WorkSpaces Web Access - Amazon WorkSpaces
WebsiteRequirementsClient viewsProxy serversFeatures for WorkSpaces configured for DCVEnabling diagnostic log uploads

WorkSpaces Web Access

Users can access their Windows WorkSpaces and DCV Linux WorkSpaces from any location using a web browser. This is ideal for users who access WorkSpaces from a personally-owned or locked-down device, because installing and maintaining a client application can be challenging. Instead of using a traditional remote access solution and installing the appropriate client application, users can visit the website to access their work resources.

Limits

  • We strongly recommend using Web Access with DCV WorkSpaces for best streaming quality and user experience. The following are limitations when using Web Access with PCoIP WorkSpaces:

    • Web Access with PCoIP is not supported in the AWS GovCloud (US) Regions, Asia Pacific (Mumbai), Africa (Cape Town), and Israel (Tel Aviv)

    • Web Access with PCoIP is only supported for Windows WorkSpaces, not with Amazon Linux WorkSpaces.

    • Web Access is not available for some Windows 10 WorkSpaces that are using the PCoIP protocol. If your PCoIP WorkSpaces are powered by Windows Server 2019 or 2022, Web Access is not available.

  • You can't use a web browser to connect to GPU-enabled WorkSpaces.

  • If you are using macOS on VPN and using the Firefox web browser, the web browser will not support streaming PCoIP workspaces using WorkSpaces Web Access. This is due to a limitation in Firefox implementation of the WebRTC protocol.

  • As of October 1, 2020, you can't use the Amazon WorkSpaces Web Access client to connect to Windows 7 custom WorkSpaces or to Windows 7 Bring Your Own License (BYOL) WorkSpaces.

Website

Open WorkSpaces Web Access to log on to your Windows WorkSpace through your web browser. If your WorkSpaces are in the AWS GovCloud (US) Regions, open WorkSpaces Web Access to connect to your WorkSpaces.

Requirements

You can access a WorkSpace by running the Windows 10 desktop experience and one of the following bundles:

  • Value

  • Standard

  • Performance

  • Power

  • PowerPro

You must have web connectivity.

Note

You can connect to your DCV WorkSpaces using Web Access in the AWS GovCloud (US) Regions. Connecting to PCoIP WorkSpaces via Web Access is not supported in the AWS GovCloud (US) Regions.

Your administrator must enable WorkSpaces Web Access. For more information, see Enable and Configure Amazon WorkSpaces Web Access in the Amazon WorkSpaces Administration Guide.

WorkSpaces configured for PCoIP

You must run one of the following web browsers on your Windows, macOS, or Linux computer:

  • Google Chrome 55 and later

  • Firefox 52 and later

WorkSpaces configured for DCV

You must run one of the following web browsers on your Windows, macOS, or Linux computer:

  • Microsoft Edge (latest three major versions)

  • Google Chrome (latest three major versions)

  • Mozilla Firefox (latest three major versions)

  • Apple Safari for macOS (latest three major versions)

Client views

WorkSpaces Web Access supports multiple screen resolutions. The minimum supported resolution is 960x720 pixels, and the maximum supported resolution is 2560x1600 pixels.

Only WorkSpaces configured for DCV supports multiple monitors. For more information, see Using multiple screens.

Proxy servers

If you are required to use a proxy server to access the internet, you can configure your browser to use the proxy server.

Limits

  • Proxy with authentication is not currently supported.

  • Proxy server support for Web Access can vary by browser. Chrome (versions 55 and later) supports Web Access traffic routed through a web proxy, while the current Firefox does not.

  • WorkSpaces configured for DCV use the web browser's proxy configuration.

Features for WorkSpaces configured for DCV

The following features apply only to WorkSpaces configured for DCV.

Copying and pasting

You can use the web browser client to copy and paste text and images between your local computer and the WorkSpaces session. Use keyboard shortcuts and context (right-click) menu to copy and paste text and images on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari does not support copying and pasting images, and require using the clipboard dialog to copy and paste text.

Using a webcam

Webcam functionality is supported only on Chromium-based browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. It isn't supported on Mozilla Firefox.

The steps for selecting the camera to use are the same across all supported web browsers.

To select the webcam to use

  1. In the client, choose the Workspaces Name menu, and then choose Preferences.

  2. Choose the Camera tab, and then select the camera to use.

  3. Close the Preferences modal.

Note the following:

  • The camera menu items appear only if an administrator has authorized the use of a webcam in the session.

  • Users can't change the webcam selection while the webcam is in use.

Use a webcam in a session

Choose the webcam button in the client as shown in the following example to enable or disable your webcam for use in a session. The webcam button appears on the toolbar only if you're authorized to use a webcam and at least one webcam is connected to your local computer.

The webcam button in the WorkSpaces Web Access client.

The following table shows different states of the webcam:

Icon Description
The webcam is disabled.

The webcam is disabled. Choose the button to enable the webcam. If you didn't previously select the webcam to use, the default webcam is used.
The webcam is enabled.

The webcam is enabled, but it's not in use. Choose the button to disable the webcam.
The webcam is in use.

The webcam is in use by a remote application in the WorkSpaces session. Choose the icon to disable the webcam.

Using multiple screens

To use multiple screens, choose the multiscreen button in the client as shown in the following example. Multiple screens are supported with up to two monitors.

The multiscreen button in the WorkSpaces Web Access client.

Enabling diagnostic log uploads

To troubleshoot issues with the WorkSpaces client, you can enable diagnostic logging. The log files that are sent to WorkSpaces include detailed information about your device and connection to the AWS network. You can enable diagnostic log uploads before or during WorkSpace streaming sessions so that these files are sent to the WorkSpaces client automatically.

To send log files

  1. Open your Amazon WorkSpaces Web Access client.

  2. At the top of the WorkSpaces sign in page, choose Diagnostic logging.

  3. In the dialog box, ensure Diagnostic logging is enabled.

  4. (Optional) To generate debugging-level details and verbose performance data, choose Advanced logging.