.

Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11 must be installed with the corresponding
Flash ActiveX plug-in.

After installation, the VMware View FlashMMR Server add-on must be
enabled in Internet Explorer.

Flash Redirection is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1,
and Windows 10.

The Flash ActiveX plug-in must be installed and enabled

VMware Blast, PCoIP

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Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

Requirements for Using Flash URL Redirection
Streaming Flash content directly from Adobe Media Server to client endpoints lowers the load on the
datacenter ESXi host, removes the extra routing through the datacenter, and reduces the bandwidth
required to simultaneously stream live video events to multiple client endpoints.
The Flash URL redirection feature uses a JavaScript that is embedded inside a Web page by the Web page
administrator. Whenever a virtual desktop user clicks on the designated URL link from within a Web page,
the JavaScript intercepts and redirects the ShockWave File (SWF) from the virtual desktop session to the
client endpoint. The endpoint then opens a local VMware Flash Projector outside of the virtual desktop
session and plays the media stream locally. Both multicast and unicast are supported.
This feature is available when used in conjunction with the correct version of the agent software. For View
5.3, this feature is included in the Remote Experience Agent, which is part of the View Feature Pack. For
View 6.0 and later releases, this feature is included in View Agent or Horizon Agent.
To use this feature, you must set up your Web page and your client devices. Client systems must meet
certain software requirements:
n

Client systems must have IP connectivity to the Adobe Web server that hosts the ShockWave File (SWF)
that initiates the multicast or unicast streaming. If needed, configure your firewall to open the
appropriate ports to allow client devices to access this server.

Client systems must have Adobe Flash Player 10.1 or later for Internet Explorer (which uses ActiveX).

For a list of the remote desktop requirements for Flash URL redirection, and for instructions about how to
configure a Web page to provide a multicast or unicast stream, see the Horizon documentation.

System Requirements for Microsoft Lync with Horizon Client
You can use a Microsoft Lync 2013 client on remote desktops to participate in Unified Communications (UC)
VoIP (voice over IP) and video chat calls with Lync certified USB audio and video devices. A dedicated IP
phone is no longer required.
This architecture requires the installation of a Microsoft Lync 2013 client on the remote desktop and a
Microsoft Lync VDI plug-in on the client endpoint. Customers can use the Microsoft Lync 2013 client for
presence, instant messaging, Web conferencing, and Microsoft Office functionality.
Whenever a Lync VoIP or video chat call occurs, the Lync VDI plug-in offloads all the media processing
from the datacenter server to the client endpoint, and encodes all media into Lync-optimized audio and
video codecs. This optimized architecture is highly scalable, results in lower network bandwidth used, and
provides point-to-point media delivery with support for high-quality real-time VoIP and video. For more
information, see the white paper about Horizon 6 and Microsoft Lync 2013, at
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/vmware-horizon-view-microsoft-lync-install-configure.pdf.
Note Recording audio is not yet supported. This integration is supported only with the PCoIP display
protocol.
This feature has the following requirements.
Operating system

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Client operating system: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.x, or Windows 10.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Client system software

Virtual machine (agent) operating system depends on the agent version.
Version

Guest Operating System

View Agent 6.2 or later,
or Horizon Agent 7.0 or
later

32- or 64-bit Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.x, Windows
10, or 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
For Microsoft RDS hosts: Windows Server 2008 R2,
Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2

View Agent 6.0 or 6.1

32- or 64-bit Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.x, or 64-bit
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

View Agent 5.3

32- or 64-bit Windows 7 SP1

32-bit version of Microsoft Lync VDI Plug-in
Important The 64-bit version of Microsoft Office must not be installed
on the client machine. The 32-bit Microsoft Lync VDI plugin that is
required is not compatible with 64-bit Microsoft Office 2013.

Remote desktop (agent)
software

Security certificate generated during Microsoft Lync Server 2013
deployment must be imported into the Trusted Root Certificate
Authorities directory.

View Agent 5.3 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later

Microsoft Lync 2013 Client
With the View 5.3 or later agent, the Lync 2013 client bit-level is not
required to match the bit-level of the virtual machine operating system.

Required servers

Security certificate generated during Microsoft Lync Server 2013
deployment must be imported into the Trusted Root Certificate
Authorities directory

A server running Connection Server 5.3 or later

A server running Microsoft Lync Server 2013

A vSphere infrastructure to host the virtual machines
The vCenter Server and ESXi hosts must be running vSphere 5.0 or later.

Hardware

Hardware that supports each of the required software components
previously listed

Client endpoint: 1.5GHz or faster CPU and a minimum of 2GB of RAM
for the Microsoft Lync 2013 Plug-in

Note For troubleshooting information, see VMware KB 2063769 and VMware KB 2053732.

Requirements for Using URL Content Redirection
With the URL Content Redirection feature, URL content can be redirected from the client machine to a
remote desktop or application (client-to-agent redirection), or from a remote desktop or application to the
client machine (agent-to-client redirection).
For example, you can click a link in the native Microsoft Word application on the client and the link opens in
the remote Internet Explorer application, or you can click a link in the remote Internet Explorer application
and the link opens in a native browser on the client machine. Any number of protocols can be configured for
redirection, including HTTP, mailto, and callto.

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Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

The supported browsers in which you can type or click a URL and have that URL redirected are Internet
Explorer 9, 10, and 11.
Note This feature does not work for links clicked from inside Windows 10 universal apps, including the
Microsoft Edge Browser.
To use client-to-agent redirection, you must enable URL Content Redirection when you install
Horizon Client. You must install Horizon Client from the command line to enable URL Content Redirection.
For information, see “Installing Horizon Client From the Command Line,” on page 27.
To use agent-to-client redirection, a Horizon administrator must enable URL Content Redirection during
Horizon Agent installation. For information, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or Setting Up
Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 documents.
A Horizon administrator must also configure settings that specify how Horizon Client redirects URL
content from the client system to a remote desktop or application, or how Horizon Agent redirects URL
content from a remote desktop or application to the client machine. For configuration information, see the
Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Requirements for Using Skype for Business with Horizon Client
You can run Skype for Business inside a virtual desktop without negatively affecting the virtual
infrastructure and overloading the network. All media processing takes place on the Windows client
machine, instead of in the virtual desktop, during Skype audio and video calls.
To use this feature, you must install the Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business feature on the client
machine during Horizon Client for Windows installation. For information, see Chapter 2, “Installing
Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 25.
A Horizon administrator must also install the VMware Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business feature on
the virtual desktop during Horizon Agent installation. For information, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 document.
For complete requirements, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Smart Card Authentication Requirements
Client systems that use a smart card for user authentication must meet certain requirements.
Each client system that uses a smart card for user authentication must have the following software and
hardware:
n

Horizon Client

A compatible smart card reader

Product-specific application drivers

You must also install product-specific application drivers on the remote desktops or Microsoft RDS host.
Horizon supports smart cards and smart card readers that use a PKCS#11 or Microsoft CryptoAPI provider.
You can optionally install the ActivIdentity ActivClient software suite, which provides tools for interacting
with smart cards.
Users that authenticate with smart cards must have a smart card or USB smart card token, and each smart
card must contain a user certificate.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

To install certificates on a smart card, you must set up a computer to act as an enrollment station. This
computer must have the authority to issue smart card certificates for users, and it must be a member of the
domain you are issuing certificates for.
Important When you enroll a smart card, you can choose the key size of the resulting certificate. To use
smart cards with local desktops, you must select a 1024-bit or 2048-bit key size during smart card
enrollment. Certificates with 512-bit keys are not supported.
The Microsoft TechNet Web site includes detailed information on planning and implementing smart card
authentication for Windows systems.
In addition to meeting these requirements for Horizon Client systems, other Horizon components must
meet certain configuration requirements to support smart cards:
n

For information about configuring Connection Server to support smart card use, see the View
Administration document.
You must add all applicable Certificate Authority (CA) certificates for all trusted user certificates to a
server truststore file on the Connection Server host or security server host. These certificates include
root certificates and must include intermediate certificates if the user's smart card certificate was issued
by an intermediate certificate authority.

For information about tasks you might need to perform in Active Directory to implement smart card
authentication, see the View Administration document.

Enabling the Username Hint Field in Horizon Client
In some environments, smart card users can use a single smart card certificate to authenticate to multiple
user accounts. Users enter their user name in the Username hint field during smart card sign-in.
To make the Username hint field appear on the Horizon Client login dialog box, you must enable the smart
card user name hints feature for the Connection Server instance in Horizon Administrator. The smart card
user name hints feature is supported only with Horizon 7 version 7.0.2 and later servers and agents. For
information about enabling the smart card user name hints feature, see the View Administration document.
If your environment uses an Unified Access Gateway appliance rather than a security server for secure
external access, you must configure the Unified Access Gateway appliance to support the smart card user
name hints feature. The smart card user name hints feature is supported only with Unified Access Gateway
2.7.2 and later. For information about enabling the smart card user name hints feature in
Unified Access Gateway, see the Deploying and Configuring Unified Access Gateway document.
Note Horizon Client still supports single-account smart card certificates when the smart card user name
hints feature is enabled.

Device Authentication Requirements
You can set up certificate authentication for client devices.
This feature has the following requirements:

Unified Access Gateway 2.6 or later.

Horizon 7 version 7.0 or later.

A certificate installed on the client device that Unified Access Gateway will accept.

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Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

Supported Desktop Operating Systems
Administrators create virtual machines with a guest operating system and install agent software in the guest
operating system. End users can log in to these virtual machines from a client device.
For a list of the supported Windows guest operating systems, see the View Installation document.
Some Linux guest operating systems are also supported if you have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later. For information about system requirements, configuring Linux virtual machines
for use in Horizon, and a list of supported features, see Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops or Setting Up
Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops.

Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client
Administrators must perform specific tasks to enable end users to connect to remote desktops and
applications.
Before end users can connect to Connection Server or a security server and access a remote desktop or
application, you must configure certain pool settings and security settings:
n

If you plan to use Unified Access Gateway, configure Connection Server to work with
Unified Access Gateway. See the Deploying and Configuring Unified Access Gateway document.
Unified Access Gateway appliances fulfill the same role that was previously played by only security
servers.

If you are using a security server, verify that you are using the latest maintenance releases of
Connection Server 5.3.x and Security Server 5.3.x or later releases. For more information, see the View
Installation document.

If you plan to use a secure tunnel connection for client devices and if the secure connection is
configured with a DNS host name for Connection Server or a security server, verify that the client
device can resolve this DNS name.
To enable or disable the secure tunnel, in Horizon Administrator, go to the Edit Horizon Connection
Server Settings dialog box and use the check box called Use secure tunnel connection to desktop.

Verify that a desktop or application pool has been created and that the user account that you plan to use
is entitled to access the pool. For information, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or Setting
Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.
Important If end users have a high-resolution display and will use the High Resolution Mode client
setting while viewing their remote desktops in full screen mode, you must allocate sufficient VRAM for
each Windows 7 or later remote desktop. The amount of vRAM depends on the number of monitors
configured for end users and on the display resolution. To estimate the amount of vRAM you need, see
the View Architecture Planning document.

To use two-factor authentication with Horizon Client, such as RSA SecurID or RADIUS authentication,
you must enable this feature on Connection Server. For more information, see the topics about twofactor authentication in the View Administration document.

To hide security information in Horizon Client, including server URL information and the Domain
drop-down menu, enable the Hide server information in client user interface and Hide domain list in
client user interface settings in Horizon Administrator. These global settings are available in Horizon 7
version 7.1 and later. For information about configuring global settings, see the View Administration
document.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

To authenticate when the Domain drop-down menu is hidden, users must provide domain information
by entering their user name in the format domain\username or username@domain in the User name text
box.
Important If you enable the Hide server information in client user interface and Hide domain list
in client user interface settings and select two-factor authentication (RSA SecureID or RADIUS) for the
Connection Server instance, do not enforce Windows user name matching. Enforcing Windows user
name matching will prevent users from being able to enter domain information in the user name text
box and login will always fail. For more information, see the topics about two-factor authentication in
the View Administration document.
n

To provide users unauthenticated access to published applications in Horizon Client, you must enable
this feature in Connection Server. For more information, see the topics about unauthenticated access in
the View Administration document.

Clearing the Last User Name Used to Log In to a Server
When users log in to a Connection Server instance for which the Hide domain list in client user interface
global setting is enabled, the Domain drop-down menu is hidden in Horizon Client and users provide
domain information in the Horizon Client User name text box. For example, users must enter their user
name in the format domain\username or username@domain.
On a Windows client system, a registry key determines whether the last user name is saved and displayed in
the User name text box the next time a user logs in to the server. To prevent the last user name from being
displayed in the User name text box and exposing domain information, you must set the value of the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\dontdisplaylastusern
ame registry key to 1 on the Windows client system.

For information about hiding security information in Horizon Client, including the Domain drop-down
menu and server URL information, see the topics about global settings in the View Administration document.

Configure VMware Blast Options
You can configure H.264 decoding and network condition options for remote desktop and application
sessions that use the VMware Blast display protocol.
The maximum resolution that is supported depends on the capability of the graphical processing unit (GPU)
on the client. A GPU that can support 4K resolution for JPEG/PNG might not support 4K resolution for H.
264. If a resolution for H.264 is not supported, Horizon Client uses JPEG/PNG instead.
You cannot change the network condition option after you log in to a server. You can configure H.264
decoding before or after you log in to a server.
Prerequisites
This feature requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
Procedure
1

Click the Options button in the menu bar and select Configure VMware Blast.
If you are logged in to a server, you can click the Settings (gear) icon and select VMware Blast. You
cannot change the network condition option after you log in to a server.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

Configure the decoding and network condition options.
Option

Action

H.264

Configure this option, before or after connecting to Connection Server, to
allow H.264 decoding in Horizon Client.
When this option is selected (the default setting), Horizon Client uses H.
264 decoding if the agent supports H.264 software or hardware encoding.
If the agent does not support H.264 software or hardware encoding,
Horizon Client uses JPG/PNG decoding.
Deselect this option to use JPG/PNG decoding.

Select your network condition for
the best experience

You can only configure this option before connecting to Connection Server.
Select one of the following network condition options:
n Excellent - Horizon Client uses only TCP networking. This option is
ideal for a LAN environment.
n Typical (default) - Horizon Client works in mixed mode. In mixed
mode, Horizon Client uses TCP networking when connecting to the
server and uses Blast Extreme Adaptive Transport (BEAT) if the agent
and Blast Security Gateway (if enabled) support BEAT connectivity.
This option is the default setting.
n Poor - Horizon Client uses only BEAT networking if the BEAT Tunnel
Server is enabled on the server, otherwise it switches to mixed mode.
Note In Horizon 7 version 7.1 and earlier, Connection Server and
Security Server instances do not support the BEAT Tunnel Server.
Unified Access Gateway 2.9 and later supports the BEAT Tunnel Server.
Blast Security Gateway for Connection Server and Security Server
instances do not support BEAT networking.

Click OK to save your changes.

Changes for H.264 take effect the next time a user connects to a remote desktop or application and selects
the VMware Blast display protocol. Your changes do not affect existing VMware Blast sessions.

Using Internet Explorer Proxy Settings
Horizon Client automatically uses proxy settings configured in Internet Explorer.

Bypassing Proxy Settings
Horizon Client uses the Internet Explorer proxy bypass settings to bypass HTTPS connections to a
Connection Server host, security server, or Unified Access Gateway appliance.
If the secure tunnel is enabled on the Connection Server host, security server, or Unified Access Gateway
appliance, you must use the Tunnel proxy bypass address list group policy setting in the Horizon Client
Configuration ADM or ADMX template file to specify a list of addresses to bypass the tunnel connection.
The proxy server is not used for these addresses. Use a semicolon (;) to separate multiple entries. This group
policy setting creates the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\TunnelProxyBypass

You cannot use this group policy setting for direct connections. If applying the group policy setting does not
work as expected, try bypassing the proxy for local addresses. For more information, see
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/askie/2015/10/12/how-to-configure-proxy-settings-for-ie10-and-ie11-asiem-is-not-available/.

Proxy Fail Over
Horizon Client supports proxy fail over with the Use automatic configuration script setting under
Automatic configuration in Internet Options > Connections > LAN settings in Internet Explorer. To use this
setting, you must create an automatic configuration script that returns multiple proxy servers.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Horizon Client Data Collected by VMware
If your company participates in the customer experience improvement program, VMware collects data from
certain Horizon Client fields. Fields containing sensitive information are made anonymous.
VMware collects data on the clients to prioritize hardware and software compatibility. If your company's
administrator has opted to participate in the customer experience improvement program, VMware collects
anonymous data about your deployment in order to improve VMware's response to customer requirements.
No data that identifies your organization is collected. Horizon Client information is sent first to Connection
Server and then on to VMware, along with data from Connection Server instances, desktop pools, and
remote desktops.
Although the information is encrypted while in transit to Connection Server, the information on the client
system is logged unencrypted in a user-specific directory. The logs do not contain any personally identifiable
information.
The administrator who installs Connection Server can select whether to participate in the VMware customer
experience improvement program while running the Connection Server installation wizard, or an
administrator can set an option in Horizon Administrator after the installation.
Table 1‑1. Data Collected from Horizon Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement Program
Is This Field
Made
Anonymous
?

Example Value

Company that produced the
Horizon Client application

VMware

Product name

VMware Horizon Client

Client product version

(The format is x.x.x-yyyyyy, where x.x.x is the client version
number and yyyyyy is the build number.)

Client binary architecture

Description

Examples include the following:
i386
n x86_64
n arm

Client build name

Examples include the following:
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Win32-Windows
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Linux
n VMware-Horizon-Client-iOS
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Mac
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Android
n VMware-Horizon-Client-WinStore

Host operating system

Examples include the following:
n Windows 8.1
n Windows 7, 64-bit Service Pack 1 (Build 7601 )
n iPhone OS 5.1.1 (9B206)
n Ubuntu 12.04.4 LTS
n Mac OS X 10.8.5 (12F45)

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 1 System Requirements and Setup for Windows-Based Clients

Table 1‑1. Data Collected from Horizon Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement Program
(Continued)

Description

Is This Field
Made
Anonymous
?

Host operating system kernel

Example Value
Examples include the following:
Windows 6.1.7601 SP1
n Darwin Kernel Version 11.0.0: Sun Apr 8 21:52:26 PDT
2012; root:xnu-1878.11.10~1/RELEASE_ARM_S5L8945X
n Darwin 11.4.2
n Linux 2.6.32-44-generic #98-Ubuntu SMP Mon Sep 24
17:27:10 UTC 2012
n unknown (for Windows Store)
n

Host operating system architecture

Examples include the following:
n x86_64
n i386
n armv71
n ARM

Host system model

Examples include the following:
n Dell Inc. OptiPlex 960
n iPad3,3
n MacBookPro8,2
n Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T3400 (A04 03/21/2008)

Host system CPU

Examples include the following:
n Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GH
n Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GH
n unknown (for iPad)

Number of cores in the host system's
processor

For example: 4

MB of memory on the host system

Examples include the following:
n 4096
n unknown (for Windows Store)

Number of USB devices connected

2 (USB device redirection is supported only for Linux,
Windows, and Mac clients.)

Maximum concurrent USB device
connections

USB device vendor ID

Examples include the following:
Kingston
n NEC
n Nokia
n Wacom
n

USB device product ID

Examples include the following:
DataTraveler
n Gamepad
n Storage Drive
n Wireless Mouse

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 1‑1. Data Collected from Horizon Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement Program
(Continued)

Description

Is This Field
Made
Anonymous
?

USB device family

Example Value
Examples include the following:
Security
n Human Interface Device
n Imaging

USB device usage count

(Number of times the device was shared)

VMware, Inc.

Installing Horizon Client for Windows

You can obtain the Windows-based Horizon Client installer either from the VMware Web site or from a Web
access page provided by Connection Server. You can set various startup options for end users after
Horizon Client is installed.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Enabling FIPS Mode in the Windows Client Operating System,” on page 25

“Install Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 26

“Installing Horizon Client From the Command Line,” on page 27

“Verify URL Content Redirection Installation,” on page 31

“Upgrade Horizon Client Online,” on page 32

Enabling FIPS Mode in the Windows Client Operating System
If you plan to install Horizon Client with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) compliant
cryptography, you must enable FIPS mode in the client operating system before you run the Horizon Client
installer.
When FIPS mode is enabled in the client operating system, applications use only cryptographic algorithms
that are FIPS-140 compliant and in compliance with FIPS-approved modes of operation. You can enable FIPS
mode by enabling a specific security setting, either in the Local Security Policy or as part of Group Policy, or
by editing a Windows Registry key.
Important Installing Horizon Client with FIPS-compliant cryptography is supported only for client
systems that have Windows 7 SP1 or later operating systems.
For more information about FIPS support, which is available with Horizon 6 version 6.2 or later, see the View
Installation document.

Setting the FIPS Configuration Property
To enable FIPS mode in the client operating system, you can use a Windows group policy setting or a
Windows Registry setting for the client computer.
n

To use the group policy setting, open the Group Policy Editor, navigate to Computer

Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options, and enable
the System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing
setting.
n

To use the Windows Registry, go to

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\FipsAlgorithmPolicy\Enabled and set Enabled to 1.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

For more information about FIPS mode, go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/811833.
Important If you do not enable FIPS mode before running the Horizon Client installer, the installer option
to use FIPS-compliant cryptography does not appear during a custom installation. FIPS-compliant
cryptography is not enabled during a typical installation. If you install Horizon Client without the FIPScompliant cryptography option and you later decide to use the option, you must uninstall the client, enable
FIPS mode in the client operating system, and run the Horizon Client installer again.

Install Horizon Client for Windows
End users open Horizon Client to connect to their remote desktops and remote applications from a client
system. You can run a Windows-based installer file to install all Horizon Client components.
This procedure describes how to install Horizon Client by using an interactive installation wizard. To install
Horizon Client from the command line, see “Installing Horizon Client From the Command Line,” on
page 27. To install the URL Content Redirection feature, you must run the installer from the command line.
Note You can install Horizon Client in a remote desktop virtual machine if that desktop is running View
Agent 6.0 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later. Companies might use this installation strategy if their end
users access remote applications from Windows thin-client devices.
Prerequisites

Verify that the client system uses a supported operating system. See “System Requirements for
Windows Clients,” on page 10.

Verify that you have the URL for a download page that contains the Horizon Client installer. This URL
might be the VMware Downloads page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients, or it might be the
URL for a Connection Server instance.

Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system.

Verify that the domain controllers have the latest patches, enough free disk space, and can communicate
with each other. Otherwise, when you run the installer on a Windows 8.1 system, the installer can take
an unusual amount of time to finish. This problem occurs if the machine's domain controller, or another
domain controller in its hierarchy, is unresponsive or unreachable.

If you plan to install Horizon Client with FIPS-compliant cryptography, enable FIPS mode in the client
operating system before you run the Horizon Client installer. See “Enabling FIPS Mode in the Windows
Client Operating System,” on page 25.

If you plan to install the USB Redirection component, do the following:
n

Determine whether the person who uses the client device is allowed to access locally connected
USB devices from a remote desktop. If access is not permitted, either do not install the USB
Redirection component, or install the component and disable it by using a group policy setting. If
you use group policy to disable USB redirection, you do not need to reinstall Horizon Client if you
later decide to enable USB redirection for a client. For more information, see “Scripting Definition
Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 43.

Verify that the Windows Automatic Update feature is not turned off on the client computer.

Decide whether to use the feature that allows end users to log in to Horizon Client and their remote
desktop as the currently logged in user. Credential information that the user entered when logging in to
the client system is passed to the Connection Server instance and ultimately to the remote desktop.
Some client operating systems do not support this feature.

If you do not want to require end users to supply the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the
Connection Server instance, determine the FQDN so that you can supply it during installation.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 2 Installing Horizon Client for Windows

Procedure
1

Navigate to the VMware product page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients.

Download the installer file, for example, VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe.
xxxxxx is the build number and y.y.y is the version number.

Double-click the installer file to begin the installation.

Select an installation type and follow the prompts.
Option

Action

Typical installation

Click Agree & Install. The installer installs the USB Redirection and Log in
as current user features.

Custom installation

Click Customize Installation and select the features to install.
You must select this option to specify a non-default installation location,
use the IPv6 Internet protocol, configure a default Connection Server
instance, configure the default login behavior, enable FIPS-compliant
cryptography, install the 32-bit Core Remote Experience component on a
64-bit machine, or install the Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business
feature.
FIPS-compliant cryptography custom installation options are available in
the installer only if FIPS mode is enabled on the client operating system.
Follow these guidelines when selecting custom features:
n Do not select the IPv6 option unless all of the components in your
Horizon environment use the IPv6 Internet protocol. Certain features
are not available in an IPv6 environment. For more information, see
the View Installation document.
n Select the 32-bit Core Remote Experience on a 64-bit machine feature
if the 64-bit client machine does not have 64-bit plug-ins for the
product. You cannot install the Virtualization Pack for Skype for
Business feature if you select this feature.

Certain features require you to restart the client system.
The installer installs certain Windows services, including VMware Horizon Client (horizon_client_service)
and VMware USB Arbitration Service (VMUSBArbService).
What to do next
Start Horizon Client and verify that you can log in to the correct remote desktop or application. See
“Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application,” on page 67.

Installing Horizon Client From the Command Line
You can install Horizon Client by typing the installer filename, installation commands, and installation
properties at the command line.
When you install Horizon Client from the command line, you can perform a silent installation. With a silent
installation, you can efficiently deploy Horizon Client in a large enterprise.

Installation Commands for Horizon Client
When you install Horizon Client from the command line, you can specify certain installation commands.
The following table describes the Horizon Client installation commands.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 2‑1. Horizon Client Installation Commands
Command

Description

/? or /help

Lists the Horizon Client installation commands and properties.

/silent

Installs Horizon Client silently. You do not need to respond to wizard prompts.

/install

Installs Horizon Client interactively. You must respond to wizard prompts.

/uninstall

Uninstalls Horizon Client.

/repair

Repairs Horizon Client.

/norestart

Suppresses all restarts and restart prompts during the installation process.

/x /extract

Extracts the installer packages into the %TEMP% directory.

Installation Properties for Horizon Client
When you install Horizon Client from the command line, you can specify certain installation properties.
The following table describes the Horizon Client installation properties.
Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Installation Properties
Property

Description

Default

INSTALLDIR

The path and folder in which Horizon Client
is installed. For example:

%ProgramFiles
%VMware\VMware
Horizon View Client

INSTALLDIR=""D:\abc\my folder""
The sets of double quotes that enclose the
path enable the installer to interpret the
space as a valid part of the path.
VDM_IP_PROTOCOL_USAGE

Specifies the IP (network protocol) version
that Horizon Client components use for
communication. The possible values are IPv4
and IPv6.

IPv4

VDM_FIPS_ENABLED

Specifies whether to install Horizon Client
with FIPS-compliant cryptography.
A value of 1 installs Horizon Client with
FIPS-compliant cryptography. A value of 0
installs Horizon Client without FIPscompliant cryptography.
Note Before you set this property to 1, you
must enable FIPS mode in the Windows
client operating system. See “Enabling FIPS
Mode in the Windows Client Operating
System,” on page 25.

VDM_SERVER

The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of
the Connection Server instance to which
Horizon Client users connect by default. For
example:

None

VDM_Server=cs1.companydomain.com
When you configure this property,
Horizon Client users do not need to supply
this FQDN.
LOGINASCURRENTUSER_DISPLAY

Determines whether Log in as current user
appears in the Options menu on the
Horizon Client menu bar. Valid values are 1
(enabled) or 0 (disabled).

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 2 Installing Horizon Client for Windows

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Installation Properties (Continued)
Property

Description

Default

LOGINASCURRENTUSER_DEFAULT

Determines whether Log in as current user
is selected by default in the Options menu
on the Horizon Client menu bar. Valid values
are 1 (enabled) and 0 (disabled).
When log in as current user is the default
login behavior, the identity and credential
information that users provide when they
log in to the client system is passed to the
Connection Server instance and ultimately to
the remote desktop. When log in as current
user is not the default login behavior, users
must provide identity and credential
information multiple times before they can
access a remote desktop or application.

ADDLOCAL

Specifies the features to install in a silent
installation. Valid values are as follows:

None

ALL - Installs all available features,
except for URL Content Redirection.

TSSO - Installs the Log in as Current User
feature.

USB - Installs the USB Redirection
feature.
To specify individual features, enter a
comma-separated list of feature names. Do
not use spaces between names.
For example, to install Horizon Client with
the USB Redirection feature, but without the
Log in as Current User feature, type the
following command:
n

VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.yxxxxxx.exe /silent ADDLOCAL=USB
INSTALL_32BITRMKS

VMware, Inc.

On a 64-bit client machine, specifies whether
to install the 32-bit Core Remote Experience
component. A value of 1 installs the 32-bit
Core Remote Experience component. A
value of 0 installs the 64-bit Core Remote
Experience component.
Install the 32-bit Core Remote Experience
component if the 64-bit client machine does
not have 64-bit plug-ins for the product.
This property is not valid on a 32-bit client
machine.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Installation Properties (Continued)
Property

Description

Default

INSTALL_SFB

Specifies whether to install the VMware
Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business
feature. A value of 1 installs the feature. A
value of 0 does not install the feature.
This feature is not compatible with the 32-bit
Core Remote Experience Component
(INSTALL_32BITRMKS=1).

URL_FILTERING_ENABLED

Specifies whether to install the URL Content
Redirection feature. A value of 1 installs the
feature. A value of 0 does not install the
feature.
When you set this property to 1 in an
interactive installation, the URL Content
Redirection check box appears under
Additional features on the custom
installation dialog box and is selected by
default. The check box does not appear
unless you set this property to 1.

Note The ADDLOCAL=ALL property does not
include the URL Content Redirection feature.

Install Horizon Client From the Command Line
You can install Horizon Client from the command line by typing the installer filename and specifying
installation commands and properties. You can install Horizon Client silently from the command line.
Prerequisites

Verify that the client system uses a supported operating system. See “System Requirements for
Windows Clients,” on page 10.

Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system.

Become familiar with the Horizon Client installation commands. See “Installation Commands for
Horizon Client,” on page 27.

Become familiar with the Horizon Client installation properties. See “Installation Properties for Horizon
Client,” on page 28.

Determine whether to allow end users to access locally connected USB devices from their remote
desktops. If not, set the ADDLOCAL installation property to the list of features and omit the USB feature.
For more information, see “Installation Properties for Horizon Client,” on page 28.

If you do not want to require end users to supply the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the
Connection Server instance, determine the FQDN so that you can supply it during installation.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 2 Installing Horizon Client for Windows

Procedure
1

Navigate to the VMware product page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients.

Download the Horizon Client installer file, for example, VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe.
xxxxxx is the build number and y.y.y is the version number.

Open a command prompt on the Windows client computer.

Type the installer filename, installation commands, and installation properties on one line.
VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe [commands] [properties]

The installer installs Horizon Client according to the installation commands and properties that you specify.
If you specify the /silent installation command, the wizard prompts do not appear.
The installer installs certain Windows services, including VMware Horizon Client (horizon_client_service)
and VMware USB Arbitration Service (VMUSBArbService).

Example: Installation Commands
The following command installs Horizon Client interactively and enables the URL Content Redirection
feature.
VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe URL_FILTERING_ENABLED=1

The following command installs Horizon Client silently and suppresses all restarts and restart prompts
during the installation process.
VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /silent /norestart

What to do next
If you enabled the URL Content Redirection feature when you installed Horizon Client, verify that the
feature is installed. See “Verify URL Content Redirection Installation,” on page 31.
Start Horizon Client and verify that you can log in to the correct remote desktop or application. See
“Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application,” on page 67.

Verify URL Content Redirection Installation
If you enabled the URL Content Redirection feature when you installed Horizon Client, verify that the
feature was installed.
Prerequisites
Specify the URL_FILTERING_ENABLED=1 installation property when you install Horizon Client. See “Installing
Horizon Client From the Command Line,” on page 27.
Procedure
1

Navigate to the %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware\VMware Horizon View Client\ directory and verify that the
vmware-url-protocol-launch-helper.exe and the vmware-url-filtering-plugin.dll files are installed
in that directory.

VMware, Inc.

Verify that the VMware Horizon View URL Filtering Plugin add-on is installed and enabled in Internet
Explorer on the client machine.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Upgrade Horizon Client Online
You can upgrade Horizon Client online if the online upgrade feature is enabled. This feature is disabled by
default.
You can enable this feature by modifying the group policy settings
Enable Horizon Client online update and URL for Horizon Client online update. For more
information, see “General Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 52.
Prerequisites
n

Save your work before you update Horizon Client. The update might initiate a system reboot.

Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system.

Procedure

In Horizon Client, click Software Updates from one of two screens.
Horizon Client Screen

Action

Before you connect to a Connection
Server

Click Options > Software Updates.

After you connect to a Connection
Server

Click Help > Software Updates

Click Check for Updates.

Click Download and Install.

VMware, Inc.

Configuring Horizon Client for End
Users

Configuring Horizon Client for end users can involve configuring URIs to start Horizon Client, configuring
the certificate verification mode, setting advanced TLS/SSL options, and using group policy ADMX template
files to configure custom settings.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Common Configuration Settings,” on page 33

“Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client,” on page 34

“Configuring Certificate Checking for End Users,” on page 39

“Configuring Advanced TLS/SSL Options,” on page 41

“Configure Application Reconnection Behavior,” on page 42

“Using the Group Policy Template to Configure VMware Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 42

“Running Horizon Client from the Command Line,” on page 61

“Using the Windows Registry to Configure Horizon Client,” on page 65

Common Configuration Settings
Horizon Client provides several configuration mechanisms to simplify the login and desktop selection
experience for end users, and enforce security policies.
The following table shows only some of the configuration settings that you can set in one or more ways.
Table 3‑1. Common Configuration Settings
Setting

Mechanisms for Configuring

Connection Server address

URI, Group Policy, Command Line, Windows Registry

Active Directory user name

URI, Group Policy, Command Line, Windows Registry

Domain name

URI, Group Policy, Command Line, Windows Registry

Desktop display name

URI, Group Policy, Command Line

Window size

URI, Group Policy, Command Line

Display protocol

URI, Command Line

Configuring certificate checking

Group Policy, Windows Registry

Configuring SSL protocols and
cryptographic algorithms

Group Policy, Windows Registry

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client
Using uniform resource identifiers (URIs), you can create a Web page or an email with links that end users
click to start Horizon Client, connect to a server, and open a specific desktop or application with specific
configuration options.
You can simplify the process of connecting to a remote desktop or application by creating Web or email links
for end users. You create these links by constructing URIs that provide some or all the following
information, so that your end users do not need to supply it:
n

Connection Server address

Port number for Connection Server

Active Directory user name

RADIUS or RSA SecurID user name, if different from the Active Directory user name

Domain name

Desktop or application display name

Window size

Actions including reset, log out, and start session

Display protocol

Options for redirecting USB devices

To construct a URI, you use the vmware-view URI scheme with Horizon Client specific path and query parts.
Note You can use URIs to start Horizon Client only if the client software is already installed on client
computers.

Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs
Syntax includes the vmware-view URI scheme, a path part to specify the desktop or application, and,
optionally, a query to specify desktop or application actions or configuration options.

URI Specification
Use the following syntax to create URIs to start Horizon Client:
vmware-view://[authority-part][/path-part][?query-part]

The only required element is the URI scheme, vmware-view. For some versions of some client operating
systems, the scheme name is case-sensitive. Therefore, use vmware-view.
Important In all parts, non-ASCII characters must first be encoded according to UTF-8 [STD63], and then
each octet of the corresponding UTF-8 sequence must be percent-encoded to be represented as URI
characters.
For information about encoding for ASCII characters, see the URL encoding reference at
http://www.utf8-chartable.de/.
authority-part

Specifies the server address and, optionally, a user name, a non-default port
number, or both. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. Server
names must conform to DNS syntax.
To specify a user name, use the following syntax:
user1@server-address

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

You cannot specify a UPN address, which includes the domain. To specify
the domain, you can use the domainName query part in the URI.
To specify a port number, use the following syntax:
server-address:port-number

path-part

Specifies the desktop or application. Use the desktop display name or
application display name. This name is the one specified in Horizon
Administrator when the desktop or application pool was created. If the
display name has a space in it, use the %20 encoding mechanism to represent
the space.

query-part

Specifies the configuration options to use or the desktop or application
actions to perform. Queries are not case-sensitive. To use multiple queries,
use an ampersand (&) between the queries. If queries conflict with each
other, the last query in the list is used. Use the following syntax:
query1=value1[&query2=value2...]

Supported Queries
This topic lists the queries that are supported for this type of Horizon Client. If you are creating URIs for
multiple types of clients, such as desktop clients and mobile clients, see the Using VMware Horizon Client
guide for each type of client system.
action

args

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Table 3‑2. Values That Can Be Used With the action Query
Value

Description

browse

Displays a list of available desktops and applications hosted on the
specified server. You are not required to specify a desktop or
application when using this action.

start-session

Opens the specified desktop or application. If no action query is
provided and the desktop or application name is provided,
start-session is the default action.

reset

Shuts down and restarts the specified desktop or remote
application. Unsaved data is lost. Resetting a remote desktop is the
equivalent of pressing the Reset button on a physical PC.

restart

Shuts down and restarts the specified desktop. Restarting a remote
desktop is the equivalent of the Windows operating system restart
command. The operating system usually prompts the user to save
any unsaved data before it restarts.

logoff

Logs the user out of the guest operating system in the remote
desktop. If you specify an application, the action is ignored or the
end user sees the warning message "Invalid URI action."

Specifies command-line arguments to add to remote application launch. Use
the syntax args=value, where value is a string. Use percent encoding for the
following characters:
n

For a colon (:), use %3A

For a back slash (\), use %5C

For a space ( ), use %20

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

For a double quotation mark ("), use %22

For example, to specify the filename "My new file.txt" for the Notepad++
application, use %22My%20new%20file.txt%22.
appProtocol

For remote applications, valid values are PCOIP and BLAST. For example, to
specify PCoIP, use the syntax appProtocol=PCOIP.

connectUSBOnInsert

Connects a USB device to the foreground virtual desktop when you plug in
the device. This query is implicitly set if you specify the unattended query. To
use this query, you must set the action query to start-session or else not
have an action query. Valid values are true and false. An example of the
syntax is connectUSBOnInsert=true.

connectUSBOnStartup

Redirects all USB devices that are currently connected to the client system to
the desktop. This query is implicitly set if you specify the unattended query.
To use this query, you must set the action query to start-session or else not
have an action query. Valid values are true and false. An example of the
syntax is connectUSBOnStartup=true.

desktopLayout

Sets the size of the window that displays a remote desktop. To use this query,
you must set the action query to start-session or else not have an action
query.
Table 3‑3. Valid Values for the desktopLayout Query
Value

Description

fullscreen

Full screen on one monitor. This value is the default.

multimonitor

Full screen on all monitors.

windowLarge

Large window.

windowSmall

Small window.

WxH

Custom resolution, where you specify the width by height,
in pixels. An example of the syntax is
desktopLayout=1280x800.

desktopProtocol

For remote desktops, valid values are RDP, PCOIP, and BLAST. For example, to
specify PCoIP, use the syntax desktopProtocol=PCOIP.

domainName

The NETBIOS domain name associated with the user who is connecting to
the remote desktop or application. For example, you might use mycompany
rather than mycompany.com.

filePath

Specifies the path to the file on the local system that you want to open with
the remote application. You must use the full path, including the drive letter.
Use percent encoding for the following characters:
n

For a colon (:), use %3A

For a back slash (\), use %5C

For a space ( ), use %20

For example, to represent file path C:\test file.txt, use
C%3A%5Ctest%20file.txt.
tokenUserName

Specifies the RSA or RADIUS user name. Use this query only if the RSA or
RADIUS user name is different from the Active Directory user name. If you
do not specify this query and RSA or RADIUS authentication is required, the
Windows user name is used. The syntax is tokenUserName=name.

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unattended

Creates a server connection to a remote desktop in kiosk mode. If you use
this query, do not specify user information if you generated the account
name from the MAC address of the client device. If you created custom
account names in ADAM, however, such as names that begin with "custom-"
you must specify the account information.

useExisting

If this option is set to true, only one Horizon Client instance can run. If users
try to connect to a second server, they must log out of the first server, causing
desktop and application sessions to be disconnected. If this option is set to
false, multiple Horizon Client instances can run and users can connect to
multiple servers at the same time. The default is true. An example of the
syntax is useExisting=false.

unauthenticatedAccess
Enabled

If this option is set to true, the Unauthenticated Access feature is enabled by
default. The Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access option is
visible in the user interface and is selected. If this option is set to false, the
Unauthenticated Access feature is disabled. The Log in anonymously using
Unauthenticated Access setting is hidden and disabled. When this option is
set to "", the Unauthenticated Access feature is disabled and the Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting is hidden from the user
interface and disabled. An example of the syntax is
unauthenticatedAccessEnabled=true.

unauthenticatedAccess
Account

Sets the account to use if the Unauthenticated Access feature is enabled. If
Unauthenticated Access is disabled, then this query is ignored. An example
of the syntax using the anonymous1 user account is
unauthenticatedAccessAccount=anonymous1.

Examples of vmware-view URIs
You can create hypertext links or buttons with the vmware-view URI scheme and include these links in email
or on a Web page. Your end users can click these links to, for example, open a particular remote desktop
with the startup options you specify.

URI Syntax Examples
Each URI example is followed by a description of what the end user sees after clicking the URI link.
1

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login box prompts the user for
a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, the client connects to the desktop
whose display name is displayed as Primary Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest operating
system.
Note The default display protocol and window size are used. The default display protocol is PCoIP.
The default window size is full screen.
2

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com:7555/Primary%20Desktop

This URI has the same effect as the previous example, except that it uses the nondefault port of 7555 for
Connection Server. (The default port is 443.) Because a desktop identifier is provided, the desktop opens
even though the start-session action is not included in the URI.
3

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vmware-view://fred@view.mycompany.com/Finance%20Desktop?desktopProtocol=PCOIP

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login box, the User name
text box is populated with the name fred. The user must supply the domain name and password. After
a successful login, the client connects to the desktop whose display name is displayed as Finance
Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest operating system. The connection uses the PCoIP
display protocol.
4

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Calculator?action=start-session&appProtocol=BLAST

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login box, the user must
supply the user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, the client connects to the
application whose display name is displayed as Calculator. The connection uses the VMware Blast
display protocol.
5

vmware-view://fred@view.mycompany.com/Finance%20Desktop?domainName=mycompany

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login box, the User name
text box is populated with the name fred, and the Domain text box is populated with mycompany. The
user must supply only a password. After a successful login, the client connects to the desktop whose
display name is displayed as Finance Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest operating system.
6

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/

Horizon Client starts and the user is taken to the login prompt for connecting to the
view.mycompany.com server.
7

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=reset

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login box prompts the user for
a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, Horizon Client displays a dialog
box that prompts the user to confirm the reset operation for Primary Desktop.
Note This action is available only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the desktop reset feature for
the desktop.
8

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=restart

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login box prompts the user for
a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, Horizon Client displays a dialog
box that prompts the user to confirm the restart operation for Primary Desktop.
Note This action is available only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the desktop restart feature
for the desktop.
9

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=startsession&connectUSBOnStartup=true

This URI has the same effect as the first example, and all USB devices connected to the client system are
redirected to the remote desktop.
10

vmware-view://

This URI starts Horizon Client if it is not running, or brings Horizon Client to the foreground if it is
running.
11

vmware-view://10.10.10.10/My%20Notepad++?args=%22My%20new%20file.txt%22

Launches My Notepad++ on server 10.10.10.10 and passes the argument My new file.txt in the
application launch command. Spaces and double quotes use percent escaping. The filename is enclosed
in double quotes because it contains spaces.
You can also type this command at the Windows command line prompt by using the following syntax:
vmware-view.exe --serverURL 10.10.10.10 --appName "My Notepad++" --args "\"my new.txt\""

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

In this example, double quotes are escaped by using the characters \".
12

vmware-view://10.10.10.10/Notepad++%2012?args=a.txt%20b.txt

Launches Notepad++ 12 on server 10.10.10.10 and passes the argument a.text b.txt in the application
launch command. Because the argument is not enclosed in quotes, a space separates the filenames and
the two files are opened separately in Notepad++.
Note Applications can differ in the way they use command line arguments. For example, if you pass
the argument a.txt b.txt to Wordpad, Wordpad will open only one file, a.txt.
13

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Notepad?
unauthenticatedAccessEnabled=true&unauthenticatedAccessAccount=anonymous1

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server using the anonymous1 user account.
The Notepad application is launched without prompting the user to provide login credentials.

HTML Code Examples
You can use URIs to make hypertext links and buttons to include in emails or on Web pages. The following
examples show how to use the URI from the first URI example to code a hypertext link that says, Test Link,
and a button that says, TestButton.

Test
Link

Configuring Certificate Checking for End Users
Administrators can configure the certificate verification mode so that, for example, full verification is always
performed.
Certificate checking occurs for SSL connections between Connection Server and Horizon Client.
Administrators can configure the verification mode to use one of the following strategies:
n

End users are allowed to choose the verification mode. The rest of this list describes the three
verification modes.

(No verification) No certificate checks are performed.

(Warn) End users are warned if a self-signed certificate is being presented by the server. Users can
choose whether or not to allow this type of connection.

(Full security) Full verification is performed and connections that do not pass full verification are
rejected.

For details about the types of verification checks performed, see “Setting the Certificate Checking Mode for
Horizon Client,” on page 40.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Use the Horizon Client Configuration ADMX template file (vdm_client.admx) to set the verification mode.
All ADMX files that provide group policy settings are available in a .zip file named VMware-HorizonExtras-Bundle-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.zip, where x.x.x is the version and yyyyyyy is the build number. You can
download this GPO bundle from the VMware Horizon download site at
http://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview. For information about using this template to control GPO
settings, see “Using the Group Policy Template to Configure VMware Horizon Client for Windows,” on
page 42.
Note You can also use the Horizon Client Configuration ADMX template file to restrict the use of certain
cryptographic algorithms and protocols before establishing an encrypted SSL connection. For more
information about this setting, see“Security Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 45.
If you do not want to configure the certificate verification setting as a group policy, you can also enable
certificate verification by adding the CertCheckMode value name to one of the following registry keys on the
client computer:
n

For 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\Security

For 64-bit Windows: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\Security

Use the following values in the registry key:
n

0 implements Do not verify server identity certificates.

1 implements Warn before connecting to untrusted servers.

2 implements Never connect to untrusted servers.

If you configure both the group policy setting and the CertCheckMode setting in the registry key, the group
policy setting takes precedence over the registry key value.
Note In a future release, configuring this setting using the Windows registry might not be supported. A
GPO setting must be used.

Setting the Certificate Checking Mode for Horizon Client
Administrators and sometimes end users can configure whether client connections are rejected if any or
some server certificate checks fail.
Certificate checking occurs for SSL connections between Connection Server and Horizon Client. Certificate
verification includes the following checks:

Has the certificate been revoked?

Is the certificate intended for a purpose other than verifying the identity of the sender and encrypting
server communications? That is, is it the correct type of certificate?

Has the certificate expired, or is it valid only in the future? That is, is the certificate valid according to
the computer clock?

Does the common name on the certificate match the host name of the server that sends it? A mismatch
can occur if a load balancer redirects Horizon Client to a server that has a certificate that does not match
the host name entered in Horizon Client. Another reason a mismatch can occur is if you enter an IP
address rather than a host name in the client.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Is the certificate signed by an unknown or untrusted certificate authority (CA)? Self-signed certificates
are one type of untrusted CA.
To pass this check, the certificate's chain of trust must be rooted in the device's local certificate store.

Note For information about distributing a self-signed root certificate to all Windows client systems in a
domain, see "Add the Root Certificate to Trusted Root Certification Authorities" in the View Installation
document.
When you use Horizon Client to log in to a desktop, if your administrator has allowed it, you can click
Configure SSL to set the certificate checking mode. You have three choices:
n

Never connect to untrusted servers. If any of the certificate checks fails, the client cannot connect to the
server. An error message lists the checks that failed.

Warn before connecting to untrusted servers. If a certificate check fails because the server uses a selfsigned certificate, you can click Continue to ignore the warning. For self-signed certificates, the
certificate name is not required to match the server name you entered in Horizon Client.
You can also receive a warning if the certificate has expired.

Do not verify server identity certificates. This setting means that no certificate checking occurs.

If the certificate checking mode is set to Warn, you can still connect to a Connection Server instance that uses
a self-signed certificate.
If an administrator later installs a security certificate from a trusted certificate authority, so that all certificate
checks pass when you connect, this trusted connection is remembered for that specific server. In the future,
if that server ever presents a self-signed certificate again, the connection fails. After a particular server
presents a fully verifiable certificate, it must always do so.
Important If you previously configured your company's client systems to use a specific cipher via GPO,
such as by configuring SSL Cipher Suite Order group policy settings, you must now use a Horizon Client
group policy security setting included in the ADMX template file. See “Security Settings for Client GPOs,”
on page 45. You can alternatively use the SSLCipherList registry setting on the client. See “Using the
Windows Registry to Configure Horizon Client,” on page 65.

Configuring Advanced TLS/SSL Options
You can select the security protocols and cryptographic algorithms that are used to encrypt communications
between Horizon Client and Horizon servers or between Horizon Client and the agent in the remote
desktop.
These security options are also used to encrypt the USB channel.
With the default setting, cipher suites use 128- or 256-bit AES, remove anonymous DH algorithms, and then
sort the current cipher list in order of encryption algorithm key length.
By default, TLS v1.0, TLS v1.1, and TLS v1.2 are enabled. SSL v2.0 and v3.0 are not supported.
Note If TLS v1.0 and RC4 are disabled, USB redirection does not work when users are connected to
Windows XP desktops. Be aware of the security risk if you choose to make this feature work by enabling
TLS v1.0 and RC4.
If you configure a security protocol for Horizon Client that is not enabled on the server to which the client
connects, a TLS/SSL error occurs and the connection fails.
Important At least one of the protocols that you enable in Horizon Client must also be enabled on the
remote desktop. Otherwise, USB devices cannot be redirected to the remote desktop.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

On the client system, you can use either a group policy setting or a Windows Registry setting to change the
default ciphers and protocols. For information about using a GPO, see the setting called "Configures SSL
protocols and cryptographic algorithms," in “Security Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 45. For
information about using the SSLCipherList setting in the Windows Registry, see “Using the Windows
Registry to Configure Horizon Client,” on page 65.

Configure Application Reconnection Behavior
When you disconnect from a server, running applications might remain open. You can configure how
running applications behave when you reconnect to the server.
A Horizon administrator can disable the application reconnection behavior settings in Horizon Client from
the command line or by setting a group policy setting. The group policy setting takes precedence over the
command-line setting. For more information, see the -appSessionReconnectionBehavior option in
“Horizon Client Command Usage,” on page 61, or the Disconnected application session resumption
behavior group policy setting in “Scripting Definition Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 43.
Procedure
1

In the desktop and application selector window of Horizon Client, right-click a remote application and
select Settings.

In the Remote Applications pane that appears, select an application reconnection behavior setting.

Option

Description

Ask to reconnect to open
applications

Horizon Client notifies you that you have one or more remote applications
running when you reconnect to the server. You can click Reconnect to
applications to reopen the application windows, or Not Now to not
reopen the application windows.

Reconnect automatically to open
applications

Application windows for running applications automatically reopen when
you reconnect to the server.

Do not ask to reconnect and do not
automatically reconnect

Horizon Client does not prompt you to reopen running applications and
running application windows do not reopen when you reconnect to the
server.

Click OK to save your changes.

The setting takes effect the next time you connect to the server.

Using the Group Policy Template to Configure VMware Horizon Client
for Windows
VMware Horizon Client includes a group policy ADMX template file that you can use to configure
VMware Horizon Client. You can optimize and secure remote desktop connections by adding the policy
settings in the ADMX template file to a new or existing GPO in Active Directory.
The template file contains both Computer Configuration and User Configuration group policies.
n

The Computer Configuration policies set policies that apply to Horizon Client, regardless of who is
running the client on the host.

The User Configuration policies set Horizon Client policies that apply to all users who are running
Horizon Client, as well as RDP connection settings. User Configuration policies override equivalent
Computer Configuration policies.

Horizon applies policies at desktop startup and when users log in.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

The Horizon Client Configuration ADMX template file (vdm_client.admx), and all ADMX files that provide
group policy settings, are available in a .zip file named VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.zip,
where x.x.x is the version and yyyyyyy is the build number. You can download the files from the
VMware Horizon download site at http://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview. You must copy these files
to your Active Directory server and use the Group Policy Management Editor to add the administrative
templates. For instructions, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Scripting Definition Settings for Client GPOs
You can set policies for many of the same settings used when you run Horizon Client from the command
line, including desktop size, name, and domain name, among others.
The following table describes the scripting definition settings in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration
ADMX template file. The template file provides a Computer Configuration and a User Configuration
version of each scripting definition setting. The User Configuration setting overrides the equivalent
Computer Configuration setting. The settings are in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > Scripting
definitions folder in Group Policy Management Editor.
Table 3‑4. VMware Horizon Client Configuration Template: Scripting Definitions
Setting

Description

Automatically connect if only one
launch item is entitled

Automatically connects to the desktop if it is the only one entitled for
the user. This setting spares the user from having to select the desktop
from a list that contains only one desktop.

Connect all USB devices to the
desktop on launch

Determines whether all of the available USB devices on the client system
are connected to the desktop when the desktop is launched.
Note This setting does not apply to published applications.

Connect all USB devices to the
desktop when they are plugged in

Determines whether USB devices are connected to the desktop when
they are plugged in to the client system.
Note This setting does not apply to published applications.

DesktopLayout

Specifies the layout of the Horizon Client window that a user sees when
logging into a remote desktop. The layout choices are as follows:

Full Screen
Multimonitor
Window - Large

Window - Small

n
n

This setting is available only when the DesktopName to select
setting is also set.
DesktopName to select

Specifies the default desktop that Horizon Client uses during login.

Disable 3rd-party Terminal Services
plugins

Determines whether Horizon Client checks third-party Terminal
Services plugins that are installed as normal RDP plugins. If you do not
configure this setting,Horizon Client checks third-party plugins by
default. This setting does not affect Horizon-specific plugins, such as
USB redirection.

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Table 3‑4. VMware Horizon Client Configuration Template: Scripting Definitions (Continued)
Setting

Description

Locked Guest Size

Specifies the screen resolution of the remote desktop if the display is
used on one monitor. That is, this setting does not work if you set the
remote desktop display to All Monitors.
After you enable the setting, remote desktop autofit functionality is
disabled. The minimum screen size is 640x480. The maximum screen
size is 4096x4096. This setting applies only to PCoIP connections and
does not apply to RDP connections.
Important As a best practice, do not set the resolution higher than the
maximum resolution supported for the remote desktop, which is set in
Horizon Administrator:
n If 3D is enabled, up to 2 monitors are supported at a resolution of up
to 1920x1200.
n If 3D is not enabled, up to 4 monitors are supported at a resolution
of up to 2560x1600.
In practice, this client-side setting will be ignored if it is set to a higher
resolution than is possible, given operating system version, amount of
vRAM, and color depth of the remote desktop. For example, if the
resolution for the desktop is set to 1920x1200 in Horizon Administrator,
the resolution shown on the client might not be higher than 1920x1200,
depending on the capabilities of the remote desktop.

Logon DomainName

Specifies the NetBIOS domain that Horizon Client uses during login.

Logon Password

Specifies the password that Horizon Client uses during login. The
password is stored in plain text by Active Directory. For improved
security, it is recommended that you do not specify this setting. Users
can enter the password interactively.

Logon UserName

Specifies the password that Horizon Client uses during login. The
password is stored in plain text by Active Directory.

Server URL

Specifies the URL that Horizon Client uses during login, for example,
https://view1.example.com.

Suppress error messages (when fully
scripted only)

Determines whether Horizon Client error messages are hidden during
login.
This setting applies only when the login process is fully scripted, for
example, when all the required login information is prepopulated
through policy.
If the login fails because of incorrect login information, the user is not
notified and the Horizon Client process is terminated.

Disconnected application session
resumption behavior

Determines how running applications behave when users reconnect to a
server. The choices are as follows:
n Ask to reconnect to open applications
n Reconnect automatically to open applications
n Do not ask and do not automatically reconnect
When this setting is enabled, end users cannot configure application
reconnection behavior on the Settings page in Horizon Client.
When this setting is disabled, end users can configure application
reconnection behavior in Horizon Client. This setting is disabled by
default.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑4. VMware Horizon Client Configuration Template: Scripting Definitions (Continued)
Setting

Description

Enable Unauthenticated Access to the
server

Determines whether users are required to enter credentials to access
their applications when using Horizon Client.
When this setting is enabled, the Log in anonymously using
Unauthenticated Access setting in Horizon Client is visible, disabled,
and selected. The client may fall back to another authentication method
if Unauthenticated Access is not available.
When this setting is disabled, users are always required to enter their
credentials to log in and access their applications. The Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting in Horizon Client
is hidden and deselected.
When this setting is not configured (the default), users can enable
Unauthenticated Access in Horizon Client. The Log in anonymously
using Unauthenticated Access setting is visible, enabled, and
deselected.

Account to use for Unauthenticated
Access

Specifies the Unauthenticated Access user account that Horizon Client
uses to log in anonymously to the server if the Enable
Unauthenticated Access to the server group policy setting is
enabled or if a user enables Unauthenticated Access by selecting Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access in Horizon Client.
If Unauthenticated Access is not used for a specific connection to a
server, this setting is ignored. When this setting is not configured, users
can choose an account. This setting is not configured by default.

Security Settings for Client GPOs
Security settings include options regarding security certificate, login credentials, and the single sign-on
feature.
The following table describes the security settings in the Horizon Client Configuration ADMX template file.
This table shows whether the settings include both Computer Configuration and User Configuration
settings, or only Computer Configuration settings. For the security settings that include both types, the User
Configuration setting overrides the equivalent Computer Configuration setting. These settings are in the
VMware Horizon Client Configuration > Security Settings folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑5. Horizon Client Configuration Template: Security Settings
Setting

Computer

Allow command line
credentials

User

Description
Determines whether user credentials can be provided with
Horizon Client command line options. If this setting is
disabled, the smartCardPIN and password options are not
available when users run Horizon Client from the command
line.
This setting is enabled by default.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
AllowCmdLineCredentials.

Servers Trusted For
Delegation

Specifies the Connection Server instances that accept the user
identity and credential information that is passed when a user
selects Log in as current user in the Options menu on the
Horizon Client menu bar. If you do not specify any
Connection Server instances, all Connection Server instances
accept this information.
To add a Connection Server instance, use one of the following
formats:
domain\system$
system$@domain.com
n The Service Principal Name (SPN) of the Connection
Server service.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
BrokersTrustedForDelegation.
n

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Table 3‑5. Horizon Client Configuration Template: Security Settings (Continued)
Setting

Computer

Certificate
verification mode

User

Description
Configures the level of certificate checking that is performed
by Horizon Client. You can select one of these modes:
n

No Security. Horizon does not perform certificate
checking.

Warn But Allow. A self-signed certificate is provided by
Horizon. In this case, it is acceptable if the certificate name
does not match the Connection Server name provided by
the user in Horizon Client.
If any other certificate error condition occurs, Horizon
displays an error dialog and prevents the user from
connecting to Connection Server.
Warn But Allow is the default value.

Full Security. If any type of certificate error occurs, the
user cannot connect to Connection Server. Horizon
displays certificate errors to the user.
When this group policy setting is configured, users can view
the selected certificate verification mode in Horizon Client but
cannot configure the setting. The SSL configuration dialog box
informs users that the administrator has locked the setting.
When this setting is not configured or disabled,
Horizon Client users can select a certificate verification mode.
To allow a server to perform checking of certificates provided
by Horizon Client, the client must make HTTPS connections
to the Connection Server or security server host. Certificate
checking is not supported if you off-load SSL to an
intermediate device that makes HTTP connections to the
Connection Server or security server host.
If you do not want to configure this setting as a group policy,
you can also enable certificate verification by adding the
CertCheckMode value name to one of the following registry
keys on the client computer:
n For 32-bit Windows:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VMware,
Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\Security
n For 64-bit Windows:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\VMware, Inc.\VMware
VDM\Client\Security
Use the following values in the registry key:
n

0 implements No Security.

1 implements Warn But Allow.

n 2 implements Full Security.
If you configure both the group policy setting and the
CertCheckMode setting in the Windows Registry key, the
group policy setting takes precedence over the registry key
value.
Note In a future release, configuring this setting using the
Windows registry might not be supported. A GPO setting
must be used.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑5. Horizon Client Configuration Template: Security Settings (Continued)
Setting

Computer

User

Description

Default value of the
'Log in as current
user' checkbox

Specifies the default value of Log in as current user in the
Options menu on the Horizon Client menu bar.
This setting overrides the default value specified during
Horizon Client installation.
If a user runs Horizon Client from the command line and
specifies the logInAsCurrentUser option, that value
overrides this setting.
When Log in as current user is selected in the Options menu,
the identity and credential information that the user provided
when logging in to the client system is passed to the
Connection Server instance and ultimately to the remote
desktop or application. When Log in as current user is
deselected, users must provide identity and credential
information multiple times before they can access a remote
desktop or application.
This setting is disabled by default.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
LogInAsCurrentUser.

Display option to Log
in as current user

Determines whether Log in as current user is visible in the
Options menu on the Horizon Client menu bar.
When Log in as current user is visible, users can select or
deselect it and override its default value. When Log in as
current user is hidden, users cannot override its default value
from the Horizon Client Options menu.
You can specify the default value for Log in as current user by
using the policy setting Default value of the 'Log in
as current user' checkbox.
This setting is enabled by default.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
LogInAsCurrentUser_Display.

Enable jump list
integration

Determines whether a jump list appears in the Horizon Client
icon on the taskbar of Windows 7 and later systems. The jump
list lets users connect to recent Connection Server instances
and remote desktops.
If Horizon Client is shared, you might not want users to see
the names of recent desktops. You can disable the jump list by
disabling this setting.
This setting is enabled by default.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is EnableJumplist.

Enable SSL encrypted
framework channel

Determines whether SSL is enabled for View 5.0 and earlier
desktops. Before View 5.0, the data sent over port TCP 32111
to the desktop was not encrypted.
n Enable: Enables SSL, but allows fallback to the previous
unencrypted connection if the remote desktop does not
have SSL support. For example, View 5.0 and earlier
desktops do not have SSL support. Enable is the default
setting.
n Disable: Disables SSL. This setting is not recommended
but might be useful for debugging or if the channel is not
being tunneled and could potentially then be optimized
by a WAN accelerator product.
n Enforce: Enables SSL, and refuses to connect to desktops
with no SSL support .
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
EnableTicketSSLAuth.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑5. Horizon Client Configuration Template: Security Settings (Continued)
Setting

Computer

User

Description

Configures SSL
protocols and
cryptographic
algorithms

Configures the cipher list to restrict the use of certain
cryptographic algorithms and protocols before establishing an
encrypted SSL connection. The cipher list consists of one or
more cipher strings separated by colons.
Note The cipher string is case-sensitive.
The default value is TLSv1:TLSv1.1:TLSv1.2:!aNULL:kECDH
+AESGCM:ECDH+AESGCM:RSA+AESGCM:kECDH
+AES:ECDH+AES:RSA+AES.
That means that TLS v1, TLS v1.1 and TLS v1.2 are enabled.
(SSL v2.0 and v3.0 are removed.)
Cipher suites use 128- or 256-bit AES, remove anonymous DH
algorithms, and then sort the current cipher list in order of
encryption algorithm key length.
Reference link for the configuration:
http://www.openssl.org/docs/apps/ciphers.html
The equivalent Windows Registry value is SSLCipherList.

Enable Single Sign-On
for smart card
authentication

Determines whether single sign-on is enabled for smart card
authentication. When single sign-on is enabled,
Horizon Client stores the encrypted smart card PIN in
temporary memory before submitting it to Connection Server.
When single sign-on is disabled, Horizon Client does not
display a custom PIN dialog.
The equivalent Windows Registry value is
EnableSmartCardSSO.

Ignore certificate
revocation problems

Determines whether errors associated with a revoked server
certificate are ignored.
These errors occur when the certificate that the server sends
has been revoked or the client cannot verify the certificate's
revocation status.
This setting is disabled by default.

Unlock remote sessions
when the client machine
is unlocked

Determines whether the Recursive Unlock feature is enabled.
The Recursive Unlock feature unlocks all remote sessions after
the client machine has been unlocked. This feature applies
only after a user logs in to the server with the Log in as
current user feature.
This setting is enabled by default.

RDP Settings for Client GPOs
You can set group policies for options such as redirection of such things as audio, printers, ports, and other
devices when you use the Microsoft RDP display protocol.
The following table describes the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) settings in the Horizon Client
Configuration ADMX template file. All RDP settings are User Configuration settings. The settings are in the
VMware Horizon Client Configuration > RDP Settings folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑6. Horizon Client Configuration Administrative Template: RDP Settings
Setting

Description

Audio redirection

Determines whether audio information played on the remote desktop is redirected.
Select one of the following settings:
n Disable Audio: Audio is disabled.
n Play in VM (needed for VoIP USB Support): Audio plays within the remote
desktop. This setting requires a shared USB audio device to provide sound on
the client.
n Redirect to client: Audio is redirected to the client. This is the default mode.
This setting applies only to RDP audio. Audio that is redirected through MMR
plays in the client.

Enable audio capture
redirection

Determines whether the default audio input device is redirected from the client to
the remote session. When this setting is enabled, the audio recording device on the
client appears in the remote desktop and can record audio input.
The default setting is disabled.

Bitmap cache file size in
unit for number bpp bitmaps

Specifies the size of the bitmap cache, in kilobytes or megabytes, to use for specific
bits per pixel (bpp) bitmap color settings.
Separate versions of this setting are provided for the following unit and bpp
combinations:
n MB/8bpp
n MB/16bpp
n MB/24bpp
n MB/32bpp

In-memory bitmap cache size
in KB for 8bpp bitmaps

Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the RAM bitmap cache to use for the 8-bits-perpixel color setting. If ScaleBitmapCachesByBPP is true (the default), this cache size
is multiplied by the bytes per pixel to determine the actual RAM cache size.
When this setting is enabled, enter a size kilobytes.

Bitmap caching/cache
persistence active

Determines whether persistent bitmap caching is used (active). Persistent bitmap
caching can improve performance, but it requires additional disk space.

Color depth

Specifies the color depth of the remote desktop. Select one of the available settings:
8 bit
n 15 bit
n 16 bit
n 24 bit
n 32 bit
For 24-bit Windows XP systems, you must enable the Limit Maximum Color Depth
policy in Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows
Components > Terminal Services and set it to 24 bits.

Cursor shadow

Determines whether a shadow appears under the cursor on the remote desktop.

Desktop background

Determines whether the desktop background appears when clients connect to a
remote desktop.

Desktop composition

(Windows Vista or later) Determines whether desktop composition is enabled on
the remote desktop.
When desktop composition is enabled, individual windows no longer draw
directly to the screen or primary display device as they did in previous versions of
Microsoft Windows. Instead, drawing is redirected to off-screen surfaces in video
memory, which are then rendered into a desktop image and presented on the
display.

Enable compression

Determines whether RDP data is compressed. This setting is enabled by default.

Enable RDP Auto-Reconnect

Determines whether the RDP client component attempts to reconnect to a remote
desktop after an RDP protocol connection failure. This setting has no effect if the
Use secure tunnel connection to desktop option is enabled in Horizon
Administrator. This setting is disabled by default.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑6. Horizon Client Configuration Administrative Template: RDP Settings (Continued)
Setting

Description

Font smoothing

(Windows Vista or later) Determines whether anti-aliasing is applied to the fonts
on the remote desktop.

Menu and window animation

Determines whether animation for menus and windows is enabled when clients
connect to a remote desktop.

Redirect clipboard

Determines whether the local clipboard information is redirected when clients
connect to the remote desktop.

Redirect drives

Determines whether local disk drives are redirected when clients connect to the
remote desktop. By default, local drives are redirected.
Enabling this setting, or leaving it unconfigured, allows data on the redirected
drive on the remote desktop to be copied to the drive on the client computer.
Disable this setting if allowing data to pass from the remote desktop to users' client
computers represents a potential security risk in your deployment. Another
approach is to disable folder redirection in the remote desktop virtual machine by
enabling the Microsoft Windows group policy setting, Do not allow drive
redirection.
The Redirect drives setting applies to RDP only.

Redirect printers

Determines whether local printers are redirected when clients connect to the
remote desktop.

Redirect serial ports

Determines whether local COM ports are redirected when clients connect to the
remote desktop.

Redirect smart cards

Determines whether local smart cards are redirected when clients connect to the
remote desktop.
Note This setting applies to both RDP and PCoIP connections.

Redirect supported plug-andplay devices

Determines whether local plug-and-play and point-of-sale devices are redirected
when clients connect to the remote desktop. This behavior is different from the
redirection that is managed by the USB Redirection component of the agent.

Shadow bitmaps

Determines whether bitmaps are shadowed. This setting has no effect in full-screen
mode.

Show contents of window
while dragging

Determines whether the folder contents appear when users drag a folder to a new
location.

Themes

Determines whether themes appear when clients connect to a remote desktop.

Windows key combination
redirection

Determines where Windows key combinations are applied.
This setting lets you send key combinations to the remote virtual machine or apply
key combinations locally.
If this setting is not configured, key combinations are applied locally.

Enable Credential Security
Service Provider

Specifies whether the remote desktop connection uses Network Level
Authentication (NLA). In Windows Vista, remote desktop connections require
NLA by default. If the guest operating system requires NLA for remote desktop
connections, you must enable this setting or Horizon Client will not be able to
connect to the remote desktop. In addition to enabling this setting, you must also
verify that the following conditions are met:
n Both the client and guest operating systems support NLA.
n Direct client connections are enabled for the Connection Server instance.
Tunneled connections are not supported with NLA.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

General Settings for Client GPOs
Settings include proxy options, time zone forwarding, multimedia acceleration, and other display settings.

General Settings
The following table describes the general settings in the Horizon Client Configuration ADMX template file.
General settings include both Computer Configuration and User Configuration settings. The User
Configuration setting overrides the equivalent Computer Configuration setting. The settings are in the
VMware Horizon Client Configuration folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.
Table 3‑7. Horizon Client Configuration Template: General Settings
Setting

Computer

Always on top

Default value of the
"Hide the selector
after launching an
item" check box

Disable time zone
forwarding

Disable toast
notifications

Disallow passing
through client
information in a
nested session

Description

Determines whether the Horizon Client window is always the
topmost window. Enabling this setting prevents the Windows
taskbar from obscuring a full-screen Horizon Client window. This
setting is disabled by default.

Sets whether the Hide the selector after launching an item check
box is selected by default.
This setting is disabled by default.
Determines whether time zone synchronization between the
remote desktop and the connected client is disabled.

Determines whether to disable toast notifications from
Horizon Client.
Enable this setting if you do not want the user to see toast
notifications in the corner of the screen.
Note If you enable this setting, the user does not see a fiveminute warning when the Session Timeout function is active.
Specifies whether Horizon Client should be prevented from
passing through client information in a nested session. When
enabled, if Horizon Client is running inside of a Horizon session, it
will send the actual physical client information instead of the VM
device information. This setting applies to the following pieces of
client information: device name and domain, client type, IP
address, and MAC address. This setting is disabled by default,
which means passing through client information in a nested
session is allowed.

Don't check monitor
alignment on spanning

By default, the client desktop does not span multiple monitors if
the screens do not form an exact rectangle when they are
combined. Enable this setting to override the default. This setting
is disabled by default.

Enable multi-media
acceleration

Determines whether multimedia redirection (MMR) is enabled on
the client.
MMR does not work correctly if the Horizon Client video display
hardware does not have overlay support.

(View 5.2 and later releases only) Enables the relative mouse when
using the PCoIP display protocol. Relative mouse mode improves
mouse behavior for certain graphics applications and games. If the
remote desktop does not support relative mouse then this setting
will not be used. This setting is disabled by default.

Determines whether the shade menu bar at the top of the
Horizon Client window is visible. This setting is enabled by
default.
Note The shade menu bar is disabled by default for kiosk mode.

Enable relative mouse

Enable the shade

User

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑7. Horizon Client Configuration Template: General Settings (Continued)
Setting

Computer

Enable Horizon Client
online update

Enables the online upgrade feature. This setting is disabled by
default.

Tunnel proxy bypass
address list

Specifies a list of tunnel addresses. The proxy server is not used for
these addresses. Use a semicolon (;) to separate multiple entries.

URL for Horizon
Client online help

Specifies an alternate URL from which Horizon Client can retrieve
help pages. This setting is intended for use in environments that
cannot retrieve the remotely-hosted help system because they do
not have internet access.

Pin the shade

Disable desktop
disconnect messages

Disable sharing files
and folders

Always hide the
remote floating
language (IME) bar
for Hosted Apps

Put icon cache in
user's Local profile
folder

VMware, Inc.

User

Description

Determines whether the pin on the shade at the top of the
Horizon Client window is enabled and auto-hiding of the menu
bar does not occur. This setting has no effect if the shade is
disabled. This setting is enabled by default.

Specifies whether messages that are normally shown upon
desktop disconnection should be disabled. These messages are
shown by default.

Specifies whether client drive redirection functionality is available
in Horizon Client.
When this setting is set to Enabled, all client drive redirection
functionality is disabled in Horizon Client, including the ability to
open local files with remote applications. In addition, the
following elements are hidden in the Horizon Client user interface:
n Sharing panel in the Settings dialog box
n Share Folders item in the Option menu in a remote desktop
n Sharing item for Horizon Client in the system tray
n Sharing dialog box that appears the first time you connect to a
remote desktop or application after you connect to a server
When this setting is set to Disabled, the client drive redirection
feature is fully functional. If this setting is not configured, the
default value is Disabled. This setting is not configured by default.

Forces the floating language bar off for application sessions. When
this setting is enabled, the floating language bar is never shown in
a remote application session, regardless of whether the local IME
feature is enabled. When this setting is disabled, the floating
language bar is shown only if the local IME feature is disabled.
This setting is disabled by default.
Specifies whether Horizon Client places its icon cache files in the
user's Local folder instead of in the previously used Roaming
folder.
When this setting is set to Enabled, Horizon Client places its icon
cache files in the user's Local folder. When you first start
Horizon Client, it moves any existing cache files from the Roaming
folder to the Local folder and places new cache files in the Local
folder. Enabling this policy can help improve the response time of
remote applications when roaming profiles are used by avoiding
syncing cache files.
If this setting is not configured, the default value is Disabled. This
setting is not configured by default.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑7. Horizon Client Configuration Template: General Settings (Continued)
Setting

Computer

Disable opening local
files in hosted
applications

User

Description

Specifies whether Horizon Client registers local handlers for the
file extensions that hosted applications support.
When this setting is set to Enabled, Horizon Client does not
register any file extension handlers and does not allow the user to
override the setting.
When this setting is set to Disabled, Horizon Client always
registers file extension handlers. By default, file extension handlers
are registered, but users can disable the feature in the
Horizon Client user interface by using the Turn on the ability to
open a local file with a remote application from the local file
system setting on the Sharing panel in the Settings dialog box. For
more information, see “Share Access to Local Folders and Drives,”
on page 72.
If this setting is not configured, the default value is Disabled. This
setting is not configured by default.

Redirect smart card
readers in Local Mode

Local Mode is not supported in this release.

Delay the start of
replications when
starting Horizon
Client with Local
Mode

Local Mode is not supported in this release.

Default Exit Behavior
For Local Mode
Desktops

Local Mode is not supported in this release.

USB Settings for Client GPOs
You can define USB policy settings for both the agent and Horizon Client for Windows. On connection,
Horizon Client downloads the USB policy settings from the agent and uses them in conjunction with the
Horizon Client USB policy settings to decide which devices it will allow to be available for redirection from
the host machine.
The following table describes each policy setting for splitting composite USB in the Horizon Client
Configuration ADMX template file. The settings apply at computer level. Horizon Client preferentially reads
the settings from the GPO at computer level, and otherwise from the registry at
HKLM\Software\Policies\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\USB. The settings are in the VMware Horizon
Client Configuration > View USB Configuration folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.
For a description of how Horizon applies the policies for splitting composite USB devices, see the topics
about using policies to control USB redirection, in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7
document.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑8. Horizon Client Configuration Template: USB Splitting Settings
Setting

Properties

Allow Auto Device
Splitting

Allow the automatic splitting of composite USB devices.

Exclude Vid/Pid Device
From Split

Excludes a composite USB device specified by vendor and product IDs from splitting. The
format of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy2[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...

The default value is undefined, which equates to false.

You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character (*) in
place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-55**
The default value is undefined.
Split Vid/Pid Device

Treats the components of a composite USB device specified by vendor and product IDs as
separate devices. The format of the setting is
vid-xxxx_pid-yyyy(exintf:zz[;exintf:ww ])
You can use the exintf keyword to exclude components from redirection by specifying
their interface number. You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal, and interface
numbers in decimal including any leading zero. You can use the wildcard character (*) in
place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-554c(exintf:01;exintf:02)
Note Horizon does not automatically include the components that you have not
explicitly excluded. You must specify a filter policy such as Include Vid/Pid Device to
include those components.
The default value is undefined.

The following table describes each policy setting for filtering USB devices in the Horizon Client
Configuration ADMX template file. The settings apply at computer level. Horizon Client preferentially reads
the settings from the GPO at computer level, and otherwise from the registry at
HKLM\Software\Policies\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\USB. For a description of how Horizon applies
the policies for filtering USB devices, see the topics about configuring filter policy settings for USB
redirection, in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.
Table 3‑9. Horizon Client Configuration Template: USB Filtering Settings
Setting

Properties

Allow Audio Input
Devices

Allows audio input devices to be redirected.

Allow Audio Output
Devices

Allows audio output devices to be redirected.

Allow HID-Bootable

Allows input devices other than keyboards or mice that are available at boot time (also
known as hid-bootable devices) to be redirected.

The default value is undefined, which equates to true.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Allows devices to be redirected even if the Horizon Client fails to get the config/device
descriptors.
To allow a device even if it fails the config/desc, include it in the Include filters, such
IncludeVidPid or IncludePath.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration >
Settings not configurable by Agent folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑9. Horizon Client Configuration Template: USB Filtering Settings (Continued)
Setting

Properties

Allow Other Input
Devices

Allows input devices other than hid-bootable devices or keyboards with integrated
pointing devices to be redirected.
The default value is undefined, which equates to true.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Allow Keyboard and
Mouse Devices

Allows keyboards with integrated pointing devices (such as a mouse, trackball, or touch
pad) to be redirected.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Allow Smart Cards

Allows smart-card devices to be redirected.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Allow Video Devices

Allows video devices to be redirected.
The default value is undefined, which equates to true.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Disable Remote
Configuration

Exclude All Devices

Disables the use of agent settings when performing USB device filtering.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration >
Settings not configurable by Agent folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.
Excludes all USB devices from being redirected. If set to true, you can use other policy
settings to allow specific devices or families of devices to be redirected. If set to false, you
can use other policy settings to prevent specific devices or families of devices from being
redirected.
If you set the value of Exclude All Devices to true on the agent, and this setting is
passed to Horizon Client, the agent setting overrides the Horizon Client setting.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Exclude Device Family

Excludes families of devices from being redirected. The format of the setting is
family_name_1[;family_name_2]...
For example: bluetooth;smart-card
If you have enabled automatic device splitting, Horizon examines the device family of each
interface of a composite USB device to decide which interfaces should be excluded. If you
have disabled automatic device splitting, Horizon examines the device family of the whole
composite USB device.
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Exclude Vid/Pid Device

Excludes devices with specified vendor and product IDs from being redirected. The format
of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy2[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...
You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character (*) in
place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-****;vid-0561_pid-554c
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑9. Horizon Client Configuration Template: USB Filtering Settings (Continued)
Setting

Properties

Exclude Path

Exclude devices at specified hub or port paths from being redirected. The format of the
setting is bus-x1[/y1].../port-z1[;bus-x2[/y2].../port-z2]...
You must specify bus and port numbers in hexadecimal. You cannot use the wildcard
character in paths.
For example: bus-1/2/3_port-02;bus-1/1/1/4_port-ff
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration >
Settings not configurable by Agent folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Include Device Family

Includes families of devices that can be redirected. The format of the setting is
family_name_1[;family_name_2]...
For example: storage
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Include Path

Include devices at a specified hub or port paths that can be redirected. The format of the
setting is bus-x1[/y1].../port-z1[;bus-x2[/y2].../port-z2]...
You must specify bus and port numbers in hexadecimal. You cannot use the wildcard
character in paths.
For example: bus-1/2_port-02;bus-1/7/1/4_port-0f
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration >
Settings not configurable by Agent folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Include Vid/Pid Device

Includes devices with specified vendor and product IDs that can be redirected. The format
of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy2[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...
You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character (*) in
place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0561_pid-554c
The default value is undefined.
This setting is in the VMware Horizon Client Configuration > View USB Configuration
folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.

PCoIP Client Session Variables ADMX Template Settings
The PCoIP Client Session Variables ADMX template file (pcoip.cient.admx) contains policy settings related
to the PCoIP display protocol. You can configure settings to computer default values that can be overridden
by an administrator, or you can configure user settings to values that cannot be overridden. The settings that
can be overridden are in the PCoIP Client Session Variables > Overridable Administrator Defaults folder
in the Group Policy Management Editor. The settings that cannot be overridden are in the PCoIP Client
Session Variables > Not Overridable Settings folder in the Group Policy Management Editor.
The ADMX files are available in a bundled .zip file named VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-x.x.xyyyyyyy.zip, which you can download from the VMware download site at

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads. Under Desktop & End-User Computing, select the
VMware Horizon 7 download, which includes the bundled .zip file.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑10. PCoIP Client Session Variables
Setting

Description

Configure PCoIP
client image cache
size policy

Controls the size of the PCoIP client image cache. The client uses image caching to store
portions of the display that were previously transmitted. Image caching reduces the amount
of data that is retransmitted.
When this setting is not configured or when it is disabled, PCoIP uses a default client image
cache size of 250MB.
When you enable this setting, you can configure a client image cache size from a minimum
of 50 MB to a maximum of 300 MB. The default value is 250MB.

Configure PCoIP event
log verbosity

Sets the PCoIP event log verbosity. The values range from 0 (least verbose) to 3 (most
verbose).
When this setting is enabled, you can set the verbosity level from 0 to 3. When the setting is
not configured or disabled, the default event log verbosity level is 2.
When this setting is modified during an active PCoIP session, the new setting takes effect
immediately.

Configure PCoIP
session encryption
algorithms

Controls the encryption algorithms advertised by the PCoIP endpoint during session
negotiation.
Checking one of the check boxes disables the associated encryption algorithm. You must
enable at least one algorithm.
This setting applies to both agent and client. The endpoints negotiate the actual session
encryption algorithm that is used. If FIPS140-2 approved mode is enabled, the Disable
AES-128-GCM encryption value will be overridden if both AES-128-GCM encryption and
AES-256-GCM encryption are disabled.
If the Configure SSL Connections setting is disabled or not configured, both the
Salsa20-256round12 and AES-128-GCM algorithms are available for negotiation by this
endpoint.
Supported encryption algorithms, in order of preference, are SALSA20/12-256, AESGCM-128, and AES-GCM-256. By default, all supported encryption algorithms are available
for negotiation by this endpoint.

Configure PCoIP
virtual channels

Specifies the virtual channels that can and cannot operate over PCoIP sessions. This setting
also determines whether to disable clipboard processing on the PCoIP host.
Virtual channels that are used in PCoIP sessions must appear on the virtual channel
authorization list. Virtual channels that appear in the unauthorized virtual channel list
cannot be used in PCoIP sessions.
You can specify a maximum of 15 virtual channels for use in PCoIP sessions.
Separate multiple channel names with the vertical bar (|) character. For example, the virtual
channel authorization string to allow the mksvchan and vdp_rdpvcbridge virtual channels
is mksvchan|vdp_rdpvcbridge.
If a channel name contains the vertical bar or backslash (\) character, insert a backslash
character before it. For example, type the channel name awk|ward\channel as
awk\|ward\\channel.
When the authorized virtual channel list is empty, all virtual channels are disallowed. When
the unauthorized virtual channel list is empty, all virtual channels are allowed.
The virtual channels setting applies to both agent and client. Virtual channels must be
enabled on both agent and client for virtual channels to be used.
The virtual channels setting provides a separate check box that allows you to disable remote
clipboard processing on the PCoIP host. This value applies to the agent only.
By default, all virtual channels are enabled, including clipboard processing.

Configure the Client
PCoIP UDP port

Specifies the UDP client port that is used by software PCoIP clients. The UDP port value
specifies the base UDP port to use. The UDP port range value determines how many
additional ports to try if the base port is not available.
The range spans from the base port to the sum of the base port and port range. For example,
if the base port is 50002 and the port range is 64, the range spans from 50002 to 50066.
This setting applies to the client only.
By default, the base port is 50002 and the port range is 64.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑10. PCoIP Client Session Variables (Continued)
Setting

Description

Configure the maximum
PCoIP session
bandwidth

Specifies the maximum bandwidth, in kilobits per second, in a PCoIP session. The
bandwidth includes all imaging, audio, virtual channel, USB, and control PCoIP traffic.
Set this value to the overall capacity of the link to which your endpoint is connected, taking
into consideration the number of expected concurrent PCoIP sessions. For example, with a
single-user VDI configuration (a single PCoIP session) that connects through a 4Mbit/s
Internet connection, set this value to 4Mbit, or 10% less than this value to leave some
allowance for other network traffic. When you expect multiple concurrent PCoIP sessions to
share a link, comprising either multiple VDI users or an RDS configuration, you might want
to adjust the setting accordingly. However, lowering this value will restrict the maximum
bandwidth for each active session.
Setting this value prevents the agent from attempting to transmit at a higher rate than the
link capacity, which would cause excessive packet loss and a poorer user experience. This
value is symmetric. It forces the client and agent to use the lower of the two values that are
set on the client and agent side. For example, setting a 4Mbit/s maximum bandwidth forces
the agent to transmit at a lower rate, even though the setting is configured on the client.
When this setting is disabled or not configured on an endpoint, the endpoint imposes no
bandwidth constraints. When this setting is configured, the setting is used as the endpoint's
maximum bandwidth constraint in kilobits per second.
The default value when this setting is not configured is 900000 kilobits per second.
This setting applies to the agent and the client. If the two endpoints have different settings,
the lower value is used.

Configure the PCoIP
transport header

Configures the PCoIP transport header and sets the transport session priority.
The PCoIP transport header is a 32-bit header that is added to all PCoIP UDP packets (only
if the transport header is enabled and supported by both sides). The PCoIP transport header
allows network devices to make better prioritization/QoS decisions when dealing with
network congestion. The transport header is enabled by default.
The transport session priority determines the PCoIP session priority reported in the PCoIP
transport header. Network devices make better prioritization/QoS decisions based on the
specified transport session priority.
When the Configure the PCoIP transport header setting is enabled, the following
transport session priorities are available:
n High
n Medium (default value)
n Low
n Undefined
The transport session priority value is negotiated by the PCoIP agent and client. If the PCoIP
agent specifies a transport session priority value, the session uses the agent-specified session
priority. If only the client has specified a transport session priority, the session uses the
client-specified session priority. If neither agent nor client has specified a transport session
priority, or Undefined Priority is specified, the session uses the default value, Medium
priority.

Enable/disable audio
in the PCoIP session

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Determines whether audio is enabled in PCoIP sessions. Both endpoints must have audio
enabled. When this setting is enabled, PCoIP audio is allowed. When it is disabled, PCoIP
audio is disabled. When this setting is not configured, audio is enabled by default.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑10. PCoIP Client Session Variables (Continued)
Setting

Description

Configure the PCoIP
session bandwidth
floor

Specifies a lower limit, in kilobits per second, for the bandwidth that is reserved by the
PCoIP session.
This setting configures the minimum expected bandwidth transmission rate for the
endpoint. When you use this setting to reserve bandwidth for an endpoint, the user does not
have to wait for bandwidth to become available, which improves session responsiveness.
Make sure that you do not over-subscribe the total reserved bandwidth for all endpoints.
Make sure that the sum of bandwidth floors for all connections in your configuration does
not exceed the network capability.
The default value is 0, which means that no minimum bandwidth is reserved. When this
setting is disabled or not configured, no minimum bandwidth is reserved.
This setting applies to the agent and the client, but the setting only affects the endpoint on
which it is configured.
When this setting is modified during an active PCoIP session, the change takes effect
immediately.

Configure the PCoIP
session MTU

Specifies the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) size for UDP packets for a PCoIP session.
The MTU size includes IP and UDP packet headers. TCP uses the standard MTU discovery
mechanism to set MTU and is not affected by this setting.
The maximum MTU size is 1500 bytes. The minimum MTU size is 500 bytes. The default
value is 1300 bytes.
Typically, you do not have to change the MTU size. Change this value if you have an
unusual network setup that causes PCoIP packet fragmentation.
This setting applies to the agent and the client. If the two endpoints have different MTU size
settings, the lowest size is used.
If this setting is disabled or not configured, the client uses the default value in the
negotiation with the agent.

Configure SSL
connections to
satisfy Security
Tools

Specifies how SSL session negotiation connections are established. To satisfy security tools,
such as port scanners, enable this setting and do the following:
1 Store the certificate for the Certificate Authority that signed any Server certificate to be
used with PCoIP in the Trusted Root certificate store.
2 Configure the agent to load certificates only from the Certificate Store. If the Personal
store for the Local Machine is used, leave the CA Certificate store name unchanged with
the value ROOT, unless a different store location was used in step 1.
If this setting is disabled or not configured, the AES-128 cipher suite is not available and the
endpoint uses Certification Authority certificates from the machine account's MY store and
Certification Authority certificates from the ROOT store.

Configure SSL
protocols

Configures the OpenSSL protocol to restrict the use of certain protocols before establishing
an encrypted SSL connection. The protocol list consists of one or more OpenSSL protocol
strings separated by colons. All cipher strings are case insensitive.
The default value is TLS1.1:TLS1.2, which means that TLS v1.1 and TLS v1.2 are enabled
and SSL v2.0, SSLv3.0, and TLS v1.0 are disabled.
If this setting is set in both the client and the agent, the OpenSSL protocol negotation rule is
followed.

Configure PCoIP event
log cleanup by time
in days

Enables the configuration of the PCoIP event log cleanup by time in days. When this setting
is configured, it controls the log file cleanup by time in days. For example, for a non-zero
setting of n, log files older than n days are silently deleted. A setting of 0 indicates no file
cleanup by time. When this policy is disabled or not configured, the default event log
cleanup by time in days setting is 7.
The log file cleanup is performed once at session startup. Any change to the setting is be
applied until the next session.

Configure PCoIP event
log cleanup by size
in MB

Enables the configuration of the PCoIP event log cleanup by size in MB. When this setting is
configured, it controls the log file cleanup by size in MB. For example, for a non-zero setting
of m, log files larger than m MB are silently deleted. A setting of 0 indicates no file cleanup
by size. When this setting is disabled or not configured, the default event log cleanup by size
in MB setting is 100.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Running Horizon Client from the Command Line
You can run Horizon Client for Windows from the command line or from scripts. You might want to do this
if you are implementing a kiosk-based application that grants end users access to desktop applications.
You use the vmware-view.exe command to run the Horizon Client for Windows from the command line. The
command includes options that you can specify to change the behavior of Horizon Client.

Horizon Client Command Usage
The syntax of the vmware-view command controls the operation of Horizon Client.
Use the following form of the vmware-view command from a Windows command prompt.
vmware-view [command_line_option [argument]] ...

The default path to the vmware-view command executable file depends on your system.
n

On 32-bit systems, the path is C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Horizon View Client\.

On 64-bit systems, the path is C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Horizon View Client\.

For your convenience, add this path to your PATH environment variable.
The following table shows the command-line options that you can use with the vmware-view command.
Table 3‑11. Horizon Client Command-Line Options
Option

Description

Displays the list of command options.

-appName application_name

Specifies the name of the application as it would appear in the desktop and
application selection window. This is the display name that was specified for
the application pool in the pool creation wizard.

-appProtocol protocol

Specifies the remote application display protocol to use, if available. The
display protocol can be Blast or PCoIP.

-appSessionReconnectionBehavior
argument

Specifies the application reconnection behavior setting.
n

always implements Reconnect automatically to open applications

never implements Do not ask to reconnect and do not automatically
reconnect

ask implements Ask to reconnect to open applications
When you use this option, the application reconnection settings are disabled
on the Settings page in Horizon Client.

-args argument

Specifies command-line arguments to add to remote application launch. For
example: vmware-view.exe --serverURL 10.10.10.10 --appName "My
Notepad++" --args "\"my new.txt\""

-connectUSBOnStartup

When set to true, redirects all USB devices to the desktop that are currently
connected to the host. This option is implicitly set if you specify the
-unattended option. The default is false.

-connectUSBOnInsert

When set to true, connects a USB device to the foreground desktop when
you plug in the device. This option is implicitly set if you specify the
-unattended option. The default is false.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑11. Horizon Client Command-Line Options (Continued)
Option

Description

-desktopLayout window_size

Specifies how to display the window for the desktop:
fullscreen

Full-screen display.

multimonitor

Multiple-monitor display.

windowLarge

Large window.

windowSmall

Small window.

length X width

Custom size. For example: 800 X 600

-desktopName desktop_name

Specifies the name of the desktop as it would appear in the desktop and
application selection window. This is the display name that was specified for
the pool in the pool creation wizard.
Important Do not specify this option for clients in kiosk mode. This option
has no effect when in the desktop is run in kiosk mode. For kiosk mode, the
connection is made to the first desktop in the list of entitled desktops.

-desktopProtocol protocol

Specifies the display protocol to use as it would appear in the desktop and
application selection window. The display protocol can be Blast, PCoIP, or
RDP.

-domainName domain_name

Specifies the NETBIOS domain that the end user uses to log in to
Horizon Client. For example, you would use mycompany rather than
mycompany.com.

-file file_path

Specifies the path of a configuration file that contains additional command
options and arguments. See “Horizon Client Configuration File,” on page 64.

-h

Shows help options.

-hideClientAfterLaunchSession

When set to true, hides the remote desktop and application selector window
and the Show VMware Horizon Client menu after launching a remote
session. When set to false, shows the remote desktop and application
selector window and the Show VMware Horizon Client menu after
launching a remote session. The default is true.

-languageId Locale_ID

Provides localization support for different languages in Horizon Client. If a
resource library is available, specify the Locale ID (LCID) to use. For US
English, enter the value 0x409.

-listMonitors

Lists index values and display layout information for the connected monitors.
For example:
1: (0, 0, 1920, 1200)
2: (1920, 0, 3840, 1200)
3: (-900, -410, 0, 1190)
You can use the index values in the -monitors option.

-logInAsCurrentUser

When set to true, uses the credential information that the end user provides
when logging in to the client system to log in to the Connection Server
instance and ultimately to the remote desktop. The default is false.

-monitors "n[,n,n,n]"

Specifies monitors to use in a multiple-monitor setup, where n is the index
value of a monitor. You can use the -listMonitors option to determine the
index values of the connected monitors. You can specify up to four index
values, separated by commas. For example: -monitors "1,2"
This option has no effect unless -desktopLayout is set to multimonitor.

-nonInteractive

Suppresses error message boxes when starting Horizon Client from a script.
This option is implicitly set if you specify the -unattended option.

-noVMwareAddins

Prevents loading of VMware-specific virtual channels such virtual printing.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Table 3‑11. Horizon Client Command-Line Options (Continued)
Option

Description

-password password

Specifies the password that the end user uses to log in to Horizon Client. The
password is processed in plain text by the command console or any scripting
tool. You do not need to specify this option for clients in kiosk mode if you
generate the password automatically. For improved security, it is
recommended that you do not specify this option. Users can enter the
password interactively.

-printEnvironmentInfo

Displays the IP address, MAC address, and machine name of the client
device.

-serverURL connection_server

Specifies the URL, IP address, or FQDN of the Connection Server instance.

-shutdown

Shuts down all desktops and applications and relevant UI components.

-singleAutoConnect

Specifies that if the user is entitled to only one remote desktop or application,
after the user authenticates to the server, the desktop or application is
automatically connected and the user is logged in. This setting spares the user
from having to select the desktop or application from a list that contains only
one item.

-smartCardPIN PIN

Specifies the PIN when an end user inserts a smart card to login.

-usernameHint user_name

Specifies the account name to use as the username hint.

-standalone

Supported for backwards compatibility purposes. This is the default behavior
for this client. Specifying -standalone is not necessary. Launches a second
instance of the Horizon Client that can connect to the same or a different
Connection Server instance.
For multiple desktop connections to the same server or to a different server,
using the secure tunnel is supported.
Note The second desktop connection might not have access to local
hardware, such as USB devices, smart, cards, printers, and multiple monitors.

-supportText file_name

Specifies the full path of a text file. The content of the file is displayed in the
Support Information dialog.

-unattended

Runs Horizon Client in a noninteractive mode that is suitable for clients in
kiosk mode. You must also specify:
n The account name of the client, if you did not generate the account name
from the MAC address of the client device. The name must begin with
the string “custom-” or an alternate prefix that you have configured in
ADAM.
n The password of the client, if you did not generate a password
automatically when you set up the account for the client.
The -unattended option implicitly sets the -nonInteractive,
-connectUSBOnStartup, -connectUSBOnInsert , and
-desktopLayout multimonitoroptions.

-unauthenticatedAccessAccount

Specifies an Unauthenticated Access user account to use to log in
anonymously to the server when Unauthenticated Access is enabled. If
Unauthenticated Access is not enabled, this option is ignored.
For example:
vmware-view.exe -serverURL ag-broker.agwork.com unauthenticatedAccessEnabled true unauthenticatedAccessAccount anonymous1

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑11. Horizon Client Command-Line Options (Continued)
Option

Description

-unauthenticatedAccessEnabled

Specifies Unauthenticated Access behavior:
n

true enables Unauthenticated Access. The client may fall back to another
authentication method if Unauthenticated Access is not available. The
Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting is visible,
disabled, and selected in Horizon Client.

false requires you to enter your credentials to log in and access your
applications. The Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is hidden and deselected in Horizon Client.
If you do not specify this option, you can enable Unauthenticated Access in
Horizon Client. The Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is visible, enabled, and deselected.
n

-useExisting

Enables you to launch multiple remote desktops and applications from a
single Horizon Client session.
When you specify this option, Horizon Client determines whether a session
with the same username, domain, and server URL already exists and, if it
does, reuses that session instead of creating a new session.
For example, in the following command, user-1 launches the Calculator
application and a new session is created.
vmware-view.exe -userName user-1 -password secret
-domainName domain -appName Calculator
-serverURL view.mycompany.com -useExisting
In the next command, user1 launches the Paint application with the same
username, domain, and server URL, and the same session is used.
vmware-view.exe -userName user-1 -password secret
-domainName domain -appName Paint
-serverURL view.mycompany.com -useExisting

-userName user_name

Specifies the account name that the end user uses to log in to Horizon Client.
You do not need to specify this option for clients in kiosk mode if you
generate the account name from the MAC address of the client device.

You can specify all options by Active Directory group policies except for -file, -languageId,
-printEnvironmentInfo, -smartCardPIN, and -unattended.
Note Group policy settings take precedence over settings that you specify in the command line.

Horizon Client Configuration File
You can read command-line options for Horizon Client from a configuration file.
You can specify the path of the configuration file as an argument to the -file file_path option of the vmware-

view command. The file must be a Unicode (UTF-16) or ASCII text file.

Example: Example of a Configuration File for a Noninteractive Application
The following example shows the contents of a configuration file for a noninteractive application.
-serverURL https://view.yourcompany.com
-userName autouser
-password auto123
-domainName companydomain
-desktopName autodesktop
-nonInteractive

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Chapter 3 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users

Example: Example of a Configuration File for a Client in Kiosk Mode
The following example shows a client in kiosk mode whose account name is based on its MAC address. The
client has an automatically generated password.
-serverURL 145.124.24.100
-unattended

Using the Windows Registry to Configure Horizon Client
You can define default settings for the Horizon Client in the Windows Registry instead of specifying these
settings on the command line. Group policy settings take precedence over Windows Registry settings, and
Windows Registry settings take precedence over the command line..
Note In a future release, the Windows registry settings described in this section might not be supported.
GPO settings must be used.
Table 3-12 shows the registry settings for logging in to Horizon Client. These settings are located under

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\ in the registry. This location is specific to a
particular user, whereas the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE settings, described in the next table, are computer-wide

settings and pertain to all local users and all domain users in a Windows domain environment who have
permission to log in to the computer.

Table 3‑12. Horizon Client Registry Settings for Credentials
Registry Setting

Description

Password

Specifies the default password.

UserName

Specifies the default user name.

Table 3-13 shows the registry settings for Horizon Client that do not include login credentials. The location
of these settings depends on the type of system:
n

For 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\

For 64-bit Windows: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\

Table 3‑13. Horizon Client Registry Settings
Registry Setting

Description

DomainName

Specifies the default NETBIOS domain name. For example, you would use mycompany rather
than mycompany.com.

EnableShade

Specifies whether the menu bar (shade) at the top of the Horizon Client window is enabled. The
menu bar is enabled by default except for clients in kiosk mode. A value of false disables the
menu bar.
Note This setting is applicable only when you have the display layout set to All Monitors or
Fullscreen.

ServerURL

Specifies the default Connection Server instance by its URL, IP address, or FQDN.

EnableSoftKeypad

If set to true and a Horizon Client window has focus, then physical keyboard, onscreen
keyboard, mouse, and handwriting pad events are sent to the remote desktop or remote
application, even if the mouse or onscreen keyboard is outside of the Horizon Client window.
The default is false.

The following table shows security settings that you can add. The location of these settings depends on the
type of system:
n

For 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\Security

For 64-bit Windows: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\Security

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 3‑14. Security Settings
Registry Setting
CertCheckMode

Description and Valid Values
Specifies the certificate checking mode.
n

SSLCipherList

0 implements Do not verify server identity certificates.

1 implements Warn before connecting to untrusted servers.

2 implements Never connect to untrusted servers.

Configures the cipher list to restrict the use of certain cryptographic algorithms and protocols
before establishing an encrypted SSL connection. The cipher list consists of one or more
cipher strings separated by colons.
Note All cipher strings are case-sensitive.
The default value is TLSv1:TLSv1.1:TLSv1.2:!aNULL:kECDH+AESGCM:ECDH
+AESGCM:RSA+AESGCM:kECDH+AES:ECDH+AES:RSA+AES.
This means that TLSv.1, TLSv1.1, and TLSv1.2 are enabled. (SSL v2.0 and v3.0 are removed.)
Cipher suites use 128- or 256-bit AES, remove anonymous DH algorithms, and then sort the
current cipher list in order of encryption algorithm key length.
Reference link for the configuration: http://www.openssl.org/docs/apps/ciphers.html

VMware, Inc.

Managing Remote Desktop and
Application Connections

Use Horizon Client to connect to Connection Server or a security server and log in to or off of a remote
desktop, and use remote applications. For troubleshooting purposes, you can also reset remote desktops and
applications.
Depending on how the administrator configures policies for remote desktops, end users might be able to
perform many operations on their desktops.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application,” on page 67

“Use Unauthenticated Access to Connect to Remote Applications,” on page 70

“Tips for Using the Desktop and Application Selector,” on page 71

“Share Access to Local Folders and Drives,” on page 72

“Hide the VMware Horizon Client Window,” on page 74

“Reconnecting to a Desktop or Application,” on page 74

“Create a Desktop or Application Shortcut on Your Client Desktop or Start Menu,” on page 75

“Switch Desktops or Applications,” on page 75

“Log Off or Disconnect,” on page 76

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application
After logging in to a server, you can connect to the remote desktops and applications that you are
authorized to use.
Before you have end users access their remote desktops and applications, test that you can connect to a
remote desktop or application from a client device. You might need to specify a server and supply
credentials for your user account.
To use remote applications, you must connect to Connection Server 6.0 or later.
The Log in as current user feature is available even if Horizon Client is installed on a remote desktop.
Prerequisites
n

Obtain login credentials, such as a user name and password, RSA SecurID user name and passcode,
RADIUS authentication user name and passcode, or smart card personal identification number (PIN).
Obtain the NETBIOS domain name for logging in. For example, you might use mycompany rather than

mycompany.com.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Perform the administrative tasks described in “Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client,” on
page 19.

If you are outside the corporate network and are not using a security server to access the remote
desktop or application, verify that your client device is set up to use a VPN connection and turn on that
connection.
Important In most cases, use a security server rather than a VPN.

Verify that you have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that provides access to the
remote desktop or application. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. If the port is not 443,
you also need the port number.

If you plan to use the RDP display protocol to connect to a remote desktop, verify that the
AllowDirectRDP agent group policy setting is enabled.

If your administrator has allowed it, configure the certificate checking mode for the SSL certificate
presented by Connection Server. To determine which mode to use, see “Setting the Certificate Checking
Mode for Horizon Client,” on page 40.

Procedure
1

If a VPN connection is required, turn on the VPN.

Double-click the VMware Horizon Client desktop shortcut or click Start > Programs > VMware
Horizon Client.

(Optional) To set the certificate checking mode, click the Options button in the menu bar and select
Configure SSL.
You can configure this setting only if your administrator has allowed it.

(Optional) To log in as the currently logged-in Windows domain user, click the Options button on the
menu bar and select Log in as current user.
This setting is available if the Log in as current user feature is installed on your client system.

Double-click the + Add Server button if no servers have yet been added, or click the + New Server
button in the menu bar and enter the name of Connection Server or a security server, and click Connect.
Connections between Horizon Client and Connection Server always use SSL. The default port for SSL
connections is 443. If Connection Server is not configured to use the default port, use the format shown
in this example: view.company.com:1443.
You might see a message that you must confirm before the login dialog box appears.
Note After a successful connection is made, an icon for this server is saved to the Horizon Client home
window. The next time you use Horizon Client to connect to this server, you can double-click the icon,
or, if you use only this one server, you can right-click the icon for the server and select Autoconnect to
this Server from the context menu.

If you are prompted for RSA SecurID credentials or RADIUS authentication credentials, enter the user
name and passcode and click Continue.

Enter the credentials of a user who is entitled to use at least one desktop or application pool, select the
domain, and click Login.
If you enter the user name using the format username@domain, the name is treated as a user principal
name (UPN) because of the @ sign, and the Domain drop-down menu is disabled.
If the Domain drop-down menu is hidden, you must enter the user name as username@domain or
domain\username.

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Chapter 4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections

(Optional) To configure display settings for remote desktops, either right-click a desktop icon or select a
desktop icon and click the Settings (gear-shaped) icon next to the server name in the upper portion of
the window.
Option

Description

Display protocol

If your administrator has allowed it, you can use the Connect Via list to
select the display protocol. VMware Blast requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or
later.

Display layout

Use the Display list to select a window size or to use multiple monitors.

(Optional) To mark the remote desktop or application as a favorite, right-click the desktop or
application icon and select Mark as Favorite from the context menu that appears.
A star icon appears in the upper-right corner of the desktop or application name. The next time you log
in, you can click the Show Favorites button to find this application or desktop quickly.

To connect to a remote desktop or application, either double-click its icon or right-click the icon and
select Launch from the context menu.
If you are connecting to a published desktop, which is hosted on a Microsoft RDS host, and if the
desktop is already set to use a different display protocol, you cannot connect immediately. You are
prompted to either use the protocol set or have the system log you off the remote operating system so
that a connection can be made with the protocol you selected.

After you are connected, the remote desktop or application window appears. If you are entitled to more
than one desktop or application, the desktop and application selector window also remains open, so that
you can connect to multiple items at the same time.
From the Sharing dialog box, you can allow or deny access to files on your local system. For more
information, see “Share Access to Local Folders and Drives,” on page 72.
If authentication to the server fails, or if the client cannot connect to the remote desktop or application,
perform the following tasks:
n

Determine whether Connection Server is configured not to use SSL. The client software requires SSL
connections. Check whether the global setting in Horizon Administrator for the Use SSL for client
connections check box is deselected. If so, you must either select the check box, so that SSL is used, or
set up your environment so that clients can connect to an HTTPS enabled load balancer or other
intermediate device that is configured to make an HTTP connection to Connection Server.

Verify that the security certificate for Connection Server is working properly. If it is not, in Horizon
Administrator, you might also see that the agent on desktops is unreachable. These symptoms indicate
additional connection problems caused by certificate problems.

Verify that the tags set on the Connection Server instance allow connections from this user. See the View
Administration document.

Verify that the user is entitled to access this desktop or application. See the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

If you are using the RDP display protocol to connect to a remote desktop, verify that the remote
operating system allows remote desktop connections.

What to do next
Configure startup settings. If you do not want to require end users to provide the host name of the
Connection Server instance, or if you want to configure other startup settings, use a command-line option to
create a desktop shortcut. See “Running Horizon Client from the Command Line,” on page 61.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Use Unauthenticated Access to Connect to Remote Applications
An administrator can use the Unauthenticated Access feature to create Unauthenticated Access users and
entitle those users to remote applications on a Connection Server instance. Unauthenticated Access users can
log in to the server anonymously to connect to their remote applications.
By default, users select the Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting from the Options
menu and select a user account to log in anonymously. An administrator can configure group policy settings
to preselect the Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting and log in users with a specific
Unauthenticated Access user account.
Prerequisites
n

Perform the administrative tasks described in “Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client,” on
page 19.

Set up Unauthenticated Access users on the Connection Server instance. For information, see
"Providing Unauthenticated Access for Published Applications" in the View Administration document.

If you are outside the corporate network, verify that your client device is set up to use a VPN
connection and turn on that connection.

Verify that you have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that provides access to the
remote application. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. If the port is not 443, you also
need the port number.

(Optional) Configure the Account to use for Unauthenticated Access and Log in anonymously using
Unauthenticated Access group policy settings to change the default Unauthenticated Access behavior.
For information, see “Scripting Definition Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 43.

Procedure
1

If a VPN connection is required, turn on the VPN.

Double-click the VMware Horizon Client desktop shortcut or click Start > Programs > VMware
Horizon Client.

If instructed to do so by your administrator, click the Options button in the menu bar and select Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access.
Depending on how your client system is configured, this setting might already be selected.

(Optional) To set the certificate checking mode, click the Options button in the menu bar and select
Configure SSL.
You can configure this setting only if your administrator has allowed it.

Connect to the server on which you have unauthenticated access to remote applications.
Option

Action

Connect to a new server

Double-click the + Add Server button or click the + New Server button in
the menu bar, enter the name of the server, and click Connect.

Connect to an existing server

Double-click the server icon on the Horizon Client home window.

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Chapter 4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections

Connections between Horizon Client and Connection Server always use SSL. The default port for SSL
connections is 443. If Connection Server is not configured to use the default port, use the format shown
in this example: view.company.com:1443.
You might see a message that you must confirm before the Login dialog box appears.
6

When the Login dialog box appears, select a user account from the User account drop-down menu, if
necessary.
If only one user account is available, the drop-down menu is disabled and the user account is already
selected.

(Optional) If the Always use this account check box is available, select it to bypass the Login dialog box
the next time you connect to the server.
To deselect this setting before you connect to the server the next time, right-click the server icon on the
Horizon Client home window and select Forget the saved Unauthenticated Access account.

Click Login to log in to the server.
The application selection window appears.

To start the application, double-click an application icon.

Tips for Using the Desktop and Application Selector
For your convenience, you can reorganize or reduce the number of icons on the Horizon Client desktop and
application selector screen.
After you authenticate and connect to a particular server, a window appears that includes icons for all the
remote desktops and applications you are entitled to use. Try the following suggestions to quickly launch
your most frequently used remote desktops and applications:
n

Quickly type in the first few letters of the name. For example, if you have icons for Paint, PowerPoint,
and Publisher, you can quickly type pa to select the Paint application.
If more than one item matches the letters you typed, you can press F4 to go to the next item that
matches. When you get to the last item, you can press F4 to go back to the first item that matches.

Mark an icon as a favorite by right-clicking the icon and selecting Mark as Favorite from the context
menu. After you select favorites, click the Show Favorites View button (star icon) to remove all the
icons that are not favorites.

While in the Favorites view, select an icon and drag it to change the ordering of the icons. When you are
not in the Favorites view, by default desktop icons are listed first, in alphabetical order, followed by
application icons, also listed in alphabetical order. But you can drag and drop icons to reposition them
while in the Favorites view.
The ordering of icons is saved on the server you are using, either when you disconnect from the server
or when you launch an application or desktop. If you do not manually disconnect from the server or
launch an item, your changes will not be saved.

VMware, Inc.

Create a shortcut so that you can access the remote desktop or application from your own local desktop
and avoid the selector window altogether. Right click the icon and select Create Shortcut from the
context menu.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Right click the remote desktop or application icon and select Add to Start Menu from the context menu
so that you can access the remote desktop or application from your own local Start menu and avoid the
selector window altogether.

Note If you are using a Windows 7 or later client system, after you have connected to a server, desktop, or
application, you can open Horizon Client and right-click the Horizon Client icon in the Windows taskbar to
select that recently used server, desktop, or application. Up to 10 items appear in the list. To remove an item,
right-click it and select Remove from this list.
If you right-click the Horizon Client icon in the taskbar and do not see a jump list, right-click the taskbar,
select Properties, and click the Start Menu tab. In the Privacy section, select the Store and display recently
opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar check box, and click OK.

Share Access to Local Folders and Drives
You can configure Horizon Client to share folders and drives on your local system with remote desktops
and applications. Drives can include mapped drives and USB storage devices. This feature is called client
drive redirection.
In a Windows remote desktop, shared folders and drives appear in the Devices and drives section in the
This PC folder, or in the Other section in the Computer folder, depending on the Windows operating
system version. In a remote application, such as Notepad, you can browse to and open a file in a shared
folder or drive. The folders and drives you select for sharing appear in the file system as network drives that
use the naming format name on MACHINE-NAME.
You do not need to be connected to a remote desktop or application to configure client drive redirection
settings. The settings apply to all your remote desktops and applications. That is, you cannot configure the
settings so that local client folders are shared with one remote desktop or application but not with other
remote desktops or applications.
You can also turn on the ability to open local files with remote applications directly from the local file
system. When you right-click a local file, the Open with menu also lists the available remote applications.
You can also set files to be opened automatically with remote applications when you double-click the file.
When you enable this feature, all files on your local file system that have certain file extensions are
registered with the server that you are logged in to. For example, if Microsoft Word is one of the remote
applications available from the server, you can right-click a .docx file on your local file system and open the
file with the remote MS Word application. This feature requires Horizon 6.2 servers and agents.
An administrator can hide the client drive redirection feature in Horizon Client by enabling a group policy
setting. For more information, see Disable sharing files and folders in Table 3-7.
Configuring the browser on the client system to use a proxy server can cause poor client drive redirection
performance if the secure tunnel is enabled on the Connection Server instance. For the best client drive
redirection performance, configure the browser not to use a proxy server or automatically detect LAN
settings.
Prerequisites
To share folders and drives with a remote desktop or application, you must enable the client drive
redirection feature. This task includes installing View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, and
enabling the agent Client Drive Redirection option. It can also include setting policies to control client drive
redirection behavior. For more information, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7
document.

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Chapter 4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections

Procedure
1

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Open the Settings dialog box with the Sharing panel displayed.
Option

Description

From the desktop and application
selection window

Right-click a desktop or application icon, select Settings, and select
Sharing in the left panel of the window that appears.

From the Sharing dialog box that
appears when you connect to a
desktop or application

Click the Settings > Sharing link in the dialog box.

From within a desktop OS

Select Options > Share Folders from the menu bar.

Configure the client drive redirection settings.
Option

Action

Share a specific folder or drive with
remote desktops and applications

Click the Add button, browse to and select the folder or drive to share, and
click OK.
Note You cannot share a folder on a USB device if the device is already
connected to a remote desktop or application with the USB redirection
feature.
Also, do not turn on the USB redirection feature that automatically
connects USB devices at startup or when the device is inserted. If you do
so, the next time you start Horizon Client or plug in the USB device, the
device will be connected using the USB redirection feature rather than the
client drive redirection feature.

Stop sharing a specific folder or
drive

Select the folder or drive in the Folder list and click the Remove button.

Permit remote desktops and
applications access to files in your
local user directory

Select the Share your local files user-name check box.

Share USB storage devices with
remote desktops and applications

Select the Allow access to removable storage check box. The client drive
redirection feature automatically shares all USB storage devices inserted in
your client system and all FireWire and Thunderbolt-connected external
drives. You do not need to select a specific device to share.
Note USB storage devices already connected to a remote desktop or
application with the USB redirection feature are not shared.
If this check box is deselected, you can use the USB redirection feature to
connect USB storage devices to remote desktops and applications.

Turn on the ability to open a local
file with a remote application from
the local file system

Select the Open local files in hosted applications check box. With this
option, you can right-click a file in your local file system and select to open
the file with a remote application.
You can also change the properties of the file so that all files with that file
extension are opened with the remote application by default, such as when
you double-click the file. For example, you can right-click a file, select
Properties, and click Change to select the remote application to open files
of that type.
Your administrator can disable this feature.

Do not show the Sharing dialog box
when you connect to a remote
desktop or application

Select the Do not show dialog when connecting to a desktop or
application check box.
If this check box is deselected, the Sharing dialog box appears the first time
you connect to a desktop or application after you connect to a server. For
example, if you log in to a server and connect to a desktop, you see the
Sharing dialog box. If you then connect to another desktop or application,
you do not see the dialog box again. To see the dialog box again, you must
disconnect from the server and then log in again.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

What to do next
Verify that you can see the shared folders from within the remote desktop or application:
n

From within a Windows remote desktop, open File Explorer and look in the Devices and drives section
in the This PC folder, or open Windows Explorer and look in the Other section in the Computer folder.

From within a remote application, if applicable, select File > Open or File > Save As and navigate to the
folder or drive, which appears in the file system as a network drive that uses the naming format foldername on MACHINE-NAME.

Hide the VMware Horizon Client Window
You can hide the VMware Horizon Client window after you open a remote desktop or application.
You can also set a preference that always hides the VMware Horizon Client window after a remote desktop
or application opens.
Note Administrators can use a group policy setting to configure whether the window is always hidden
after a remote desktop or application opens.
For more information, see “General Settings for Client GPOs,” on page 52.
Procedure
n

To hide the VMware Horizon Client window after you open a remote desktop or application, click the
Close button in the corner of the VMware Horizon Client window.

To set a preference that always hides the VMware Horizon Client window after a remote desktop or
application opens, before you connect to a server, click the Options button in the menu bar and select
Hide the selector after launching an item.

To show the VMware Horizon Client window after it has been hidden, right-click the
VMware Horizon Client icon in the system tray and select Show VMware Horizon Client, or, if you are
logged in to a remote desktop, click the Options button in the menu bar and select Switch to Other
Desktop.

Reconnecting to a Desktop or Application
For security purposes, administrators set timeouts that log you off of a server after a certain number of
hours and that lock a remote application after a certain number of minutes of inactivity.
With the View 6.0 remote applications feature, if you have not used a remote application for a certain
amount of time, then 30 seconds before the application is automatically locked, you receive a warning
prompt. If you do not respond, the application is locked. By default the timeout occurs after 15 minutes of
inactivity, but your administrator can change the time period.
For example, if you have one or more applications open and you walk away from your computer, when you
return an hour later, the application windows might no longer be open. Instead you might see a dialog box
prompting you to click the OK button so that the application windows appear again.
The server timeout period is typically set for a certain number of hours of inactivity. By default, if you have
Horizon Client open and connected to a particular server for more than 10 hours, you will be required to log
in again. This timeout applies regardless of whether you are connected to a remote application or a remote
desktop.
To configure these timeout settings, in Horizon Administrator, go to Global Settings and edit the general
settings.

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Chapter 4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections

Create a Desktop or Application Shortcut on Your Client Desktop or
Start Menu
You can create a shortcut for a remote desktop or application. The shortcut appears on your client desktop,
just like shortcuts for locally installed applications. You can also create a Start menu item that appears in the
Programs list.
Procedure
1

Start Horizon Client and log in to the server.

In the desktop and application selection window, right-click an application or desktop and select Create
Shortcut or Add to Start Menu from the context menu that appears.

Depending on the command you selected, a shortcut item is created on your client desktop or in the Start
menu of your client system.
What to do next
You can rename, delete, or perform any action on this shortcut that you can perform on shortcuts for locally
installed applications. When you use the shortcut, if you are not already logged in to the server, you are
prompted to log in before the remote desktop or application window opens.

Switch Desktops or Applications
If you are connected to a remote desktop, you can switch to another desktop. You can also connect to remote
applications while you are connected to a remote desktop.
Procedure
u

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Select a remote desktop or application from the same server or a different server.
Option

Action

Choose a different desktop or
application on the same server

Perform one of the following actions:
n If you are currently logged in to a remote desktop select Options >
Switch to Other Desktop from the Horizon Client menu bar, and
select a desktop or application to launch.
n If you are currently logged in to a remote application, right-click the
VMware Horizon Client icon in the system tray and select Show
VMware Horizon Client to display the desktop and application
selector window, and double-click the icon for the other different
desktop or application.
n From the desktop and application selector window, double-click the
icon for th other desktop or application. That desktop or application
opens in a new window so that you have multiple windows open, and
you can switch between them.

Choose a different desktop or
application on a different server

Perform either of the following actions:
n If you want to keep the current desktop or application open and also
connect to a remote desktop or application on another server, start a
new instance of Horizon Client and connect to the other desktop or
application.
n If you want to close the current desktop and connect to a desktop on
another server, go to the desktop selector window, click the
Disconnect icon in the upper-left corner of the window, and confirm
that you want to log off of the server. You will be disconnected from
the current server and any open desktop sessions. You can then
connect to a different server.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Log Off or Disconnect
With some configurations, if you disconnect from a remote desktop without logging off, applications in the
desktop can remain open. You can also disconnect from a server and leave remote applications running.
Even if you do not have a remote desktop open, you can log off of the remote desktop operating system.
Using this feature has the same result as sending Ctrl+Alt+Del to the desktop and then clicking Log Off.
Note The Windows key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del is not supported in remote desktops. To use the
equivalent of pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, click the Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete button in the menu bar. Alternatively, in
most cases, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Insert.
Procedure
n

Disconnect from a remote desktop without logging off.
Option

Action

From the remote desktop window

Perform one of the following actions:
n Click the Close button in the corner of the desktop window.
n Select Options > Disconnect from the menu bar in the desktop
window.

From the desktop and application
selector window

The desktop and application selector window is open if you are entitled to
multiple desktops or applications on the server. In the upper-left corner of
the desktop selector window, click the Disconnect from this server icon
and click Yes in the warning box.

Note Your administrator can configure your desktop to automatically log off when disconnected. In
that case, any open programs in your desktop are stopped.
n

Log off and disconnect from a remote desktop.
Option

Action

From within the desktop OS

Use the Windows Start menu to log off.

From the menu bar

Select Options > Disconnect and Log Off.
If you use this procedure, files that are open on the remote desktop will be
closed without being saved first.

Disconnect from a remote application.
Option

Action

Disconnect from the application but
not the server

Quit the application in the usual manner, for example, click the Close
button in the corner of the application window.

Disconnect from the application
and the server

Perform one of the following actions:
n In the upper-left corner of the application selector window, click the
Disconnect from this server icon and click Yes in the warning box.
n Right-click the Horizon Client icon in the system tray and select Quit.

Close the application selector
window but leave the application
running

Clicking the Close button only closes the application selector window.

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Chapter 4 Managing Remote Desktop and Application Connections

Log off when you do not have a remote desktop open.
If you use this procedure, files that are open on the remote desktop will be closed without being saved
first.

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Start Horizon Client, connect to the server that provides access to the remote desktop, and supply
your authentication credentials.

Right-click the desktop icon and select Logoff.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

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Working in a Remote Desktop or
Application

Horizon provides the familiar, personalized desktop and application environment that end users expect.
End users can access USB and other devices connected to their local computer, send documents to any
printer that their local computer can detect, authenticate with smart cards, and use multiple display
monitors.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Feature Support Matrix for Windows Clients,” on page 79

“Internationalization,” on page 83

“Enabling Support for Onscreen Keyboards,” on page 84

“Resizing the Remote Desktop Window,” on page 84

“Monitors and Screen Resolution,” on page 85

“Connect USB Devices,” on page 89

“Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and Microphones,” on page 93

“Copying and Pasting Text and Images,” on page 94

“Using Remote Applications,” on page 95

“Printing from a Remote Desktop or Application,” on page 96

“Control Adobe Flash Display,” on page 97

“Clicking URL Links That Open Outside of Horizon Client,” on page 98

“Using the Relative Mouse Feature for CAD and 3D Applications,” on page 98

“Using Scanners,” on page 99

“Using Serial Port Redirection,” on page 100

“Keyboard Shortcuts,” on page 101

Feature Support Matrix for Windows Clients
Some features are supported on one type of Horizon Client but not on another.
When planning which display protocol and features to make available to your end users, use the following
information to determine which client operating systems support the feature.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 5‑1. Remote Desktop Features Supported on Windows-Based Horizon Client Systems

Feature

Windows XP
Desktop (View
Agent 6.0.2 and
earlier)

Windows Vista
Desktop (View
Agent 6.0.2 and
earlier)

Windows
7 Desktop

Windows
8.x
Desktop

Windows
10
Desktop

Windows
Server
2008/2012 R2
Desktop or
Windows
Server 2016
Desktop

USB redirection

Limited

Serial port
redirection

VMware Blast
display protocol

Client drive
redirection
Real-Time AudioVideo (RTAV)

Limited

Scanner
redirection

RDP display
protocol

Limited

PCoIP display
protocol

Limited

Persona
Management

Limited

Wyse MMR

Limited

Limited
X

Windows Media
MMR
Location-based
printing

Limited

Virtual printing

Limited

Smart cards

Limited

RSA SecurID or
RADIUS

Limited

Single sign-on

Limited

Multiple monitors

Limited

Windows 10 desktops require View Agent 6.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later. Windows Server 2012
R2 desktops require View Agent 6.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
Important View Agent 6.1 and later releases do not support Windows XP and Windows Vista desktops.
View Agent 6.0.2 is the last View release that supports these guest operating systems. Customers who have
an extended support agreement with Microsoft for Windows XP and Vista, and an extended support
agreement with VMware for these guest operating systems, can deploy the View Agent 6.0.2 version of their
Windows XP and Vista desktops with View Connection Server 6.1.
For information about which editions of each client operating system are supported, or which service packs,
see “System Requirements for Windows Clients,” on page 10.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

Feature Support for Published Desktops on RDS Hosts
RDS hosts are server computers that have Windows Remote Desktop Services and View Agent or
Horizon Agent installed. Multiple users can have desktop sessions on an RDS host simultaneously. An RDS
host can be either a physical machine or a virtual machine.
Note The following table contains rows only for the features that are supported. Where the text specifies a
minimum version of View Agent, the text "and later" is meant to include Horizon Agent 7.0.x and later.
Table 5‑2. Features Supported for RDS Hosts with View Agent 6.0.x or Later, or Horizon Agent 7.0.x or
Later, Installed
Feature

Windows Server 2008 R2
RDS Host

Windows Server 2012
RDS Host

Windows Server 2016 RDS
Host

RSA SecurID or RADIUS

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Smart card

View Agent 6.1 and later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Single sign-on

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

RDP display protocol (for
desktop clients)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

PCoIP display protocol

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

VMware Blast display
protocol

Horizon Agent 7.0 and later

Horizon Agent 7.0 and
later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

HTML Access

View Agent 6.0.2 and later
(virtual machine only)

View Agent 6.0.2 and
later (virtual machine
only)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Windows Media MMR

View Agent 6.1.1 and later

View Agent 6.1.1 and
later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

View Agent 6.1 and later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

USB redirection (USB
storage devices only)
Client drive redirection

View Agent 6.1.1 and later

View Agent 6.1.1 and
later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Virtual printing (for desktop
clients)

View Agent 6.0.1 and later
(virtual machine only)

View Agent 6.0.1 and
later (virtual machine
only)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later
(virtual machine only)

Scanner redirection

View Agent 6.0.2 and later

View Agent 6.0.2 and
later

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Location-based printing

View Agent 6.0.1 and later
(virtual machine only)

View Agent 6.0.1 and
later (virtual machine
only)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later
(virtual machine only)

Multiple monitors (for
desktop clients)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Unity Touch (for mobile and
Chrome OS clients)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and later

Real-Time Audio-Video
(RTAV)

Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and
later

Horizon Agent 7.0.3 and later

For information about which editions of each guest operating system are supported, or which service packs,
see the View Installation document.

Limitations for Specific Features
Features that are supported on Windows-based clients have the following restrictions.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Table 5‑3. Requirements for Specific Features
Feature

Requirements

Windows Media MMR

Requires View Agent 6.0.2 or later. To use the Windows Media MMR feature with RDS
desktops, you must have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol, you must have Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Serial port redirection

Requires View Agent 6.1.1 or later. For Windows 10, requires View Agent 6.2 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol, you must have Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Virtual printing and locationbased printing for Windows
Server 2008 R2 desktops, RDS
desktops (on virtual machine
RDS hosts), and remote
applications

Requires Horizon 6.0.1 with View or later.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol for this feature, you must have
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Scanner redirection

Requires View Agent 6.0.2 or later. Requires the PCoIP display protocol. For Windows
10, requires View Agent 6.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol, you must have Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Client drive redirection

For single-user virtual machine desktops and published desktops on RDS hosts, requires
View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol, you must have Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Note You can also use Horizon Client to securely access remote Windows-based applications, in addition
to remote desktops. Selecting an application in Horizon Client opens a window for that application on the
local client device, and the application looks and behaves as if it were locally installed.
You can use remote applications only if you are connected to Connection Server 6.0 or later. For information
about which operating systems are supported for the RDS host, which provides published applications and
published desktops, see the View Installation document.
For descriptions of these features and their limitations, see the View Architecture Planning document.

Feature Support for Linux Desktops
Some Linux guest operating systems are supported if you have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent
7.0 or later. For a list of supported Linux operating systems and information about supported features, see
Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops or Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7.

Features Supported in Nested Mode
Nested mode is sometimes used for zero clients or thin clients, where, when the end user logs in to the zero
client, Horizon Client automatically starts and logs the user in to a remote desktop. From this remote
desktop, the user launches hosted applications.
In this setup, the remote desktop is either a single-user virtual machine desktop or a desktop provided by an
RDS host. In either case, to provide hosted applications, the Horizon Client software must be installed in the
remote desktop. This setup is called nested mode because the client connects to a desktop that also has the
client installed.
The following operating systems are supported when running Horizon Client in nested mode.

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows 7 Enterprise SP1

Windows 10 Enterprise, version 1607

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

The following features are supported when a user uses Horizon Client in nested mode.
n

VMware Blast, PCoIP, and RDP display protocols

Location-based printing

Virtual printing

Single sign-on (without smart card)

Clipboard redirection

URL Content Redirection

Internationalization
The user interface and documentation are available in English, Japanese, French, German, Simplified
Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

Use a Local IME with Remote Applications
When using non-English keyboards and locales, you can use an IME (input method editor) installed in your
local system to send non-English characters to a remote hosted application.
You can also use hot keys and icons in the notification area (system tray) of your local system to switch to a
different IME. No IME is required to be installed in the remote RDS host.
When this feature is turned on, the local IME is used. If an IME is installed and configured on the RDS host
where the remote application is installed, that remote IME is ignored.
By default the feature is turned off. Whenever you change the setting to turn the feature on or off, you must
disconnect from the server and log in again before the change can take effect.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that one or more IMEs are installed in the client system.

Make sure that the input language on your local client system matches the language used in your IME.
The input language on the RDS host is not applicable.

Verify that the remote desktop has View Agent 6.0.2, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed.

Procedure
1

In the desktop and application selector window of Horizon Client, right-click a remote application and
select Settings.

In the Remote Applications pane that appears, select Extend the local IME to hosted applications
check box and click OK.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Restart the session by using one of the following options:
Option

Description

Log off of the server

Disconnect from the server and then log in to the server again and connect
to the application again. You can resume your applications, which were
disconnected but not closed, as were any remote desktops.

Reset the applications

Right-click a remote application icon, select Settings, and click Reset.
Using this option, if you have any remote desktops open, they are not
disconnected. All the remote applications are closed, however, and you
must start them again.

The setting takes effect only after you restart the session. The setting applies to all remote hosted
applications on the server.
4

Use the local IME as you would with any locally installed applications.

The language designation and an icon for the IME appear in the notification area (system tray) of your local
client system. You can use hot keys to switch to a different language or IME. Key combinations that perform
certain actions, such as CTRL+X for cutting text and Alt+Right Arrow for moving to a different tab, will still
work correctly.
Note On Windows 7 and 8.x systems, you can specify hot keys for IMEs by using the Text Services and
Input Languages dialog box (available by going to Control Panel > Region and Language > Keyboards and
Languages tab > Change Keyboards button > Text Services and Input Languages > Advanced Key
Settings tab).

Enabling Support for Onscreen Keyboards
You can configure your client system so that if a Horizon Client window has focus, then physical keyboard,
onscreen keyboard, mouse, and handwriting pad events are sent to the remote desktop or remote
application, even if the mouse or onscreen keyboard is outside of the Horizon Client window.
This feature is especially useful if you are using an x86-based Windows tablet, such as a Windows Surface
Pro. To use this feature, you must set the Windows Registry key EnableSoftKeypad to true. The location of
this key depends on the type of system:
n

For 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\

For 64-bit Windows: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Client\

Resizing the Remote Desktop Window
If you drag a corner of the remote desktop window to resize it, a tooltip displays the screen resolution in the
lower-right corner of the window.
If you are using the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol, the tooltip changes to show different screen
resolutions when you change the size of the desktop window. This information is useful if you need to resize
the remote desktop to a specific resolution.
You cannot change the resolution of the remote desktop window if an administrator has locked the guest
size or if you are using the RDP display protocol. In these cases, the resolution tooltip shows the initial
resolution.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

Monitors and Screen Resolution
You can extend a remote desktop to multiple monitors. If you have a high-resolution monitor, you can see
the remote desktop or application in full resolution.
The All Monitors display mode displays a remote desktop window on multiple monitors. The remote
desktop window appears on all monitors by default. You can use the selective multiple-monitor feature to
display a remote desktop window on a subset of your monitors.
If you are using All Monitors mode and click the Minimize button, if you then maximize the window, the
window goes back to All Monitors mode. Similarly, if you are using Fullscreen mode and minimize the
window, when you maximize the window, the window goes back to Fullscreen mode on one monitor.
If you have Horizon Client use all monitors, if you maximize an application window, the window expands
to the full screen of only the monitor that contains it.

Supported Multiple Monitor Configurations
Horizon Client supports the following multiple monitor configurations.
n

If you use two monitors, the monitors are not required to be in the same mode. For example, if you are
using a laptop connected to an external monitor, the external monitor can be in portrait mode or
landscape mode.

Monitors can be placed side by side, stacked two by two, or vertically stacked only if you are using two
monitors and the total height is less than 4096 pixels.

To use the selective multiple-monitor feature, you must use the VMware Blast display protocol or the
PCoIP display protocol. For more information, see “Select Specific Monitors in a Multiple-Monitor
Setup,” on page 86.

To use the 3D rendering feature, you must use the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display
protocol. You can use up to two monitors, with a resolution of up to 1920 X 1200. For a resolution of 4K
(3840 X 2160), only one monitor is supported.

If you use instant clone desktops pools, the maximum number of monitors that you can use to display a
remote desktop is two, with a resolution of up to 2560 X 1600.

With the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, a remote desktop screen
resolution of 4K (3840 x 2160) is supported. The number of 4K displays that are supported depends on
the hardware version of the desktop virtual machine and the Windows version.

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Hardware Version

Windows Version

Number of 4K Displays
Supported

10 (ESXi 5.5.x compatible)

7, 8, 8.x, 10

11 (ESXi 6.0 compatible)

7 (3D rendering feature disabled and Windows Aero
disabled)

7 (3D rendering feature enabled)

8, 8.x, 10

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

The remote desktop must have View Agent 6.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed. For best
performance, the virtual machine should have at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs. This feature might
require good network conditions, such as a bandwidth of 1000 Mbps with low network latency and a
low package loss rate.
Note When the remote desktop screen resolution is set to 3840 x 2160 (4K), items on the screen might
appear smaller, and you might not be able to use the Screen Resolution dialog box in the remote
desktop to make text and other items larger. In this scenario, you can set the client machine's DPI to the
proper setting and enable the DPI Synchronization feature to redirect the client machine's DPI setting to
the remote desktop.
n

If you use Microsoft RDP 7, the maximum number of monitors that you can use to display a remote
desktop is 16.

If you use Microsoft RDP display protocol, you must have Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection
(RDC) 6.0 or later installed in the remote desktop.

Select Specific Monitors in a Multiple-Monitor Setup
You can use the selective multiple-monitor feature to select the monitors on which to display a remote
desktop window. For example, if you have three monitors, you can specify that the remote desktop window
appears on only two of those monitors. By default, a remote desktop window appears on all monitors in a
multiple-monitor setup.
You can select up to four adjacent monitors. The monitors can be side by side, stacked two by two, or
stacked vertically. A maximum of two monitors can be stacked vertically.
This feature is not supported for remote applications.
Procedure
1

Start Horizon Client and log in to a server.

In the desktop and application selection window, right-click the remote desktop and select Settings.

Select PCoIP or VMware Blast from the Connect Via drop-down menu.

Select All Monitors from the Display drop-down menu.
Thumbnails of the monitors that are currently connected to your client system appear under Display
settings. The display topology matches the display settings on your client system.

Click a thumbnail to select or deselect a monitor on which to display the remote desktop window.
When you select a monitor, its thumbnail turns green. A warning message appears if you violate a
display selection rule.

Click Apply to save your changes.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

Connect to the remote desktop.
Your changes are applied immediately when you connect to the remote desktop. Your changes are
saved in the Horizon Client preferences file for the remote desktop after you exit from Horizon Client.

Use One Monitor in a Multiple-Monitor Setup
If you have multiple monitors but want a remote desktop window to appear on only one monitor, you can
configure the remote desktop window to open on a single monitor.
This preference is not supported for remote applications.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

Procedure
1

Start Horizon Client and log in to a server.

In the desktop and application selection window, right-click the remote desktop and select Settings.

Select PCoIP or VMware Blast from the Connect Via drop-down menu.

From the Display menu, select Window - Large, Window - Small, or Custom.
If you select Custom, you can select a specific window size.

Click Apply to save your changes.
Your changes take effect immediately after you click Apply.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

By default, the remote desktop window opens on the primary monitor. You can drag the remote desktop
window to a non-primary monitor, and the next time you open the remote desktop, the remote desktop
window appears on that same monitor. The window is opened and centered in the monitor and uses the
window size you selected for the display mode, not a size that you might have created by dragging the
window to resize it.

Use Display Scaling
A user who has a high-resolution screen such as a 4K monitor, or who has poor eyesight, generally has
scaling enabled by setting the DPI (Dots Per Inch) on the client machine to greater than 100 percent. With the
Display Scaling feature, the remote desktop or application supports the client machine's scaling setting, and
the remote desktop or application appears normal-sized instead of very small.
Horizon Client saves the display scaling setting for each remote desktop separately. For remote applications,
the display scaling setting applies to all remote applications that are available to the currently logged-in
user. The display scaling setting appears, even if the DPI setting is 100 percent on the client machine.
An administrator can hide the display scaling setting by enabling the Horizon Client Locked Guest Size
group policy setting. Enabling the Locked Guest Size group policy setting does not disable the DPI
Synchronization feature. To disable the DPI Synchronization feature, an administrator must disable the DPI
Synchronization group policy setting. For more information, see “Using DPI Synchronization,” on
page 88.
In a multiple-monitor setup, using display scaling does not affect the number of monitors and the maximum
resolutions that Horizon Client supports. When display scaling is allowed and in effect, scaling is based on
the DPI setting of the primary monitor.
This procedure describes how to enable the Display Scaling feature before you connect to a remote desktop
or application. You can enable the Display Scaling feature after you connect to a remote desktop by selecting
Options > Allow Display Scaling.
Procedure
1

Start Horizon Client and connect to a server.

In the desktop and application selection window, right-click the remote desktop or application and
select Settings.

Select the Allow display scaling check box.

Click Apply to save your changes.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

Using DPI Synchronization
The DPI Synchronization feature ensures that the remote desktop's DPI setting matches the client machine's
DPI setting for new remote sessions. When you start a new session, Horizon Agent sets the DPI value in the
remote desktop to match the DPI value of the client machine.
The DPI Synchronization feature cannot change the DPI setting for active remote sessions. If you reconnect
to an existing remote session, the Display Scaling feature scales the remote desktop or application
appropriately.
The DPI Synchronization feature is enabled by default. An administrator can disable the DPI
Synchronization feature by disabling the Horizon Agent DPI Synchronization group policy setting. You
must log out and log in again to make the configuration change take effect. For more information, see the
Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.
When the DPI Synchronization feature and the Display Scaling feature are both enabled, only one feature
takes effect at any given time. Display scaling occurs only when DPI synchronization has not yet taken effect
(that is, before the DPI setting on the remote desktop matches the DPI setting on the client machine), and
display scaling stops working after the DPI settings match.
For single-session virtual machine desktops, the DPI Synchronization feature is supported on the following
guest operating systems:
n

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8.x

32-bit or 64-bit Windows 10

Windows Server 2008 R2 configured as a desktop

Windows Server 2012 R2 configured as a desktop

Windows Server 2016 configured as a desktop

For published desktops and published applications, the DPI Synchronization feature is supported on the
following RDS hosts:
n

Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2016

The DPI Synchronization feature requires Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later and Horizon Client 4.2 or later.
Note The DPI Synchronization feature is not available if you use Horizon Client 4.2 with Horizon Agent
7.0 or 7.0.1, or Horizon Client 4.0 or 4.1 with Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later. Only the Display Scaling feature is
available in these scenarios.
Following are tips for using the DPI Synchronization feature:

If you change the DPI setting on the client machine, you must log out and log in again to make
Horizon Client aware of the new DPI setting on the client machine. This requirement applies even if the
client machine is running Windows 10.

If you start a remote session on a client machine that has a DPI setting of more than 100 percent, and
then use the same session on another client machine that has a different DPI setting of more than 100
percent, you must log out and log back in to the session on the second client machine to make DPI
synchronization work on the second client machine.

Although Windows 10 and Windows 8.x machines support different DPI settings on different monitors,
the DPI Synchronization feature uses only the DPI value that is set on the client machine's primary
monitor. All monitors in the remote desktop also use the same DPI setting as the client machine's
primary monitor. Horizon Client does not support different DPI settings in different monitors.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

If an administrator changes the DPI Synchronization group policy setting value for Horizon Agent,
you must log out and log in again to make the new setting take effect.

When you connect a laptop that supports different DPI settings on different monitors to an external
monitor, and you set the external monitor to be the primary monitor, Windows automatically changes
the primary monitor and primary monitor DPI setting every time you detach or reattach the external
monitor. In this situation, you must log out and log back in to the client system to make Horizon Client
aware of the primary monitor change, and you must log out and log back in to the remote desktop or
application to make the DPI settings match between the client system and remote desktop or
application.

For Windows 10 client machines, right-click on your Desktop, select Display Settings > Advanced
display settings > Advanced sizing of text and other items, click the set a custom scaling level link,
and then log out and log in again to make the new DPI setting take effect.

Change the Display Mode While a Desktop Window Is Open
You can change display modes, such as from All Monitors mode to Fullscreen mode, without having to
disconnect from a remote desktop.
This feature is not supported for remote applications.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are using VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol.
Procedure
1

On the client system, in the notification area (system tray), right-click the Horizon Client icon and select
the option to open the Settings window.
Note You can also open the Settings window from the application and desktop selection window.

Select the remote desktop and select a display option.

Connect USB Devices
You can use locally attached USB devices, such as thumb flash drives, cameras, and printers, from a remote
desktop. This feature is called USB redirection.
When you use this feature, most USB devices that are attached to the local client system become available
from a menu in Horizon Client. You use the menu to connect and disconnect the devices.
Note With View Agent 6.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, you can also redirect locally connected
USB thumb flash drives and hard disks for use in published desktops and applications on RDS hosts. Other
types of USB devices, including other types of storage devices, such as security storage drives and USB CDROM, are not supported in published desktops and applications. With Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later,
published desktops and applications can support more generic USB devices, including TOPAZ Signature
Pad, Olympus Dictation Foot pedal, and Wacom signature pad. Other types of USB devices, including
security storage drivers and USB CD-ROM drives, are not supported in published desktops and
applications.
Using USB devices with remote desktops has the following limitations:
n

VMware, Inc.

When you access a USB device from a menu in Horizon Client and use the device in a remote desktop,
you cannot access the device on the local computer.

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

USB devices that do not appear in the menu, but are available in a remote desktop, include human
interface devices such as keyboards and pointing devices. The remote desktop and the local computer
use these devices at the same time. Interaction with these devices can sometimes be slow because of
network latency.

Large USB disk drives can take several minutes to appear in the desktop.

Some USB devices require specific drivers. If a required driver is not already installed on a remote
desktop, you might be prompted to install it when you connect the USB device to the remote desktop.

If you plan to attach USB devices that use MTP drivers, such as Android-based Samsung smart phones
and tablets, configure Horizon Client so that it automatically connects USB devices to your remote
desktop. Otherwise, if you try to manually redirect the USB device by using a menu item, the device is
not redirected unless you unplug the device and then plug it in again.

Do not connect to scanners by using the Connect USB Device menu. To use a scanner device, use the
scanner redirection feature. This feature is available for Horizon Client when used with View Agent
6.0.2 or later or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later. See “Using Scanners,” on page 99.

Webcams are not supported for USB redirection using the Connect USB Device menu. To use a
webcam or audio input device, you must use the Real-Time Audio-Video feature. This feature is
available when used with View 5.2 Feature Pack 2 or a later release. See “Using the Real-Time AudioVideo Feature for Webcams and Microphones,” on page 93.

The redirection of USB audio devices depends on the state of the network and is not reliable. Some
devices require a high data throughput even when they are idle. If you have the Real-Time AudioVideo feature, included with View 5.2 Feature Pack 2 or a later release, audio input and output devices
work well using that feature, and you do not need to use USB redirection for those devices.

You can connect USB devices to a remote desktop either manually or automatically.
Note Do not redirect USB devices such as USB Ethernet devices and touch screen devices to the remote
desktop. If you redirect a USB Ethernet device, your client system loses network connectivity. If you redirect
a touch screen device, the remote desktop receives touch input but not keyboard input. If you have set your
virtual desktop to autoconnect USB devices, you can configure a policy to exclude specific devices.
Important This procedure tells how to use a VMware Horizon Client menu item to configure
autoconnecting USB devices to a remote desktop. You can also configure autoconnecting by using the
Horizon Client command-line interface or by creating a group policy.
For more information about the command-line interface, see “Running Horizon Client from the Command
Line,” on page 61. For more information about creating group policies, see the Configuring Remote Desktop
Features in Horizon 7 document.
Prerequisites
n

To use USB devices with a remote desktop, a Horizon administrator must enable the USB feature for the
remote desktop.
This task includes installing the USB Redirection component of the agent, and can include setting
policies regarding USB redirection. For more information, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in
Horizon 7 document.

When Horizon Client was installed, the USB Redirection component must have been installed. If you
did not include this component in the installation, uninstall the client and run the installer again to
include the USB Redirection component.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

Procedure
n

Manually connect the USB device to a remote desktop.
a

Connect the USB device to your local client system.

From the VMware Horizon Client menu bar, click Connect USB Device.

Select the USB device.

The device is manually redirected from the local system to the remote desktop.
n

Connect the USB device to a remote hosted application.
a

In the desktop and application selector window, open the remote application.
The name of the application is the name that your administrator has configured for the application.

In the desktop and application selector window, right-click the application icon and select Settings.

In the left pane, select USB Devices.

In the right pane, select the USB device and click Connect.

Select the application, and click OK.
Note The name of the application in the list comes from the application itself and might not
match the application name that your administrator configured to appear in the desktop and
application selector window.
You can now use the USB device with the remote application. After you close the application, the
USB device is not released right away.

When you are finished using the application, to release the USB device so that you can access it
from your local system, in the desktop and application selector window, open the Settings window
again, select USB Devices, and select Disconnect.

Configure Horizon Client to connect USB devices automatically to the remote desktop when you plug
them in to the local system.
Use the autoconnect feature if you plan to connect devices that use MTP drivers, such as Android-based
Samsung smart phones and tablets.
a

Before you plug in the USB device, start Horizon Client and connect to a remote desktop.

From the VMware Horizon Client menu bar, select Connect USB Device > Autoconnect USB
Devices when Inserted.

Plug in the USB device.

USB devices that you connect to your local system after you start Horizon Client are redirected to the
remote desktop.
n

Configure Horizon Client to connect USB devices automatically to the remote desktop when
Horizon Client starts.
a

From the VMware Horizon Client menu bar, select Connect USB Device > Autoconnect USB
Devices at Startup.

Plug in the USB device and restart Horizon Client.

USB devices that are connected to the local system when you start Horizon Client are redirected to the
remote desktop.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

The USB device appears in the desktop. A USB device might take up to 20 seconds to appear in the desktop.
The first time you connect the device to the desktop you might be prompted to install drivers.
If the USB device does not appear in the desktop after several minutes, disconnect and reconnect the device
to the client computer.
What to do next
If you have problems with USB redirection, see the topic about troubleshooting USB redirection problems in
the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Configure Clients to Reconnect When USB Devices Restart
If you do not configure Horizon Client to automatically connect USB devices to your remote desktop, you
can still configure Horizon Client to reconnect to specific devices that occasionally restart. Otherwise, when
a device restarts during an upgrade, the device will connect to the local system rather than to the remote
desktop.
If you plan to attach a USB device such as a smart phone or tablet, which is automatically restarted during
operating system upgrades, you can set Horizon Client to reconnect that specific device to the remote
desktop. To perform this task, you edit a configuration file on the client.
If you use the Automatically Connect When Inserted option in Horizon Client, all devices that you plug in
to the client system get redirected to the remote desktop. If you do not want all devices to be connected, use
the following procedure to configure Horizon Client so that only certain USB devices get automatically
reconnected.
Prerequisites
Determine the hexadecimal format of the vendor ID (VID) and product ID (PID) of the device. For
instructions see the VMware KB article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011600.
Procedure
1

Use a text editor to open the config.ini file on the client.
OS Version

File Path

Windows 7, 8.x, or Windows 10

C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware USB Arbitration
Service\config.ini

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\VMware USB Arbitration Service\config.ini

Set the slow-reconnect property for the specific device or devices.
usb.quirks.device0 = "vid:pid slow-reconnect"

Here, vid:pid represent the vendor ID and product ID, in hexadecimal format, for the device. For
example, the following lines set this property for two USB devices:
usb.quirks.device0 = "0x0529:0x0001 slow-reconnect"
usb.quirks.device1 = "0x0601:0x0009 slow-reconnect"

Specify the usb.quirks.deviceN device properties in order, starting from 0. For example, if the line
usb.quirks.device0 is followed by a line with usb.quirks.device2 rather than usb.quirks.device1,
only the first line is read.
When devices such as smart phones and tablets undergo a firmware or operating system upgrade, the
upgrade will succeed because the device will restart and connect to the remote desktop that manages it.

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Chapter 5 Working in a Remote Desktop or Application

Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and
Microphones
With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, you can use your local computer's webcam or microphone on your
remote desktop. Real-Time Audio-Video is compatible with standard conferencing applications and
browser-based video applications, and supports standard webcams, audio USB devices, and analog audio
input.
For information about setting up the Real-Time Audio-Video feature and configuring the frame rate and
image resolution in a remote desktop, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document. For
information about configuring these settings on client systems, see the VMware knowledge base article
Setting Frame Rates and Resolution for Real-Time Audio-Video on Horizon View Clients, at
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2053644.
To download a test application that verifies the correct installation and operation of the Real-Time AudioVideo functionality, go to http://labs.vmware.com/flings/real-time-audio-video-test-application. This test
application is available as a VMware fling, and therefore no technical support is available for it.

When You Can Use Your Webcam
If a Horizon administrator has configured the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, and if you use the VMware
Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, a webcam that is built-in or connected to your local
computer can be used on your desktop. You can use the webcam in conferencing applications such as Skype,
Webex, or Google Hangouts.
During the setup of an application such as Skype, Webex, or Google Hangouts on your remote desktop, you
can choose input and output devices from menus in the application. For virtual machine desktops, you can
choose VMware Virtual Microphone and VMware Virtual Webcam. For published desktops, you can choose
Remote Audio Device and VMware Virtual Webcam.
With many applications, however, this feature will just work, and selecting an input device will not be
necessary.
If the webcam is currently being used by your local computer it cannot be used by the remote desktop
simultaneously. Also, if the webcam is being used by the remote desktop it cannot be used by your local
computer at the same time.
Important If you are using a USB webcam, do not connect it from the Connect USB Device menu in
Horizon Client. To do so routes the device through USB redirection, and the performance will be unusable
for video chat.
If you have more than one webcam connected to your local computer, you can configure a preferred
webcam to use on your remote desktop.

Select a Preferred Webcam or Microphone on a Windows Client System
With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, if you have multiple webcams or microphones on your client
system, only one of them is used on your remote desktop or application. To specify which webcam or
microphone is preferred, you can configure Real-Time Audio-Video settings in Horizon Client.
The preferred webcam or microphone is used on the remote desktop or application if it is available, and if
not, another webcam or microphone is used.

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Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, video devices, audio input devices, and audio output devices
work without requiring the use of USB redirection, and the amount of network bandwidth required is
greatly reduced. Analog audio input devices are also supported.
Note If you are using a USB webcam or microphone, do not connect it from the Connect USB Device
menu in Horizon Client. To do so routes the device through USB redirection, so that the device cannot use
the Real-Time Audio-Video feature.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have a USB webcam, or USB microphone or other type of microphone, installed and
operational on your client system.

Verify that you are using the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol for your
remote desktop or application.

Connect to a server.

Procedure
1

Open the Settings dialog box and select Real-Time Audio-Video in the left pane.
You can open the Settings dialog box by clicking the Settings (gear) icon in the upper right corner of the
desktop and application screen, or by right-clicking a desktop or application icon and selecting
Settings.

Select the preferred webcam from the Preferred webcam drop-down menu and the preferred
microphone from the Preferred microphone drop-down menu.
The drop-down menus show the available webcams and microphones on the client system.

Click OK or Apply to save your changes.

The next time you start a remote desktop or application, the preferred webcam and microphone that you
selected are redirected to the remote desktop or application.

Copying and Pasting Text and Images
By default, you can copy and paste text from your client system to a remote desktop or application. If a
Horizon administrator enables the feature, you can also copy and paste text from a remote desktop or
application to your client system or between two remote desktops or applications.
Supported file formats include text, images, and RTF (Rich Text Format). Some restrictions apply.
If you use the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, a Horizon administrator can set
this feature so that copy and paste operations are allowed only from your client system to a remote desktop
or application, or only from a remote desktop or application to your client system, or both, or neither.
Horizon administrators configure the ability to copy and paste by configuring group policy settings that
pertain to Horizon Agent. Depending on the Horizon server and agent version, administrators might also be
able to use group policies to restrict clipboard formats during copy and paste operations or use Smart
Policies to control the copy and paste behavior in remote desktops. For more information, see the
Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.
In Horizon 7 version 7.0 and earlier and Horizon Client 4.0 and earlier, the clipboard can accommodate 1
MB of data for copy and paste operations. In Horizon 7 version 7.0.1 and later and Horizon Client 4.1 and
later, the clipboard memory size is configurable for both the server and the client. When a PCoIP or VMware
Blast session is established, the server sends its clipboard memory size to the client. The effective clipboard
memory size is the lesser of the server and client clipboard memory size values.

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If you are copying formatted text, some of the data is text and some of the data is formatting information. If
you copy a large amount of formatted text or text and an image, when you attempt to paste the text and
image, you might see some or all the plain text but no formatting or image. The reason is that the three types
of data is sometimes stored separately. For example, depending on the type of document you are copying
from, images might be stored as images or as RTF data.
If the text and RTF data together use less than maximum clipboard size, the formatted text is pasted. Often
the RTF data cannot be truncated, so that if the text and formatting use more than the maximum clipboard
size amount, the RTF data is discarded, and plain text is pasted.
If you are unable to paste all the formatted text and images you selected in one operation, you might need to
copy and paste smaller amounts in each operation.
You cannot copy and paste files between a remote desktop and the file system on your client computer.

Configuring the Client Clipboard Memory Size
In Horizon 7 version 7.0.1 and later and Horizon Client 4.1 and later, the clipboard memory size is
configurable for both the server and the client.
When a PCoIP or VMware Blast session is established, the server sends its clipboard memory size to the
client. The effective clipboard memory size is the lesser of the server and client clipboard memory size
values.
To set the clipboard memory size, modify the Windows registry value HKLM\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware
VDPService\Plugins\MKSVchan\ClientClipboardSize. The value type is REG_DWORD. The value is specified

in KB. If you specify 0 or do not specify a value, the default client clipboard memory size is 8192 KB (8 MB).
A large clipboard memory size can negatively affect performance, depending on your network. VMware
recommends that you do not set the clipboard memory size to a value greater than 16 MB.

Using Remote Applications
Remote applications look and feel like applications that are installed on your client PC or laptop.
n

You can minimize and maximize a remote application through the application. When a remote
application is minimized, it appears in the taskbar of your client system. You can also minimize and
maximize the remote application by clicking its icon in the taskbar.

You can quit a remote application through the application or by right-clicking its icon in the taskbar.

You can press Alt+Tab to switch between open remote applications.

If a remote application creates a Windows System Tray item, that item also appears in the system tray
on your Windows client computer. By default, the system tray icons only appear to show notifications,
but you can customize this behavior just as you do with natively installed applications.
Note If you open the Control Panel to customize the notification area icons, the names of the icons for
remote applications are listed as VMware Horizon Client - application name.

Saving Documents in a Remote Application
With certain remote applications, such as Microsoft Word or WordPad, you can create and save documents.
Where these documents are saved depends on your company's network environment. For example, your
documents might be saved to a home share mounted on your local computer.
Administrators can use an ADMX template file to set a group policy that specifies where documents are
saved. This policy is called Set Remote Desktop Services User Home Directory. For more information, see
the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

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Printing from a Remote Desktop or Application
From a remote desktop, you can print to a virtual printer or to a USB printer that is attached to your client
computer. Virtual printing and USB printing work together without conflict.
You can use the virtual printing feature with the following types of remote desktops and applications:
n

Remote desktops that run Windows Server operating systems

Session-based desktops (on virtual machine RDS hosts)

Remote hosted applications

Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printer Feature on a Remote Desktop
The virtual printing feature lets end users use local or network printers from a remote desktop without
requiring that additional print drivers be installed in the remote desktop. For each printer available through
this feature, you can set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and so
on.
After a printer is added on the local computer, Horizon Client adds that printer to the list of available
printers on the remote desktop. No further configuration is required. Users who have administrator
privileges can still install printer drivers on the remote desktop without creating a conflict with the virtual
printer component.
Important This feature is not available for the following types of printers:
n

USB printers that are using the USB redirection feature to connect to a virtual USB port in the remote
desktop
You must disconnect the USB printer from the remote desktop in order to use the virtual printing
feature with it.

The Windows feature for printing to a file
Selecting the Print to file check box in a Print dialog box does not work. Using a printer driver that
creates a file does work. For example, you can use a PDF writer to print to a PDF file.

This procedure is written for a remote desktop that has a Windows 7 or Windows 8.x (Desktop) operating
system. The procedure is similar but not exactly the same for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server
2012.
Prerequisites
Verify that the Virtual Printing component of the agent is installed on the remote desktop. In the remote
desktop file system, verify that the following folder exists: C:\Program Files\Common Files\ThinPrint.
To use virtual printing, the Horizon administrator must enable the virtual printing feature for the remote
desktop. This task includes enabling the Virtual Printing setup option in the agent installer, and can include
setting policies regarding virtual printing behavior. For more information, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops
in Horizon 7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.
Procedure
1

In the Windows 7 or Windows 8.x remote desktop, click Start > Devices and Printers.

In the Devices and Printers window, right-click the default printer, select Printer Properties from the
context menu, and select the printer.
Virtual printers appear as in single-user virtual machine desktops and as
(s) in published desktops on RDS hosts if View Agent 6.2 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, is installed. If View Agent 6.1 or earlier is installed in the remote desktop,
virtual printers appear as #:.

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In the Printer Properties window, click the Device Setup tab and specify which settings to use.

On the General tab, click Preferences and specify which settings to use.

In the Printing Preferences dialog box, select the different tabs and specify which settings to use.
For the Page Adjustment advanced setting, VMware recommends that you retain the default settings.

Click OK.

To use custom paper forms, define the forms on the client.
a

Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers.

Select the printer and click Print Server Properties at the top of the screen.

On the Forms tab, specify the settings and click Save Form.

This form will now be available in the remote desktop.

Using USB Printers
In a Horizon environment, virtual printers and redirected USB printers can work together without conflict.
A USB printer is a printer that is attached to a USB port on the local client system. To send print jobs to a
USB printer, you can either use the USB redirection feature or use the virtual printing feature. USB printing
can sometimes be faster than virtual printing, depending on network conditions.
n

You can use the USB redirection feature to attach a USB printer to a virtual USB port in the remote
desktop as long as the required drivers are also installed on the remote desktop.
If you use this redirection feature the printer is no longer logically attached to the physical USB port on
the client and this is why the USB printer does not appear in the list of local printers on the local client
machine. This also means that you can print to the USB printer from the remote desktop but not from
the local client machine.
In the remote desktop, redirected USB printers appear as .
For information about how to connect a USB printer, see “Connect USB Devices,” on page 89.

On some clients, you can alternatively use the virtual printing feature to send print jobs to a USB
printer. If you use the virtual printing feature you can print to the USB printer from both the remote
desktop and the local client, and you do not need to install print drivers on the remote desktop.

Control Adobe Flash Display
The Horizon administrator can set Adobe Flash content to display in your remote desktop at a level
designed to conserve computing resources. In some cases, these settings can result in low playback quality.
By moving the mouse pointer into the Adobe Flash content, you can override the Adobe Flash settings that
your Horizon administrator specifies.
Adobe Flash display control is available for Internet Explorer sessions on Windows only, and for Adobe
Flash versions 9 and 10 only. To control Adobe Flash display quality, Adobe Flash must not be running in
full screen mode.
Procedure
1

From Internet Explorer in the remote desktop, browse to the relevant Adobe Flash content and start it if
necessary.
Depending on how your Horizon administrator configured Adobe Flash settings, you might notice
dropped frames or low playback quality.

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Move the mouse pointer into the Adobe Flash content while it is playing.
Display quality is improved as long as the cursor remains in the Adobe Flash content.

To retain the improvement in quality, double-click inside the Adobe Flash content.

Clicking URL Links That Open Outside of Horizon Client
An administrator can configure URL links that you click inside a remote desktop or application to open in
the default browser on your client system. A link might be to a Web page, a phone number, an email
address, or other type of link. This feature is called URL Content Redirection.
An administrator can also configure URL links that you click inside a browser or application on your client
system to open in a remote desktop or application. In this scenario, if Horizon Client is not already open, it
starts and prompts you to log in.
An administrator might set up the URL Content Redirection feature for security purposes. For example, if
you are inside your company network and click a link that points to a URL that is outside the network, the
link might be more safely opened in a remote application. An administrator can configure which application
opens the link.
The first time you start Horizon Client and connect to a server on which the URL Content Redirection
feature is configured, Horizon Client prompts you to open the VMware Horizon URL Filter application
when you click a link for redirection. Click Open to allow URL content redirection.
Depending on how the URL Content Redirection feature is configured, Horizon Client might display an
alert message that asks you to change your default Web browser to VMware Horizon URL Filter. If you see
this prompt, click the Use "VMware Horizon URL Filter" button to allow VMware Horizon URL Filter to
become the default browser. This prompt appears only once unless you change your default browser after
clicking Use "VMware Horizon URL Filter".
Horizon Client might also display an alert message that asks you to select an application when you click a
URL. If you see this prompt, you can click Choose Application to search for an application on your client
system, or click Search App Store to search for and install a new application. If you click Cancel, the URL is
not opened.
Each company configures its own URL redirection policies. If you have questions about how the URL
Content Redirection feature behaves at your company, contact a system administrator.

Using the Relative Mouse Feature for CAD and 3D Applications
If you use the Blast Extreme display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol when using CAD or 3D
applications in a View 5.2 or later desktop, mouse performance improves when you enable the relative
mouse feature.
In most circumstances, if you are using applications that do not require 3D rendering, Horizon Client
transmits information about mouse pointer movements by using absolute coordinates. Using absolute
coordinates, the client renders the mouse movements locally, which improves performance, especially if you
are outside the corporate network.
For work that requires using graphics-intensive applications, such as AutoCAD, or for playing 3D video
games, you can improve mouse performance by enabling the relative mouse feature, which uses relative,
rather than absolute, coordinates. To use this feature, select Options > Enable Relative Mouse from the
Horizon Client menu bar.
Note If you use Horizon Client in windowed mode, rather than full screen mode, and the relative mouse
feature is enabled, you might not be able to move the mouse pointer to the Horizon Client menu options or
move the pointer outside of the Horizon Client window. To resolve this situation, press Ctrl+Alt.

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When the relative mouse feature is enabled, performance might be slow if you are outside the corporate
network, on a WAN.
Important This feature requires a View 5.2 or later desktop, and you must turn on 3D rendering for the
desktop pool. For more information about pool settings and the options available for 3D rendering, see the
Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7
document.

Using Scanners
You can scan information into your remote desktops and applications with scanners that are connected to
your local client system. This feature redirects scanning data with a significantly lower bandwidth than can
be achieved by using USB redirection.
Scanner redirection supports standard scanning devices that are compatible with the TWAIN and WIA
(Windows Image Acquisition) formats. Although you must have the scanner device drivers installed on the
client system, you do not need to install the scanner device drivers on the remote desktop operating system
where the agent is installed.
If a Horizon administrator has configured the scanner redirection feature, and if you use the Blast Extreme
display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, a scanner connected to your local system can be used in a
remote desktop or application.
Important If you are using a scanner, do not connect it from the Connect USB Device menu in
Horizon Client. To do so routes the device through USB redirection, and the performance will be unusable.
When scanning data is redirected to a remote desktop or application, you cannot access the scanner on the
local computer. Conversely, when a scanner is in use on the local computer, you cannot access it on the
remote desktop or application.

Tips for Using the Scanner Redirection Feature
n

Click the scanner icon ( ) in the system tray, or notification area, of the remote desktop to select a nondefault scanner or to change configuration settings. On RDS applications, the system tray icon is
redirected to the local client computer.
You do not have to use the menu that appears when you click this icon. Scanner redirection works
without any further configuration. The icon menu allows you to configure options such as changing
which device to use if more than one device is connected to the client computer.
Note If the menu that appears does not list any scanners it means that an incompatible scanner is
connected to the client computer. If the scanner icon is not present, it means that the scanner redirection
feature is disabled or not installed on the remote desktop. Also, this icon does not appear on Mac or
Linux client systems because the feature is not supported on those systems.

Click the Preferences option in the menu to select options to control image compression, hide webcams
from the scanner redirection menu, and determine how to select the default scanner.
You can select the option to hide webcams if you plan to use the Real-Time Audio-Video feature to
redirect webcams, which is what VMware recommends. Use scanner redirection with webcams to take
a photograph of yourself and scan it.
Note If you configure scanner redirection to use a specific scanner and that scanner is not available,
scanner redirection will not work.

Although most TWAIN scanners display the a scanner settings dialog box by default, some do not. For
those that do not display settings options, you can use the Preferences option in the scanner icon menu,
and select Always show Scanner Settings dialog option.

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Scanning too large an image or scanning at too high a resolution might not work. In this case, you
might see the scanning progress indicator freeze, or the scanner application might exit unexpectedly. If
you minimize the remote desktop, an error message might appear on your client system, notifying you
that the resolution is set too high. To resolve this issue, reduce the resolution or crop the image to a
smaller size and scan again.

Using Serial Port Redirection
With this feature, users can redirect locally connected, serial (COM) ports such as built-in RS232 ports or
USB-to-serial adapters. Devices such as printers, bar code readers, and other serial devices can be connected
to these ports and used in the remote desktops.
If a Horizon administrator has configured the serial port redirection feature, and if you use the VMware
Blast Extreme or the PCoIP display protocol, serial port redirection works on your remote desktop without
further configuration. For example, COM1 on the local client system is redirected as COM1 on the remote
desktop. COM2 is redirected as COM2, unless the COM port is already in use. If so the COM port is mapped
to avoid conflicts. For example, if COM1 and COM2 already exist on the remote desktop, COM1 on the
client is mapped to COM3 by default.
Although you must have any required device drivers installed on the client system, you do not need to
install the device drivers on the remote desktop operating system where the agent is installed. For example,
if you use a USB-to-serial adapter that requires specific device drivers to work on your local client system,
you must install those drivers but only on the client system.
Important If you are using a device that plugs in to a USB-to-serial adapter, do not connect the device
from the Connect USB Device menu in Horizon Client. To do so routes the device through USB redirection,
and bypasses the serial port redirection functionality.

Tips for Using the Serial Port Redirection Feature
n

Click the serial port icon ( ) in the system tray, or notification area, of the remote desktop to connect,
disconnect, and customize the mapped COM ports.
When you click the serial port icon, the Serial COM Redirection for VMware Horizon context menu
appears.
Note If the items in the context menu are grayed out, it means that the administrator has locked the
configuration. Also note that the icon appears only if you use the required versions of the agent and
Horizon Client for Windows, and you must connect over Blast Extreme or PCoIP. The icon does not
appear if you connect to a remote desktop from a Mac, Linux, or mobile client.

In the context menu, the port items are listed using the following format, for example: COM1 mapped
to COM3. The first port, which is COM1 in this example, is the physical port or the USB-to-serial
adapter used on the local client system. The second port, which is COM3 in this example, is the port
used in the virtual desktop.

Right-click a COM port to select the Port Properties command.
In the COM Properties dialog box, you can configure a port to connect automatically when a remote
desktop session is started, or you can ignore DSR (that is, ignore the data-set-ready signal), which is
required for some modems and other devices.
You can also change the port number used in the remote desktop. For example, if the COM1 port on the
client is mapped to COM3 in the remote desktop, but the application you are using requires COM1, you
can change the port number to COM1. If COM1 already exists in the remote desktop, you might see
COM1 (Overlapped). You can still use this overlapped port. The remote desktop can receive serial data
through the port from the ESXi host and also from the client system.

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Make sure you connect to a mapped COM port before you attempt to launch an application that
requires access to this port. For example, right-click a COM port and select Connect to use the port in
the remote desktop. When you launch the application, the application opens the serial port.
When a redirected COM port is opened and in use on a remote desktop, you cannot access the port on
the local computer. Conversely, when a COM port is in use on the local computer, you cannot access the
port on the remote desktop.

In the remote desktop, you can use the Windows Device Manager Port Settings tab to set the default
Baud rate for a particular COM port. Be sure to use the same settings in the Windows Device Manager
on your client system. Note that the settings from this tab are used only if the application does not
specify the port settings.

Before you can disconnect the COM port, you must close the port in the application or close the
application. You can then select the Disconnect command to disconnect and make the physical COM
port available for use on the client computer.

If you configure a serial port to connect automatically, launch an application that opens the serial port,
and then disconnect and resonnect the desktop session, the auto-connect feature does not work. You
also cannot connect using the serial port's system tray icon's menu option. In most cases, the application
can no longer use the serial port. This is expected behavior. You must terminate the application,
disconnect the desktop session and reconnect again to resolve the problem.

Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use keyboard shortcuts for menu commands and common actions.

Shortcuts That Work the Same Way in Horizon Client as in All Applications
Table 5‑4. Common Keyboard Shortcuts
Action

Key or Key Combination

Click the highlighted button in a dialog box.

Press Enter.

Invoke the context menu.

Press Shift+F10.

Click the Cancel button in a dialog box.

Press ESC.

Navigate between items in the server section window or
the desktop and applications selection window.

Use an arrow key to move in the direction of the arrow.
Press Tab to move to the right. Press Shift+Tab to move to
the left.

Delete an item from the server section window or the
desktop and applications selection window.

Press Delete.

In Windows 8.x, navigate between the Start screen and the
desktop screen

Press the Windows key.

Horizon Client Window (Server Selection List) Shortcuts
Table 5‑5. Key Combinations Specific to the Window Where You Specify Which Server to Connect To
Menu Command or Action

Key Combination

Open the help system in a browser window

Alt+O+H, Ctrl+H

New Server command

Alt+N

Display the Support Information window

Alt+O+S

Display the About Horizon Client window

Alt+O+V

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Table 5‑5. Key Combinations Specific to the Window Where You Specify Which Server to Connect To
(Continued)
Menu Command or Action

Key Combination

Configure SSL command

Alt+O+O

Hide selector after launching an item command

Alt+O+I

Remote Desktop and Application Selector Shortcuts
Table 5‑6. Keys and Key Combinations to Use in the Desktop and Application Selection Window
Menu Command or Action

Key Combination

Open the help system in a browser window

Alt+O+H, Ctrl+H

Display Options menu

Alt+O

Display the Support Information window

Alt+O+S

Display the About Horizon Client window

Alt+O+V

Log off from the remote desktop

Shift+F10+O

Disconnect and log off from the server

Alt+D

Toggle between Show Favorites and Show All

Alt+F

While showing favorites, after typing the first few
characters of the application or desktop name, go to the
next item that matches the search

While showing favorites, go to the previous item that
matches the search

Shift+F4

Mark as a favorite or remove favorite designation

Shift+F10+F

Display Settings menu

Alt+S, or Shift+F10+S

Launch the selected item

Enter, or Shift+F10+L

Pin a shortcut for the remote desktop or application to the
client system's Start menu (for Windows 7 and earlier) or
the Start screen (for Windows 8.x)

Shift+F10+A

Display the Display Settings context menu for the selected
remote desktop

Shift+F10+D

Use the PCoIP display protocol to connect to the selected
remote desktop

Shift+F10+P

Use the RDP display protocol to connect to the selected
remote desktop

Shift+F10+M

Create a desktop shortcut for the selected item

Shift+F10+C

Add the selected item to your Start menu or Start screen

Shift+F10+A

Reset the selected desktop (if your administrator allows
you to reset)

Shift+F10+R

Refresh the desktop and application list

Desktop Window (with a PCoIP or VMware Blast Extreme Session) Shortcuts
These shortcuts work if you first press Ctrl+Alt or click on the Horizon Client menu bar, rather than inside
the remote desktop operating system, before you press the keys.

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Table 5‑7. Key Combinations for PCoIP and VMware Blast Sessions
Menu Command or Action

Key Combination

Release the mouse cursor so that it is no longer inside the
remote desktop operating system

Ctrl+Alt

Display Options menu

Alt+O

Display the Support Information window

Alt+O+M

Display the About Horizon Client window

Alt+O+V

Invoke the Share Folders Settings dialog

Alt+O+F

Toggle Enable display scaling

Alt+O+N

Switch to Other Desktop command

Alt+O+S

Autoconnect to this Desktop command

Alt+O+A

Enable Relative Mouse command

Alt+O+E

Send Ctrl+Alt+Del command

Alt+O+C

Disconnect command

Alt+O+D

Disconnect and Log Off command

Alt+O+L

Connect USB Device command

Alt+U

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Troubleshooting Horizon Client

You can solve most problems with Horizon Client by restarting or resetting the desktop, or by reinstalling
the VMware Horizon Client application.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Problems with Keyboard Input,” on page 105

“Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode,” on page 106

“What to Do If Horizon Client Exits Unexpectedly,” on page 106

“Restart a Remote Desktop,” on page 106

“Reset a Remote Desktop or Remote Applications,” on page 107

“Repair Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 108

“Uninstall Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 108

Problems with Keyboard Input
If, when you type in a remote desktop or application, none of the keystrokes seem to work, the issue might
be with security software on your local client system.
Problem
While connected to a remote desktop or application, no characters appear when you type. Another
symptom might be that a single key keeps repeating itself.
Cause
Some security software, such as Norton 360 Total Security, includes a feature that detects keylogger
programs and blocks keystroke logging. This security feature is meant to protect the system against
unwanted spyware that, for example, steals passwords and credit card numbers. Unfortunately, this security
software might block Horizon Client from sending keystrokes to the remote desktop or application.
Solution
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On the client system, turn off the keylogger detection feature of your antivirus or security software.

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Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode
If you cannot connect to a server directly through Horizon Client, or if your desktop and application
entitlements are not visible in Horizon Client, Workspace ONE mode might be enabled on the server.
Problem
n

When you try to connect to the server directly through Horizon Client, Horizon Client redirects you to
the Workspace ONE portal.

When you open a desktop or application through a URI or shortcut, or when you open a local file
through file association, the request redirects you to the Workspace ONE portal for authentication.

After you open a desktop or application through Workspace ONE and Horizon Client starts, you cannot
see or open other entitled remote desktops or applications in Horizon Client.

Cause
Beginning with Horizon 7 version 7.2, an administrator can enable Workspace ONE mode on a Connection
Server instance. This behavior is normal when Workspace ONE mode is enabled on a Connection Server
instance.
Solution
Use Workspace ONE to connect to a Workspace ONE enabled server and access your remote desktops and
applications.

What to Do If Horizon Client Exits Unexpectedly
Horizon Client might exit even if you do not close it.
Problem
Horizon Client might exit unexpectedly. Depending on your Connection Server configuration, you might see
a message such as There is no secure connection to the View Connection Server. In some cases, no
message is displayed.
Cause
This problem occurs when the connection to Connection Server is lost.
Solution
u

Restart Horizon Client. You can connect successfully as soon as Connection Server is running again. If
you continue to have connection problems, contact your Horizon administrator.

Restart a Remote Desktop
You might need to restart a remote desktop if the desktop operating system stops responding. Restarting a
remote desktop is the equivalent of the Windows operating system restart command. The desktop operating
system usually prompts you to save any unsaved data before it restarts.
You can restart a remote desktop only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the desktop restart feature for
the desktop.
For information about enabling the desktop restart feature, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or
Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

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Procedure
u

Use the Restart Desktop command.
Option

Action

From within the desktop OS

Select Options > Restart Desktop from the menu bar.

From the desktop selection window

Right-click the desktop icon and select Restart Desktop.

Horizon Client prompts you to confirm the restart action.
The operating system in the remote desktop reboots and Horizon Client disconnects and logs off from the
desktop.
What to do next
Wait an appropriate amount of time for system startup before you attempt to reconnect to the remote
desktop.
If restarting the remote desktop does not solve the problem, you might need to reset the remote desktop. See
“Reset a Remote Desktop or Remote Applications,” on page 107.

Reset a Remote Desktop or Remote Applications
You might need to reset a remote desktop if the desktop operating system stops responding and restarting
the remote desktop does not solve the problem. Resetting remote applications quits all open applications.
Resetting a remote desktop is the equivalent of pressing the Reset button on a physical PC to force the PC to
restart. Any files that are open on the remote desktop are closed and are not saved.
Resetting remote applications is the equivalent of quitting the applications without saving any unsaved
data. All open remote applications are closed, even applications that come from different RDS server farms.
You can reset a remote desktop only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the desktop reset feature for the
desktop.
For information about enabling the desktop reset feature, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or
Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.
Procedure
1

To reset a remote desktop, use the Reset Desktop command.
Option

Action

From within the desktop OS

Select Options > Reset Desktop from the menu bar.

From the desktop and application
selection window

Right-click the desktop icon and select Reset Desktop.

To reset remote applications, use the Reset button in the desktop and application selection window.
a

Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the menu bar.

Select Applications in the left pane, click the Reset button in the right pane, and click OK.

When you reset a remote desktop, the operating system in the remote desktop reboots and Horizon Client
disconnects and logs off from the desktop. When you reset remote applications, the applications quit.
What to do next
Wait an appropriate amount of time for system startup before attempting to reconnect to the remote desktop
or application.

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Repair Horizon Client for Windows
You can sometimes resolve problems with Horizon Client by repairing the Horizon Client application.
Prerequisites
Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system.
Procedure
n

To repair Horizon Client interactively, double-click the Horizon Client installer, or run the
Horizon Client installer with the /repair installation command from the command line, and click
Repair.

To repair Horizon Client silently, run the Horizon Client installer with the /silent and /repair
installation commands from the command line.
For example: VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /silent /repair

Uninstall Horizon Client for Windows
You might need to uninstall and reinstall Horizon Client if repairing Horizon Client does not solve the
problem.
This procedures shows you how to uninstall Horizon Client if you have the Horizon Client installer. If you
do not have the Horizon Client installer, you can uninstall Horizon Client in the same way that you uninstall
other applications on your Windows system. For example, you can use the Windows operating system Add
or Remove Programs feature to uninstall Horizon Client.
Prerequisites
Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system.
Procedure
n

To uninstall Horizon Client interactively, double-click the Horizon Client installer, or run the
Horizon Client installer with the /uninstall installation command from the command line, and click
Remove.

To uninstall Horizon Client silently, run the Horizon Client installer with the /silent and /uninstall
installation commands from the command line.
For example: VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /silent /uninstall

What to do next
Reinstall Horizon Client. See Chapter 2, “Installing Horizon Client for Windows,” on page 25.

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Index

Numerics

ADMX template files, View components 42
Adobe Flash video, control 97
Adobe Media Server 15
agent, installation requirements 19
application reconnection behavior 42
autoconnect USB devices 89

display options, desktop 67
display protocol, desktop 67
display mode for monitors 89
display protocols
Microsoft RDP 79
View PCoIP 79
display scaling 87
domain 67
dontdisplaylastusername registry setting 20
DPI synchronization 88

CAD applications 98
certificates, ignoring problems 39, 40
client drive redirection 72
client installer 25
client software requirements 9
client-side GPOs 43
clipboard memory size 95
COM ports, redirecting serial 13, 100
command-line installation 27
configuration settings 33
configuring Horizon Client 33
connect
to a desktop 67
to View Connection Server 67
USB devices 89, 92
Connection Server 19
control, Adobe Flash video display 97
copying text and images 94
customer experience program, desktop pool
data 22

favorites 71
feature support matrix 79
FIPS mode 25
Flash Redirection 14
Flash URL Redirection, system requirements 15
folder sharing 72

3D applications 98

D
desktop
connect to 67
display options 67
display protocol 67
log off from 76
reset 107
switch 75
desktop and application selector 71
device authentication, requirements 18
devices, connecting USB 89, 92
disconnecting from a remote desktop 76

VMware, Inc.

G
GPO settings, general 52
group policies 42

H
hardware requirements
for Windows systems 10
smart card authentication 17
hiding the Horizon Client window 74
Horizon Clients, upgrading 32
Horizon Client
configuration file 64
disconnect from a desktop 76
exits unexpectedly 106
running from the command line 61
troubleshooting 105

I
icons on the desktop and application selector 71
images, copying 94
IME (input method editor) 83
installation commands 27
installation properties 28

K
keyboard shortcuts 101
keyboards, onscreen 84

109

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

keyloggers 105

L
log in, View Connection Server 67
log off 76

M
media file formats, supported 13
Microsoft Lync support 15
Microsoft RDP 79, 85
multimedia redirection (MMR) 13
multiple monitors 85, 86

N
nested mode 82

O
onscreen keyboards 84
operating systems, supported on the agent 19
options
display protocol 67
screen layout 67

P
pasting text and images 94
PCoIP 79
PCoIP client session variables 57
preferences, desktop 67
preferred microphone 93
preferred webcam 93
prerequisites for client devices 19
print from a desktop 96
printers, setting up 96
proxy PAC file 21

R
RDP GPO settings 49
Real-Time Audio-Video, system requirements 11
registry
settings equivalent to command-line
commands 65
settings for View Client 65
relative mouse 98
remote applications 95
repairing Horizon Client 108
reset desktop 107
resizing a remote desktop 84
restart desktop 106

S
saving documents in a remote application 95
scanner redirection 12, 99
screen layout 67

110

security servers 19
security settings GPOs 45
serial port redirection 13, 100
server connections 67
server certificate verification 39
sharing files and folders from the client
system 72
shortcut keys 101
shortcuts, for remote desktops and
applications 75
silent installation, View Client 30
Skype for Business 17
smart card authentication, requirements 17
SSL certificates, verifying 39
SSL options 41
streaming multimedia 13
switch desktops 75
system requirements, for Windows 10

T
text, copying 94
thin client support 79
ThinPrint setup 96
timeouts 74
TWAIN scanners 12, 99

U
Unauthenticated Access 70
Unified Communications 15
uninstalling Horizon Client 108
upgrading Horizon Client 32
URI examples 37
URI syntax for Horizon Clients 34
URIs (uniform resource identifiers) 34
URL Content Redirection 16, 31, 98
USB devices
setting GPOs for 43
using with View desktops 79
USB settings, GPOs 54
USB printers 96, 97

V
vdm_client.admx file for setting GPOs 43
verification modes for certificate checking 39
View Client
command syntax 61
installing on a Windows PC or laptop 26
installing silently on a Windows PC or
laptop 30
registry settings 65
system requirements for Windows 10
View Connection Server, connect to 67
virtual printers 96

VMware, Inc.

Index

virtual printing feature 79, 96
virtual profiles 79
VMware Blast 20
vmware-view command
configuration file 64
syntax 61
VoIP (voice over IP) 15

W
webcam 93
WIA scanners 12, 99
Windows, installing View Client on 10
Windows computers, installing View Client 26
Workspace ONE 106
Wyse MMR 79

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111

Using VMware Horizon Client for Windows

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