iPhone and iPad: Connect to Your Cloud Desktop

A man at a cafe table using a tablet in a keyboard case with his phone beside it, working on his cloud desktop

Short answer: Install Windows App free from the App Store, tap + → Add PC, enter the address of your cloud desktop and your Windows username and password, then tap the tile. An iPad with a keyboard case is a genuinely comfortable way to work; an iPhone is best kept for quick fixes.

Applies to: iPhone · iPad · Infosaic cloud desktops · connecting by RDP

A full Windows desktop on an iPad sounds unlikely until you try it. With a keyboard case and a trackpad the experience is close to a laptop, and because all the work happens on the cloud desktop the iPad barely warms up.

The app you need is Microsoft’s Windows App — the same app that used to be called Microsoft Remote Desktop Mobile. It is free, it runs on both iPhone and iPad, and it is the one Microsoft still updates.

Below: installing it, adding your desktop, and the handful of gestures that make a touch screen feel like a mouse.

How do I install Windows App on an iPhone or iPad?

A person holding a large phone above a folding Bluetooth keyboard, showing how a small screen can be used for real work

Open the App Store and search for Windows App. Check that the publisher line reads Microsoft Corporation before installing — a number of unrelated apps use similar names and icons.

The app is free and there is nothing to buy inside it. If you already have the older Microsoft Remote Desktop installed, it will keep working, but connections you add to the new app will get the newer features.

You do not need a Microsoft account. The account you sign in with is the Windows account on your cloud desktop.

How to add your cloud desktop

Open Windows App and tap the + in the top corner.
Choose Add PC.
In PC name, type the address of your cloud desktop exactly as it appears in your control panel.
Tap User account → Add User Account and enter your Windows username and password. These are the credentials for the desktop itself, not for the control panel.
Give it a friendly name such as Work desktop, then tap Save.
Tap the tile to connect. Accept the certificate warning the first time and choose to remember it.

Everything is saved, so future connections are a single tap.

The touch gestures worth learning

A man working comfortably at a desk with two screens, in contrast to a small touch screen

Windows was designed for a mouse, so the app translates touch into mouse actions. Five gestures cover almost everything:

Tap — left click.
Tap and hold — right click, which is how you reach Windows context menus.
Two fingers, drag — scroll.
Pinch — zoom in on small text, then pan with two fingers.
Three fingers, swipe up — the app’s own toolbar, where the on-screen keyboard and the disconnect button live.

If you have a trackpad on your iPad keyboard case, switch the app to Mouse pointer mode and it behaves exactly like a laptop, complete with a real cursor and a right-click.

Keyboard tip: the app’s toolbar has an extra key row for the keys iOS does not have — Ctrl, Alt, Esc, the Windows key and the function keys. That is where Ctrl+Alt+Del lives too.

What works well, and what does not

Honest expectations save frustration:

Works well: email, documents, line-of-business applications, checking on something that is running, approving work, fixing a file before a meeting.
Works on an iPad, not really on a phone: spreadsheets, anything with a dense toolbar, long stretches of typing.
Copy and paste works between iOS and the desktop for text in both directions.
Sound plays through the device.
Printing to an AirPrint printer from inside the cloud desktop is not something to rely on — print to PDF, save it, then print from iOS.

If it does not connect

Check the address one character at a time. A typo gives the same message as a desktop that is off.
Turn Wi-Fi off and try mobile data. If it connects, the Wi-Fi network was blocking the RDP port — common on public and guest networks.
Open the desktop in Safari using browser access. If that works, the desktop is fine and the block is on the network.
Check which username you typed. The Windows account and the control panel account are different.

Questions and answers

Which app do I need on an iPhone or iPad?

Windows App, published by Microsoft Corporation, free on the App Store. It replaced the app previously called Microsoft Remote Desktop Mobile.

Does it cost anything?

No. The app is free and connecting to your Infosaic cloud desktop with it costs nothing extra.

Can I really work all day on an iPad?

With a keyboard case and a trackpad, yes, for most office work. Spreadsheets and applications with dense toolbars are noticeably easier on a larger screen.

How do I right-click on a touch screen?

Tap and hold. If you are using a trackpad, switch the app to Mouse pointer mode and right-click works normally.

How do I send Ctrl+Alt+Del from an iPad?

Swipe up with three fingers to open the app toolbar, show the extra key row, and use the Ctrl, Alt and Del keys there.

Can I copy and paste between iOS and my cloud desktop?

Yes, for text, in both directions. Copy on one side and paste on the other as you normally would.

Can I print from my cloud desktop on an iPad?

Print to PDF inside the cloud desktop, save the file, then print it from iOS. Direct printing to an AirPrint printer from the session is not something to rely on.

Will an iPhone screen be too small?

For sustained work, yes. For a quick check, a small fix or restarting something, an iPhone is perfectly usable — pinch to zoom on anything fiddly.

Still stuck?

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].