Welcome to the VMware Horizon documentation! Learn how to deploy, configure, and use products in the VMware Horizon family, which includes VMware Horizon 8 and Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen.

Whether you're deploying Horizon 8 on premises or in a public cloud SDDC, configuring components in Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure, or administrating a hybrid environment spanning both private and public clouds, you get up-to-date documentation with every release.

For architecture diagrams of example VMware Horizon environments, see How the Components Fit Together.

Introducing the VMware Horizon Documentation

For a quick overview of the VMware Horizon documentation, watch this introductory video.

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How to Use the Documentation - For Administrators


The documentation map provides recommended paths through theVMware Horizon documentation.

Use the map above to follow a recommended path through the documentation based on your deployment scenario:

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How to Use the Documentation - For End Users

To learn how to use Horizon Client, open the client guide for your device:

  • If you have the Horizon Client or browser-based HTML Access app open, click Help in the client user interface.

    You can access the Help action through a command or button in the client user interface.

  • Or, use the table of contents (TOC) to go to your client guide. On a desktop browser, look for the TOC in the left pane of this page. On a mobile device, click the TOC button ( On a mobile device, the TOC button looks like a vertical stack of small squares. ).

For example, you can open pages in the Windows client guide that explain how to connect to a remote desktop or application and work in a remote session.

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Scenario: Horizon 8, Not Cloud-Connected

Just want to deploy Horizon 8 with a perpetual or term license and don't need any cloud-based services? Follow this path through the documentation.


For a Horizon 8 deployment without connection to Horizon Cloud Service, use the guides for Horizon 8 and for all deployments.

  1. Get started with Horizon Overview and Deployment Planning and understanding Horizon Security.

    These guides show you how the VMware Horizon components fit together, how to create a rich user experience, and how to plan for security features such as security protocols and cipher suites for the Blast Secure Gateway.

  2. Then use Horizon 8 Installation and Upgrade as your guide to install the Horizon 8 server components. To learn about new features, fixed issues, and known problems, see the Horizon 8 Release Notes.

  3. Continue with the relevant guides to learn how to use the administration console for Horizon 8, install Horizon Agent on Windows virtual machines, and create desktop and application pools.

  4. Then follow the relevant guides to optimize the source VM for desktop pools, configure remote desktop features and GPOs, set up the web client for end users, and install Horizon Client for Windows or another client platform.

    The client guides also cover common procedures such as how to configure VMware Blast options, connect to a remote desktop or application, and work in a remote session. To learn about new features, fixed issues, and known problems in Horizon Client, see the release notes for your client platform.

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Scenario: Horizon 8, Connected to Horizon Cloud Service

If you're deploying Horizon 8 and also want to take advantage of the cloud-based monitoring and management features offered by Horizon Control Plane services, use this documentation path.


For a Horizon 8 deployment with connection to Horizon Cloud Service, use the guides for Horizon 8, for Horizon Cloud Service, and for all deployments.

  1. Start with Horizon Overview and Deployment Planning and Horizon Security.

  2. Follow Horizon 8 Installation and Upgrade to install the Horizon 8 server components. To learn about new features, fixed issues, and known problems, see the Horizon 8 Release Notes.

  3. Activate your Horizon Universal Subscription or Horizon Plus Subscription license. Follow the procedures to deploy Horizon Edge and activate the subscription license.

  4. Continue with the relevant guides to learn how to use the administration console for Horizon 8, install Horizon Agent on Windows virtual machines, and create desktop and application pools.

  5. Then follow the relevant guides to optimize the source VM for desktop pools, configure remote desktop features and GPOs, set up the web client for end users, and install Horizon Client for Windows or another client platform.

  6. To explore day-two operations of Horizon Cloud administration and image management from a single console, see Using VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen. Review the VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen Release Notes for information about the current release.

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Scenario: Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure

Deploying the next generation of Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure? Follow this documentation path.


For a Horizon Cloud Service deployment, use the guides for Horizon Cloud Service and for all deployments.

  1. Get started with Horizon Overview and Deployment Planning and understanding Horizon Security.

  2. To learn how to deploy the next generation of Horizon Cloud into the latest cloud-first, multi-cloud, pod-less architecture, see Using VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen. Review the VMware Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen Release Notes for information about the current release.

  3. Then follow the relevant guides to optimize the source VM for desktop pools, configure remote desktop features and GPOs, define feature policies using Active Directory group policy objects (GPOs), set up the web client for end users, and install Horizon Client for Windows or another client platform.

    The client guides also cover common procedures such as how to configure VMware Blast options, connect to a remote desktop or application, and work in a remote session. To learn about new features, fixed issues, and known problems in Horizon Client, see the release notes for your client platform.

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More Resources

To learn more about Horizon 8 and Horizon Cloud Service, visit the following pages.

Horizon 8 Resources Horizon Cloud Service - next-gen Resources