With the USB redirection feature, you can use some locally attached USB devices in a virtual desktop. You can redirect multiple USB devices to a virtual desktop, but a device can be redirected to only one desktop session at a time. You cannot redirect USB devices to published desktops and published applications.

You can redirect USB devices to a virtual desktop manually or automatically. An administrator can configure Google Admin policies that define the default automatic redirection behavior for each desktop and USB device. For more information, see Server Features.

If an administrator has allowed it, you can modify the automatic redirection behavior for all devices or for specific devices by configuring auto-connect settings. The auto-connect settings can be applied to all desktops or to specific desktops.

Because of Chrome OS restrictions, many USB devices cannot be redirected to a virtual desktop. For this release, VMware tested the following USB devices. Additional devices might be supported. If a USB device is not supported, Horizon Client returns an error message when you try to redirect the device.

  • Printers
    • Brother MFC 8710 DW
    • Brother QL-720NW
    • HP LaserJet Pro M201dw
    • HP LaserJet Pro MFP M426dfw
    • HP LaserJet P2055d
    • HP Deskjet 3525
    • HP OfficeJet 200 Mobile
    • Ricoh SP C261SNFw
    • Samsung C43x Print Series
    • Xerox WorkCentre 6515
    • Xerox Workcentre 3225/DNI Printer
    • Zebra Label printer GC420-1005G0-000
  • Scanners
    • AmbirScanPro 490i
  • Human interface devices (HID)
    • Wacom 520A
    • Wacom 500B

Prerequisites

  • The USB redirection feature requires ChromeOS version 87 or later. Auto-connect settings for the feature require ChromeOS version 107 or later.
  • An administrator must configure the USB redirection feature for the remote desktop. For more information, see "Configuring USB Redirection for Chrome and HTML Access Clients" in the Horizon Remote Desktop Features and GPOs document.
  • An administrator must specify whether to make USB auto-connect settings editable by end users. See Server Features.

Procedure

  1. Connect the USB device to the client system.
  2. Start Horizon Client and connect to a server.
  3. (Optional) Configure settings for automatic redirection.
    Note: An administrator must make the automatic redirection settings available to you for editing. If the settings are not available for editing, Horizon Client uses the default automatic redirection policies defined by the administrator.
    1. Click the Settings toolbar button in the upper-right corner of the desktop and application selector window.
    2. In the Settings window, find Auto Forward USB. Enable the toggle for this setting and click Select.
      A dialog box appears with options for configuring auto-connect behavior for USB devices.
    3. Select the virtual desktop to which you want to apply the auto-connect settings. To apply the settings to all desktops, select Apply to all desktops.
    4. Configure the auto-connect settings.
      Setting Description
      Auto-connect all devices at startup Select this option to redirect all inserted USB devices automatically when the desktop session starts.
      Auto-connect all devices when inserted Select this option to redirect all USB devices automatically when you insert the device in the USB port of the client system.
      <Auto-connect options for specific devices> Use these options to configure the automatic redirection behavior for specific USB devices. You can configure each device to be redirected automatically upon session startup or device insertion, or both.
      Note: The list of devices in the auto-connect dialog box is updated whenever you add a new device for USB redirection, as described in step 6. Alternatively, an administrator can define a global device list by configuring WebUSB API allowed devices in the Google Admin console.

      You can configure automatic redirection to occur upon session startup or upon device insertion, or upon both session startup and device insertion. The following table describes how the automatic redirection feature behaves based on your auto-connect configuration.

      Auto-connect configuration Automatic redirection behavior
      Auto-connect upon startup is enabled, and auto-connect upon insertion is not enabled Automatic redirection occurs only when the desktop session starts with the device already inserted in the client system.
      • If the device is not inserted at the time of session startup, redirection does not occur.
      • If the device is inserted after the session starts, redirection does not occur.
      • If the user starts multiple desktop sessions, only the first desktop started receives the redirected device. A device can be redirected to only one desktop session at a time.
      Auto-connect upon insertion is enabled, and auto-connect upon startup is not enabled Automatic redirection occurs only when the device is actively inserted in the client system.
      • If the device is not inserted when the desktop session starts but is inserted later, redirection occurs.
      • If the device is already inserted when the session starts, redirection does not occur.
      • If the device is removed during the session and reinserted in the client system, redirection occurs.
      • If multiple desktop sessions are open, only the focused desktop receives the redirected device. A device can be redirected to only one desktop session at a time.
      Auto-connect upon startup is enabled, and auto-connect upon insertion is enabled Automatic redirection occurs when the desktop session starts or when the device is inserted in the client system.
      • If the device is already inserted when the session starts, redirection occurs.
      • If the device is not inserted when the desktop session starts but is inserted later, redirection occurs.
    5. Click Apply to save your changes.
  4. Connect to the virtual desktop.
  5. Move your mouse to the top of the virtual desktop window until the top menu bar appears and click the USB Device Redirection button.
  6. Click Add Device.
  7. Select the device from the USB device list and click Select.
    If the device is supported, it is redirected to the remote desktop and is available for use in the session. If the device is not supported, an error message appears.
  8. (Optional) Click Add Device again to redirect another USB device.
  9. To release a USB device from the remote desktop, click Release.