Issue
A "Microsoft Remote Desktop" application on a Windows device never appears as an available third-party update in Automox, or it stays on an older version after patch policies run. It looks like Automox is skipping the app.
Environment
- Automox (current agent release)
- Windows devices; third-party (application) patching
- One of the Microsoft "Remote Desktop" clients for Windows
Overview
"Remote Desktop" on Windows is not a single application, and Automox treats each variant differently. Identifying which one you have explains why it is — or is not — being updated by Automox.
-
Remote Desktop Connection (
mstsc.exe) — the classic client built into Windows. It is part of the operating system, not a separately installed application, so it is serviced by Windows Update (your OS patch policies), never by third-party patching. It will not show up as a third-party title, and it does not need to. - Remote Desktop client for Windows (MSI installer) — a standalone client used to reach Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. Once installed, its app name also shows as Remote Desktop. During setup you choose an installation scope: Install just for you (a per-user install inside a single user's profile) or Install for all users of this machine (a per-machine install). It also has its own built-in updater.
- Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store — a Store-delivered app that updates through the Microsoft Store, not Automox. Microsoft ended support for this Store app in September 2025, and it is no longer available to download. Microsoft now directs users to Windows App instead.
Automox third-party patching detects and patches applications that are installed machine-wide (for all users). That is the root of "not updating":
- A per-user install lives inside one user's profile and is not reliably detected or patched by third-party policies.
- Microsoft Store apps are serviced by the Store, not by Automox, so they never appear as patchable third-party titles.
- The MSI client's own auto-updater can also update it outside of Automox.
Resolution
- Identify which Remote Desktop you have:
- Open the app and check its name/version, or look in Settings Apps Installed apps (or Control Panel Programs and Features).
- A machine-wide install appears under Programs and Features; a per-user or Store install typically does not.
- If it is Remote Desktop Connection (
mstsc.exe):- There is nothing to patch through third-party policies. Keep the device current with your Windows Update patch policies, which is how this client receives fixes.
- If it is the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app:
- Update it through the Microsoft Store (open the Store, go to Library Get updates). Store apps are outside Automox third-party patching by design.
- Because Microsoft retired this Store app in September 2025, plan to migrate users to Windows App for continued Azure Virtual Desktop / Windows 365 access. Note that Windows App is also Store-delivered, so it, too, is serviced by the Microsoft Store rather than by Automox.
- If it is the MSI Remote Desktop client installed just for you (per-user):
- Reinstall it for all users of this machine so it becomes a machine-wide install Automox can see. Download the current installer from Microsoft (64-bit, 32-bit, ARM64), run it, and at Installation Scope choose Install for all users of this machine (this requires local administrator rights).
- If the app is updating itself through its built-in updater, that is expected behavior and not an Automox failure.
- Confirm the app is patchable:
- After a machine-wide (re)install, scan the device from the Automox console and check the device's Software page for the application and any available update.
Notes
- "Automox does not support it" in older guidance means only the built-in client (
mstsc.exe) is serviced by the OS and the other Remote Desktop variants are not third-party-patchable — it does not mean the app is unsafe to run. - Per-user vs. machine-wide install scope is the single most common reason a Windows application "won't update" through Automox third-party patching; it applies to many apps, not just Remote Desktop.