About this Guide
While using apps within the Microsoft Remote Desktop is very similar to using an app that you have installed on your computer, there are few slight variations on opening and saving files on your computer. This article will help walk you through opening a file already stored on your computer, or saving a new file.
You'll need to have set up the Microsoft Remote Desktop client using these instructions.
It's important to remember that creating files using the virtual apps will attempt to store and then also open files within the Cloud storage. For Microsoft Remote Desktop, files will default to being stored in our Azure environment.
Contents
- Windows 10 Instructions
- macOS Instructions
Windows 10 Instructions
Opening an existing file:
Once you've signed into the Remote Desktop application, you will see apps that are available for you to use. For this example, we'll be using JMP 15.
Double-Click on JMP Pro 15 to launch the app.
If prompted, enter your SJU password.
There are several ways to open a file, but typically, opening a file (especially if it's a large file) from your computer will take much longer to open.
In this first example, we'll walk you through finding the file that's saved on your computer. This method is recommended for very small sized files.
First, click on "File" and then "Open"
From the window that appears, it will be important to note that you will see several new options available.
By default, the software will look in your Cloud storage first, which in this case, is your "Documents" folder.
You also have the option to select your own computer's drive, in this case, it is "C on MTAYLOR-X1E".
"Computer-name" will vary based on the name of your own computer and will be unique to your setup.
Once you've selected your local "C" drive, you'll then need to open your "Users" folder, which is where your profile and data will be stored.
Once in your "Users" folder, you'll see the folder that contains your Documents, Downloads, Desktop, etc.
(The name of this folder will vary depending on the username you are signed into the computer as.
If it is a personal device you are using, it might be your first name. If it is an SJU provided computer, you will see your SJU username listed)
In the following example, you'll see that there is a saved JMP file called "Air Traffic". Once selected, you can click "Open" to view/edit the file within JMP.
Copying a file from your computer to the cloud (Better performance and for larger files)
There may be times when you need to work on a large data set within JMP, SPSS, or Microsoft Access.
For much better performance and speed, it makes sense to copy the file from your computer to the Cloud storage and open it within the application from there.
In order to do this, you will want to open the "Windows Explorer" application. Example below:
Once opened, you'll see that it shows your local C: drive again as well as your cloud storage folders:
By copying a file that's located somewhere on your computer to one of the folders within your cloud storage,
you will gain a significant boost in speed and performance.
In the example below, you can see that we've opened a window to where the Documents folder is on the local computer, where our files might be stored.
Below that shows an example of where you would copy a file from your computer up to your Cloud storage:
Saving a file:
If you've been working on a JMP file and would like to save it to your computer, select "File" and then "Save As".
It is important to make sure you are selecting a folder located on your computer, just as if you were opening an existing file.
You should look for the "This PC" and your "C" drive. Example below:
You can now select the folder within your User folder (i.e. Documents) where it can be accessed at a later time.
You can optionally save the file to your cloud storage, but there is no assurance that it will be stored there for long, as periodic cleanups will take place.
macOS Instructions
Granting access to your Mac:
By default, you cannot open or save files from your Mac in the VDI environment. To change this, open Microsoft Remote Desktop. Click the Microsoft Remote Desktop menu at the top (next to the Apple menu), then click Preferences.
In the "folder redirection" section towards the bottom, choose a folder that you want to make available in the VDI environment. You can create an entirely separate folder for this, or you can select your Desktop, Documents, etc. folders.
Opening an existing file:
Once you've signed into the Microsoft Remote Desktop application, you will see apps that are available for you to use. As with the Windows instructions, we'll be using JMP 15 for this example.
Double-Click on JMP Pro 15 to launch the app:
You might be asked to sign in to Azure with your SJU account. Use your full SJU email address.
You might also be prompted for your SJU password.
After that, you might be prompted for your SJU password again.
After successfully signing in, you'll see a loading screen for several seconds.
You'll be shown JMP's main window, where you can click the File menu and open a document.
Click This PC, then scroll to the bottom and choose the folder that you shared in the Granting access to your Mac section.
Saving a file:
Note: you'll need to have followed the Granting access to your Mac section. From there, you can go to the File menu, then click Save.
Click This PC in the sidebar, then the folder you made available to the VDI environment: