Horizon Client for Mac Help

VMware Horizon Client for Mac OS X Help

About VMware Horizon Client

Using VMware® Horizon™ Client, you can connect to remote desktops and applications.

Add Horizon Client to Your Dock

You can add Horizon Client to your Dock just as you do with any other application.

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application

After you connect to a server, you can open the remote desktops and applications that you are authorized to use.

Open a Recent Remote Desktop or Application

You can open recent remote desktops and applications in Horizon Client.

Configure Horizon Client to Forget the Server User Name and Domain

By default, Horizon Client stores the user name and domain that you enter when you log in to a server to connect to a remote desktop or application. For increased security, you can configure Horizon Client to never remember the server user name and domain.

Hide the VMware Horizon Client Window

You can hide the VMware Horizon Client window after you open a remote desktop or application.

Configure Horizon Client to Select a Smart Card Certificate

You can configure Horizon Client to select a local certificate or the certificate on a smart card when you authenticate to a server by setting a preference. If this preference is not set (the default), you must manually select a certificate.

Connecting to a Server When Horizon Client Starts

The Always connect at launch setting is enabled by default for the first server that you connect to with Horizon Client. When this setting is enabled for a server, Horizon Client always connects to that server when you start Horizon Client.

Autoconnect to a Remote Desktop

You can configure a server to automatically open a remote desktop when you connect to the server.

Searching for Desktops or Applications

After you connect to a server, the available desktops and applications on that server appear on the desktop and application selection window. You can search for a particular desktop or application by typing in the window.

Select a Favorite Remote Desktop or Application

You can select remote desktops and applications as favorites. Favorites are identified by a star. The star helps you quickly find your favorite desktops and applications. Your favorite selections are saved, even after you log off from the server.

Switch Desktops or Applications

If you are connected to a remote desktop, you can switch to another desktop. You can also connect to remote applications while you are connected to a remote desktop.

Reordering Shortcuts

You can reorder server, remote desktop, and remote application shortcuts.

Removing a Server Shortcut from the Home Window

After you connect to a server, a server shortcut is saved to the Horizon Client Home window.

Using a Touch Bar with Horizon Client

If your Mac has a Touch Bar, you can use the Touch Bar to interact with Horizon Client.

Copying and Pasting Text and Images

By default, you can copy and paste text from your client system to a remote desktop or application. If a Horizon administrator enables the feature, you can also copy and paste text from a remote desktop or application to your client system or between two remote desktops or applications. Supported file formats include text, images, and RTF (Rich Text Format). Some restrictions apply.

Printing from a Remote Desktop or Application

From a remote desktop, you can print to a virtual printer or to a USB printer that is attached to your client computer. Virtual printing and USB printing work together without conflict.

Connect USB Devices

You can use locally attached USB devices, such as thumb flash drives, cameras, and printers, from a remote desktop. This feature is called USB redirection.

Using Remote Applications

You can use many Mac functions with remote applications.

Configure Keyboard Shortcut Mappings

You can customize how remote desktops and applications interpret Apple keyboard shortcuts by configuring keyboard shortcut mappings.

Configure Mouse Shortcut Mappings

You can configure a single-button Apple mouse to send a right-click and a middle-click to remote desktops and applications. You can modify, enable, or disable the default mouse shortcut mappings. You cannot create new mouse shortcut mappings or delete the default mouse shortcut mappings.

Configure Horizon Client Shortcuts

Horizon Client includes preconfigured shortcut mappings for common Windows actions, including Toggle Full Screen, Quit, Hide Application, Cycle Through Windows, and Cycle Through Windows in Reverse. It also includes a preconfigured shortcut mapping for Toggle Exclusive Mode. You can enable or disable the default shortcuts. You cannot create new shortcuts or delete the default shortcuts.

Configure VMware Blast Options

You can configure H.264 decoding and network condition options for remote desktop and application sessions that use the VMware Blast display protocol.

Configure Advanced TLS/SSL Options

You can select the security protocols and cryptographic algorithms that are used to encrypt communications between Horizon Client and Horizon servers and between Horizon Client and the agent in the remote desktop.

Monitors and Screen Resolution

When you use the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, you can extend a remote desktop to multiple monitors. If you have a Mac with Retina Display, you can see the remote desktop in full resolution.

Using Exclusive Mode

Exclusive mode is similar to full-screen mode in that the remote desktop fills the screen. Unlike full-screen mode, with exclusive mode the VMware Horizon Client menu bar and Dock do not appear when you move your cursor to the edges of the screen.

Log Off or Disconnect

With some configurations, if you disconnect from a remote desktop without logging off, applications in the desktop can remain open. You can also disconnect from a server and leave remote applications running.

Upgrade Horizon Client Online

You can configure Horizon Client to check for and install updates automatically each time it starts. You can also check for and install updates manually.

Troubleshooting Horizon Client

You can solve most problems with Horizon Client by restarting or resetting the desktop, or by reinstalling the VMware Horizon Client application.

Getting Started

How Do I Log In?

Before you can log in and connect to a remote desktop or application, a system administrator at your company must set up your user account. If your system administrator has not set up your user account, you cannot use Horizon Client or HTML Access.

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Application

After you connect to a server, you can open the remote desktops and applications that you are authorized to use.

Add Horizon Client to Your Dock

You can add Horizon Client to your Dock just as you do with any other application.