Overview:

• What is Windows Virtual Desktop - Academic? 
• What software / systems are available? 
• How do I access WVD - Academic? 

What is Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)- Academic?

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) provides access to a Windows 10 desktop and a number of software applications from your personal computer.

Due to capacity constraints, please check if you are able to install the software you need to use onto your personal computer before using the WVD. 

What software / systems are available?

The following software applications are available for use:

• Network drives (including M: and N:)
• General Software 
  
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (32-bit)
  • Adobe Reader
  • Abbyy PDF Transformer+
  • 7-Zip
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Google Chrome
  • Support for additional languages
• Teaching Software
  
  • Teaching software is available on WVD via Apps Anywhere please refer to the Software availability article for a full list of software.

Important - Saving your work!

Please ensure that you only save work to your network drives e.g. personal (M:) or shared (N:) when using the virtual desktop. OneDrive is also available via https://office365.leeds.ac.uk.

Files saved anywhere else (such as desktop) will be deleted when you sign out (or are signed out due to inactivity).

Working with datasets

Some software applications (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIS, MapInfo etc.) read and write large quantities of data to the location in which your data files are stored. If this is your M: drive, this can cause the application to run very slowly when accessed via WVD. We recommend that you store a temporary copy of your data files to desktop and load from there.

Important: When you have finished, you must copy your data back to your M: drive (or OneDrive via https://office365.leeds.ac.uk). Files saved elsewhere, such as desktop, will be deleted when you sign out (or are signed out due to inactivity).

If you are copying files to OneDrive, you must confirm that everything has transferred successfully before logging out, or you may lose your work. 

Some software applications may take quite a long time to load. This is expected behaviour and will normally only occur on initial launch.

How do I access WVD - Academic?

Please see KB0014379 - Virtual Windows Desktop for instructions on how to access, use and sign out of the service.

If you receive the message, "The username you have entered is not enrolled with Duo Security. Please contact your system administrator." Please refer to the Duo enrolment article

If you are still having trouble accessing the service please visit the IT Self Service Helpdesk and log a general request here. In the subject please enter: 'Access request for Windows Virtual Desktop - Academic' 

Future Developments

Windows Virtual Desktop is under continual development and will be updated periodically.

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