The client software for accessing remote desktops and applications can run on a tablet, a phone, a Windows, Linux, or Mac PC or laptop, a thin client, and more.
After logging in, users select from a list of remote desktops and applications that they are authorized to use. Authorization can require Active Directory credentials, a UPN, a smart card PIN, or an RSA SecurID or other two-factor authentication token.
An administrator can configure Horizon Client to allow end users to select a display protocol. Protocols include PCoIP, Blast Extreme, and Microsoft RDP for remote desktops. The speed and display quality of PCoIP and Blast Extreme rival that of a physical PC.
Features differ according to which Horizon Client you use. This guide focuses on Horizon Client for Windows. The following types of clients are not described in detail in this guide:
- Details about Horizon Client for tablets, Linux clients, and Mac clients. See the Horizon Client documentation at https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Horizon-Client/index.html.
- Details about the HTML Access Web client, which allows you to open a remote desktop inside a browser. No Horizon Client application is installed on the client system or device. See the Horizon Client documentation at https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Horizon-Client/index.html.
- Various third-party thin clients and zero clients, available only through certified partners.
- View Open Client, which supports the VMware partner certification program. View Open Client is not an official client application and is not supported as such.
