Short answer: Your cloud desktop is a full Windows machine, so you install software the ordinary way — download the installer inside the desktop, right-click it and choose Run as administrator, and approve the blue confirmation box. If your account cannot approve it, ask us to grant administrator rights.
Applies to: Infosaic cloud desktops and VPS · Windows
This is one of the real advantages of a cloud desktop over a locked-down web application: it is a Windows machine and it runs Windows programs. Accounting software, a specialist industry application, a browser you prefer, a font, a printer driver — all of it installs normally.
The two things worth knowing are where to download from, and what to do when Windows refuses.
How do I install a program on my cloud desktop?
- Download inside the desktop. Open a browser on the cloud desktop and download the installer there. The cloud desktop usually has a much faster connection than your own office, and it saves copying a large file across the link.
- If the installer is already on your own machine, bring it across with a redirected drive or cloud storage.
- Right-click the installer and choose Run as administrator. Doing this from the start avoids a half-finished installation.
- Approve the User Account Control box — the blue prompt asking whether to allow the app to make changes.
- Follow the installer as normal, and restart the desktop if it asks you to.
What if Windows will not let me?
Two different refusals look similar but mean different things:
- You are asked for an administrator username and password rather than just Yes or No. Your Windows account is a standard user. Ask us to grant administrator rights, or ask whoever manages your account to install it for you.
- Windows says the publisher is unknown or SmartScreen blocks it. Windows is not sure about the file, not about your rights. Check you downloaded it from the vendor’s own site, then choose More info and Run anyway if you are confident.
If several people share a desktop, be a little careful: what one person installs, everyone sees. Agree it first.
Download from the source. A cloud desktop is exposed to exactly the same risks as any other Windows machine. Get installers from the vendor’s own site rather than a download portal, and be wary of anything that arrives by email.
Licensing and disk space
Two practical things people run into after the install works:
- Your licence must allow it. Some software is licensed per device and treats a cloud desktop as an additional device. Check the vendor’s terms before you install a seat you have already used elsewhere.
- Watch the disk. Open This PC and look at the free space before installing something large. Installers that run out of space part-way through leave a mess.
- Hardware licence keys usually will not work. A USB dongle does not generally pass through to a cloud desktop — see using a USB drive.
Questions and answers
Can I install my own software on a cloud desktop?
Yes. It is a full Windows machine, so ordinary Windows programs install in the ordinary way.
Do I have administrator rights?
Many accounts do. If Windows asks you for an administrator username and password instead of a simple Yes, your account is a standard user — ask us to change it.
Where should I download the installer?
Inside the cloud desktop, using a browser on the desktop itself. It is usually much faster than downloading locally and copying the file across.
What is the blue box asking to allow changes?
That is User Account Control. It confirms that you meant to run something that changes the system. Approve it if you started the installer yourself.
Why does Windows say the publisher is unknown?
The file is not signed by a publisher Windows recognises. That is about the file, not your permissions. Verify you got it from the vendor, then choose More info and Run anyway if you are confident.
Will my software licence cover a cloud desktop?
Check the vendor terms. Some licences are per device and count a cloud desktop as an extra device.
Does installing software affect other people on the desktop?
Yes, if you share it. Anything installed for all users is visible to everyone signed in to that desktop.
How do I remove a program?
Use Apps and features in Windows settings on the cloud desktop, exactly as you would on any other Windows machine.
Related articles
- How to copy files between your computer and your cloud desktop over RDP
- How to restart your cloud desktop (and when you should)
- How to use a USB drive with your cloud desktop
- How to open a support request (and get it solved faster)
Need administrator rights?
Open a support request from your control panel — that is the fastest route, because it reaches the team who can already see your account and your desktop. You can also email [email protected].