VMWare Horizon Client allows you to connect to virtual desktops with ease. However, VDI sometimes doesn’t open or launch. In this post, we will see what you can do if VMWare Horizon Client is not opening for you.
Why won’t my VMware Horizon client open?
If the VMWare Horizon client is not opening, there is a high chance that you will have some error during the configuration of your VDI. Check if your IT admin and make sure that you have entered the correct URL and are using the correct credentials. If everything is fine from their end, go through the solutions mentioned here to resolve the issue.
Fix VMWare Horizon Client not opening
If VMWare Horizon Client is not opening on your Windows computer, follow the solutions mentioned below.
- Check your Internet Connection
- Restart Remote Desktop
- Disable H.264 decoding and HEVC
- Reset the Remote Desktop and Published Application
- Repair Horizon Client
- Reinstall VMWare Horizon Client
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Check your Internet Connection
First of all, we need to check and make sure that there is nothing wrong with the Internet connection, as VMWare Horizon Client needs good bandwidth to connect your VDI’s server. To check your bandwidth, you can use a free Internet Speed tester. If your Internet speed is slow, power cycle your router – turn it off, unplug all the cables, wait for a minute, plug the cables back, and turn it on and see.
2] Restart Remote Desktop
If your Internet connection is fine, you must reboot your VDI. If the VDI didn’t start correctly, rebooting it will do the trick. Just click on the three vertical dots associated with the connected remote computer and click on Restart Desktop. Wait for a couple of minutes, and then try connecting to the desktop. Hopefully, it will work like a charm.
3] Disable H.264 decoding AND HEVC
H.264 is a codec optimized for playing multimedia content and enjoys widespread support from most client hardware. Low-powered thin clients may experience better frame rates when using this codec. On the other hand, HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding) is also optimized for multimedia content but requires more specialized hardware to function efficiently. That’s why, for many users, these features just don’t work. Enabling them can put a lot of load on their computer and can even stop Horizon Client from launching on their system. Hence, we are required to disable them. Follow the steps mentioned below to do the same.
- Open Horizon Client.
- Click on the cog to open its Settings.
- Then, go to VMWare Blast and disable the toggle for Allow H.264 Decoding and Allow HEVC Decoding.
Finally, close the settings panel and check if the issue is resolved.
4] Reset the Remote Desktop and Published Application
If you have made some configurations to your VDI that are a little problematic or are conflicting with your system, the remote desktop will fail to open. Since it is very difficult to point out a single mistake, we are better off just resetting the VDI. It’s not going to remove your personal information unless they are saved. So, to reset your VDI, all there you need to do is right-click on the virtual desktop and click Reset Desktop.
Resetting published applications will close all open applications and any unsaved data will be lost. To do so, go to the Settings of VMWare Horizon Client and click on Applications > Reset. This should do the trick.
5] Repair Horizon Client
Considering the notorious nature of Horizon Client, VMWare has provided an option to repair it. To repair it, you can either double-click the Horizon Client installer and select Repair or run the following command in the elevated mode of Command Prompt.
VMware-Horizon-Client-y.y.y–abcd.exe /repair
Note: y.y.y is the version number and abcd is the build number.
This should do the trick for you.
Read: Taskbar not visible in Remote Desktop on Windows
6] Reinstall Horizon Client
If all else fails, our last resort is to uninstall VMWare Horizon Client and install a fresh copy of the same. Make sure to install the latest version of Horizon Client from customerconnect.vmware.com.
That’s it!
Read: VMware Workstation does not support the multiple monitors feature
How do I fix my VMware Horizon client?
A few of the best ways to fix your VMWare Horizon Client is by rebooting, resetting, and repairing the VDI. VMWare has made all of them extremely accessible to the user. You can just right-click on your VDI and select one of those options. Once the action is completed, launch your virtual desktop and check if the issue is resolved.
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