Microsoft Remote Desktop EOL--Any Recommended Alternatives?

[Soapy1234]

Hey all, I've been using Microsoft's Remote Desktop app (the orange one) for the last few years now to control the other PCs within my own LAN, and apparently it's going away on the 27th and being replaced with the "Windows App".  Part of the issue is apparently it requires a work or school account, and I'm just using this for my own personal use.  So I'm not sure what to do now.

 

I know Windows has a separate app called "Remote Desktop Connection", but I gravitated towards the orange app because it kept things organized better, and the GUI was really intuitive to use.  So I'm wondering if there's any free programs that can do what I was doing before--locally pulling up my other machines on my LAN.

Everything I was looking at just doing my own research seemed to require a subscription fee, which I'd like to avoid for obvious reasons.

 

Any insights?

[FIXXX]

RustDesk is fine for most tasks.

 

I also often use Google Remote Desktop, it's fine too.

[Sant_HH]

Nomachine Free edition is fine for most personal use

[Haswellx86]

AnyDesk?

[esCaPade1]

RealVNC - there are free clones out there too

[Lee B]

The new Windows app can be used with a personal Microsoft account as well. I use a throwaway Outlook.com address to get into a couple PCs on my home network from my Mac.

[esCaPade1]

Maybe I should expand my reply a bit.

RealVNC is the OG remote desktop app. Like, seriously. I was using it before you were a sparkle in your daddy's eye. 

The client is free to use and works great. The server for Windows I think you have to pay for, but there's tightVNC and UltraVNC which are free servers compatible with the client.

Raspberry Pis come with RealVNC installed but deactivated - you just turn it on in the raspi-config tool, so that is handy. It also demonstrates how much of an industry standard it is. They were doing it long before it was built into Windows.

[ewitte]

Remote desktop is included with Microsoft OS.  It isn't going away yet. 

 

"The process has some nuances. If you’re a Remote Desktop user, you’ll need to keep using the Remote Desktop Connection until this feature is in the Windows App, Microsoft said. If you use Remote Desktop Services, you should use the RemoteApp and Desktop Connection until support for this connection type is available in Windows App, the company said."

[ewitte]

31 minutes ago, esCaPade1 said:

Maybe I should expand my reply a bit.

RealVNC is the OG remote desktop app. Like, seriously. I was using it before you were a sparkle in your daddy's eye. 

The client is free to use and works great. The server for Windows I think you have to pay for, but there's tightVNC and UltraVNC which are free servers compatible with the client.

Raspberry Pis come with RealVNC installed but deactivated - you just turn it on in the raspi-config tool, so that is handy. It also demonstrates how much of an industry standard it is. They were doing it long before it was built into Windows.

I never liked the performance of VNC.  

[esCaPade1]

2 hours ago, ewitte said:

I never liked the performance of VNC.  

I suppose the best would be Moonlight and the Sunlight server. Assuming nVidia, of course.

[ewitte]

13 hours ago, esCaPade1 said:

I suppose the best would be Moonlight and the Sunlight server. Assuming nVidia, of course.

I use this to game on the TV when the B580 can't cut it.

[esCaPade1]

Exactly - if it's fast enough for gaming, it's easily fast enough for remote desktop.