Windows Remote Desktop
Beta — This feature is currently in beta and may change.
The Windows Remote Desktop connection lets your assignments control Windows machines in your own environment over RDP. Unlike Computer Use (which provides a Duvo-managed Windows sandbox), this connection targets your existing Windows servers, cloud VMs, or terminal servers, giving assignments access to your internal systems, installed software, and network resources.
Setup
Click Enable on the Connections page and fill in the RDP connection details for your Windows machine. Secrets are encrypted using Google Cloud KMS.
Prerequisites
A Windows machine accessible via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)
RDP enabled on the target machine (port 3389 by default)
A Windows user account with permissions to log in via RDP
Network connectivity between Duvo and your Windows machine. For private networks, contact your Duvo account team to set up VPN access.
Required Permissions
The Windows user account used for the connection needs:
Remote Desktop Users group membership (or equivalent)
Permissions for the applications and files the assignment will access
PowerShell execution policy set to allow scripts (required for PowerShell and UI automation features)
Win+R (Run dialog) enabled in Group Policy (required for UI automation)
Connection Fields
Integration Name
A custom name for this connection to help you identify it later
Host
RDP host address — the IP address or hostname of the Windows machine
Username
Windows username used for RDP authentication
Password
Windows password used for RDP authentication
Optional Fields
Port
RDP port — leave blank to use the default (3389)
Domain
Windows domain, if the machine is domain-joined
How It Works
Duvo connects to your Windows machine using the standard Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) over port 3389 by default (configurable). The connection is secured with TLS encryption and CredSSP authentication. For machines on private networks, Duvo routes traffic through a site-to-site VPN tunnel to your infrastructure.
RDP is a bidirectional protocol — it transmits keyboard and mouse input to the remote machine while streaming the desktop display back. From the Windows perspective, input from Duvo looks identical to input from a local user, which is why desktop applications work seamlessly. The assignment can launch programs, click through menus, and type into fields exactly as a person would at that machine.
Capabilities
Control Windows applications — Click, type, and navigate Windows applications installed on the target machine, subject to the connected user's permissions.
UI Automation — Interact with UI elements by name and type, not just pixel coordinates, making automation more reliable for thick-client applications.
Run PowerShell scripts — Execute PowerShell commands and scripts directly on the remote machine.
Clipboard access — Read from and write to the Windows clipboard for data transfer between applications.
Access network resources — Reach internal file shares, databases, and services available from the target machine.
Live desktop view — Watch the remote desktop in real-time as your assignment works.
Key Benefits
Your environment, your data — Work directly on your existing Windows infrastructure, with access to installed software and internal resources based on the connected user's permissions.
Thick-client automation — Automate legacy Windows applications, custom business software, and systems that only run on Windows.
UI-aware interaction — The UI Automation feature finds and interacts with UI elements by their properties, not just screen positions, making automations more robust.
Enterprise integration — Connect to Windows machines behind your firewall, on your VPN, or in any cloud or on-premises environment.
Full visibility — Watch the session live and review screenshots of every action for compliance and debugging.
Works Well With
Snowflake / SAP — Pull data from your warehouse or ERP, then enter it into a Windows-only application.
Gmail / Outlook — Process files in desktop applications and send results by email.
Limitations
Elevated (administrator) processes cannot be automated if the RDP user runs at a lower privilege level.
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