WorkSpaces macOS client application
The following information helps you get started with the WorkSpaces macOS client application.
Contents
- Requirements
- Setup and installation
- Determine your client version
- Connect to your WorkSpace
- Manage your login information (3.0+ clients only)
- Client views
- Client language
- Display support
- Proxy servers
- Command shortcuts
- Remap the Windows logo key or the Command key
- Disconnect
- Clipboard support
- Diagnostic log upload
- Release notes
Requirements
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The 4.0+ client and higher versions require macOS 10.15 (Catalina) to macOS 14 (Sonoma).
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The 3.0+ client and higher versions require macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later.
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The client version 5.20.0 and higher versions require macOS 12 (Monterey) or later.
Note
PCoIP WorkSpaces require macOS 13 (Ventura) or later)
Important
If you use macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later, you must use version 3.0.2 or later of the macOS client.
Note
-
If your WorkSpace is located in the Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region, you must use version 3.1.3 or later of the Amazon WorkSpaces macOS client application.
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WSP WorkSpaces are only supported with macOS client version 5.5.0 or higher.
Setup and installation
To download and install the client application, complete the following procedure.
To download and install the client application
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On your macOS device, open Amazon WorkSpaces Client Downloads
and choose the MacOS X link. -
Download and install the application.
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Verify that the Amazon WorkSpaces client application icon appears on the desktop.
If you're having trouble updating your WorkSpaces macOS client application to a newer version, use the following procedure to update your client application.
To update the WorkSpaces macOS client application to a newer version
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In the Finder, open your Applications folder, then open Utilities, and choose Terminal.
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In the Terminal window, enter the following command, and then press the Return key.
defaults delete com.amazon.workspaces SUSkippedVersion
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In the Terminal app, choose Terminal, Quit Terminal.
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If you have not already entered a registration code in the WorkSpaces macOS client application, do so, and then choose Amazon WorkSpaces, Quit Amazon WorkSpaces to close the client application.
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Restart the WorkSpaces macOS client application. You should be prompted to update the client. Accept the update.
Determine your client version
To see which version of the WorkSpaces client you have, choose Amazon WorkSpaces, About Amazon WorkSpaces, or click the gear icon in the upper-right corner and choose About Amazon WorkSpaces.
Connect to your WorkSpace
To connect to your WorkSpace, complete the following procedure.
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The first time that you run the client application, you are prompted for your registration code, which is contained in your welcome email. The WorkSpaces client application uses the registration code and user name to identify which WorkSpace to connect to. When you launch the client application later, the same registration code is used. To enter a different registration code, launch the client application, and then choose Change Registration Code at the bottom of the login page.
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Enter your sign-in credentials in the login screen and choose Sign In. If your WorkSpaces administrator has enabled multi-factor authentication for your organization's WorkSpaces, you are prompted for a passcode to complete your login. Your WorkSpaces administrator will provide more information about how to obtain your passcode.
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If your WorkSpaces administrator has not disabled the Keep me logged in feature, you can select the Keep me logged in check box at the bottom of the login screen to save your credentials securely so that you can connect to your WorkSpace easily while the client application remains running. Your credentials are securely cached up to the maximum lifetime of your Kerberos ticket.
After the client application connects to your WorkSpace, your WorkSpace desktop is displayed.
An interruption of network connectivity causes an active session to be disconnected. This can be caused by events such as closing the laptop lid, or the loss of your wireless network connection. The WorkSpaces client application for macOS attempts to reconnect the session automatically if network connectivity is regained within a certain amount of time. The default session resume timeout is 20 minutes, but this timeout can be modified by your network administrator.
Manage your login information (3.0+ clients only)
You can view your registration code and what Region your WorkSpace is in. You can specify whether you want the WorkSpaces client application to save your current registration code, and you can assign a name to your WorkSpace. You can also specify if you want Amazon WorkSpaces to keep you logged in to a WorkSpace until you quit or your login period expires.
To manage your login information for a WorkSpace
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In the WorkSpaces client application, go to Settings, Manage Login Information.
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In the Manage Login Information dialog box, you can see the registration code and Region information for your WorkSpace.
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(Optional) If you want the WorkSpaces client to remember your current registration code, select the Remember Registration Code check box.
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Under Saved registration codes, select the WorkSpace you want to name.
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In the WorkSpace name box, enter a name for the WorkSpace.
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(Optional) If you want WorkSpaces to keep you logged in until you quit or your login period expires, select the Keep me logged in check box.
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Choose Save.
Client views
You can switch to full screen mode by choosing View, Enter Full Screen (3.0+ clients) in the client application menu.
While in full screen mode, you can switch back to window mode by moving the pointer to the top of the screen. The client application menu is displayed, and you can choose View, Leave Full Screen (3.0+ clients) in the client application menu.
You can also toggle full screen mode by pressing Command+Option+Return.
Client language
You can select the language displayed by the client by performing the following steps.
Note
The WorkSpaces client applications support Japanese. However, Japanese WorkSpaces are available only in the Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region.
To select the client language
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Depending on which client you're using, do one of the following.
If you're using... Do this 3.0+ client
In the WorkSpaces client application, go to Settings, Change Language.
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Enter your desired language in the Select a language list and choose Save.
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Restart the client.
Display support
WorkSpaces Value, Standard, Performance, Power, PowerPro, and GraphicsPro bundles support a maximum of four displays and a maximum resolution of 3840x2160 (ultra-high definition, or UHD). The maximum supported resolution depends on the number of displays, as shown in the following table.
Displays | Resolution |
---|---|
2 |
3840x2160 |
4 |
1920x1200 |
Note
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You can only extend the display. You cannot duplicate the display. Duplicating the display will cause your session to be disconnected.
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Graphics bundles support only a single monitor configuration with a maximum resolution of 2560x1600.
The WorkSpaces client application extracts the Extended Display Information Data (EDID) of all attached displays and determines the best compatibility match before starting the session. If you have a high pixel density (high DPI) display, the client application automatically scales the streaming window according to your local DPI settings. For better maximum resolution with high DPI displays, see WorkSpaces high DPI display support.
Note
If your screen resolution in WorkSpaces is low and objects look blurry, you need to turn on high DPI mode and adjust the display scaling settings on your Mac. For more information, see WorkSpaces high DPI display support.
To use multiple monitors with WorkSpaces
-
Configure your local machine to use multiple monitors. For more information, see Use multiple displays with your Mac
in the Apple documentation. -
Start the WorkSpaces client application and log in to your WorkSpace.
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Depending on which client you're using, do one of the following:
If you're using... Do this 3.0+ client Choose View, Enter Full Screen On All Displays. You can also toggle full screen mode by pressing Command+Option+Return.
Your WorkSpace should now be extended across your displays. Whichever display you have designated as your primary display is also the primary display in WorkSpaces when you enter full screen mode.
Note
To use full screen mode on only some of the displays in a multiple monitor setup,
press and hold the Option key and then click the green maximize button
in the top-left corner of the WorkSpaces window. This button
expands the WorkSpaces client window to full size on a screen without extending the
WorkSpace to the other displays. To return to the previous window size, press and
hold the Option key and click the maximize button again.
Proxy servers
If your network requires you to use a proxy server to access the internet, you can enable your WorkSpaces client application to use a proxy for HTTPS (port 443) traffic. The WorkSpaces client applications use the HTTPS port for updates, registration, and authentication.
Note
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The desktop streaming connections to the WorkSpace require ports 4172 and 4195 to be enabled, and do not go through the proxy server.
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Proxy servers that require authentication with a sign-in credentials are not supported.
By default, the 3.0+ macOS clients use the proxy server that's specified in the device operating system settings. The first time the client is launched, the device operating system proxy server setting is used. If you select another option for the proxy server, that setting is used for subsequent launches of the client.
Note
If you specify a custom proxy server, a "No network" error might appear when you attempt to log in to your WorkSpace. To work around this issue, use the default operating system proxy server instead of specifying a custom proxy server in the macOS client.
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In the WorkSpaces client application, go to Settings, Manage Proxy Server.
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In the Set Proxy dialog box, select Use proxy server, enter the proxy server URL or IP address and the port, and choose Save.
Command shortcuts
The WorkSpaces macOS client supports the following command shortcuts:
If you're using... | Use these shortcuts |
---|---|
3.0+ client |
Command+Q—Quit Amazon WorkSpaces Command+Option+Return—Toggle full screen display Command+Option+F12—Disconnect session |
Remap the Windows logo key or the Command key
By default, the Windows logo key on a Windows keyboard and the Command key on an Apple keyboard are both mapped to the Ctrl key when you're using the Amazon WorkSpaces macOS client application. If you want to change this behavior so that these two keys are mapped to the Windows logo key for use with Windows WorkSpaces, use the following procedure.
To map the Windows logo key or the Command key to the Windows logo key
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If you haven't already done so, install or update to version 3.0.5 or later of the Amazon WorkSpaces macOS client application.
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In the Finder, open your Applications folder, then open Utilities, and choose Terminal.
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In the Terminal window, enter the following command, and then press the Return key.
defaults write "com.amazon.Amazon WorkSpaces Client" remap_cmd_to_ctrl 0
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In the Terminal app, choose Terminal, Quit Terminal.
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If your WorkSpaces macOS client application is running, choose Amazon WorkSpaces, Quit Amazon WorkSpaces in the client to close the client application.
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Restart the WorkSpaces macOS client application and log in to your WorkSpace. The Windows logo key or the Command key should now be mapped to the Windows logo key.
Disconnect
To disconnect the macOS client application, you have several options:
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In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, go to Amazon WorkSpaces, and then choose Disconnect WorkSpace. Your WorkSpace session ends, but the client application continues running in case you want to log in again.
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In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, go to Amazon WorkSpaces, and then choose Quit Amazon WorkSpaces. Your WorkSpace session ends, and the client application closes.
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In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, close the WorkSpaces client window by clicking the red close (X) button in the upper-left corner. In the End Session dialog box, choose Yes. Your WorkSpace session ends, but the client application continues running in case you want to log in again.
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You can also log off of the WorkSpace. In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, go to View, and then choose Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Choose Sign Out. Your WorkSpace session ends, but the client application continues running in case you want to log in again.
Clipboard support
The clipboard supports a maximum uncompressed object size of 20 MB. For more information, see I'm having trouble copying and pasting.
Note
When copying from a Microsoft Office app, the clipboard only contains the last copied item, and the item is converted into standard format. If you copy content larger than 890 KB from a Microsoft Office app, the app might become slow or unresponsive for up to 5 seconds.
Diagnostic log upload
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 WorkSpaces automatically.
To send log files:
Note
You can send log files before and during WorkSpaces streaming sessions.
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Open your Amazon WorkSpaces client.
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At the top of the WorkSpaces sign-in page, choose Manage Diagnostic Logging Settings.
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In the pop-up dialog box, choose Enable Diagnostic Logging for Amazon WorkSpaces and click Save.
Important
When you report an issue to AWS support, ensure you keep track of the device ID of the client who is experiencing the issue. This device ID can be found in the diagnostics logging menu, in the WorkSpaces client navigation bar, and it helps the support team identify logs associated with your specific device. Ensure you include the device ID in the tickets that you create regarding this specific issue.
Release notes
The following table describes the changes to each release of the client application.
Release | Date | Changes |
---|---|---|
5.22.0 | August 16, 2024 | Updated the WSP SDK. |
5.21.0 | July 3, 2024 |
Bug fixes and enhancements. |
5.20.0 | June 13, 2024 |
|
5.19.3 | April 30, 2024 | Fixed issue where users get immediately disconnected from their WSP WorkSpaces when connecting to it. |
5.19.0 | February 28, 2024 |
|
5.18.0 | January 22, 2024 |
|
5.17.0 | November 16, 2023 |
|
5.16.0 | October 26, 2023 |
|
5.15.1 | September 20, 2023 |
|
5.12.0 | August 29, 2023 |
|
5.11.0 | June 29, 2023 |
Added options to enable or disable Ctrl + left-click as right-click and enable or disable mapping the Command key to the Ctrl key. To access both options, from the menu bar, choose Settings, Manage Modifier Keys. |
5.10.0 | June 19, 2023 |
|
5.9.0 | May 9, 2023 | Updated WSP SDK to fix playback volume issues. |
5.8.0 | April 6, 2023 |
|
5.7.0 | February 23, 2023 |
|
5.6.0 | December 27, 2022 |
|
5.5.0 | November 14, 2022 | Updated the WSP client SDK. |
5.4.0 | November 10, 2022 | Added a shortcut Command+Alt+F12 to disconnect your WorkSpaces. |
5.3.0 | September 15, 2022 |
Bug fixes and enhancements. |
5.2.0 | August 24, 2022 |
Fixed WorkSpaces login issue when using Smart Card. |
5.1.0 | June 30, 2022 |
Updated PCoIP SDK for MacOS. |
4.0.7 | March 3, 2022 | Fixed a WorkSpaces connection error caused by the Proxy settings on MacBook. |
4.0.6 | December 21, 2021 |
|
4.0.5 | November 23, 2021 |
|
4.0.4 | November 3, 2021 |
|
4.0.3 | October 4, 2021 | Bug fixes and enhancements. |
4.0.2 | September 8, 2021 | Minor bug fixes and enhancements. |
4.0.1 | August 5, 2021 | Minor bug fixes and enhancements. |
3.1.9 | June 29, 2021 | Minor bug fixes and enhancements. |
3.1.8 | May 28, 2021 |
|
3.1.7 | April 29, 2021 |
|
3.1.6 | April 8, 2021 |
Fixes for disconnects and crashes resulting from WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP) audio traffic optimization |
3.1.5 | April 2, 2021 |
|
3.1.4 | March 16, 2021 |
|
3.1.3 | February 15, 2021 |
|
3.1.2 | January 8, 2021 |
|
3.1.0 | December 1, 2020 |
Minor bug fixes and enhancements |
3.0.12 | November 10, 2020 |
|
3.0.11 | October 02, 2020 |
|
3.0.10 | September 16, 2020 |
Adds support for health checks over port 4195 (UDP and TCP) |
3.0.9 | August 14, 2020 |
Minor bug fixes and enhancements |
3.0.8 | July 30, 2020 |
|
3.0.7 |
June 3, 2020 |
|
3.0.6 |
April 28, 2020 |
|
3.0.5 |
March 30, 2020 |
|
3.0.4 |
March 3, 2020 |
|
3.0.3 |
February 24, 2020 |
Improves readability on high DPI devices |
3.0.2 |
February 14, 2020 |
|
3.0.0 |
November 25, 2019 |
|
2.5.11 |
November 4, 2019 |
|
2.5.9 |
Minor bug fixes |
|
2.5.8 |
|
|
2.5.7 |
|
|
2.5.6 |
Minor fixes |
|
2.5.5 |
|
|
2.5.2 |
|
|
2.5.1 |
|
|
2.5.0 |
Adds support for user self-service WorkSpace management capabilities |
|
2.4.10 |
Minor fixes |
|
2.4.9 |
Minor fixes |
|
2.4.8 |
|
|
2.4.7 |
|
|
2.4.6 |
|
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2.4.4 |
|
|
2.4.2 |
Minor fixes |
|
2.4.0 |
|
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2.3.7 |
|
|
2.3.6 |
Localization enhancements |
|
2.3.5 |
Minor improvements |
|
2.3.3 |
|
|
2.3.1 |
Minor fixes |
|
2.3.0 |
|
|
2.2.3 |
Resolves minor bugs and improves stability |
|
2.2.1 |
|
|
2.1.4 |
Resolves a crash issue on macOS Sierra |
|
2.1.3 |
Closing the client expires the reconnect token. You can easily reconnect to your WorkSpace as long as the client is running. |
|
2.1.0 |
|
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2.0.8 |
|
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2.0.4 |
|
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1.1.80 |
|
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1.1.6 |
|
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1.1.4 |
|
|
1.0.8 |
|
|
1.0 |
Initial release |