The Windows App is more than just a client for accessing Cloud PCs; it is a central control surface for delivering and managing personalized Windows experiences in the cloud. Designed to provide consistent access across devices and platforms, the app integrates tightly with Windows 365 and Microsoft Intune, making it a key component in modern Cloud PC architectures.
For IT professionals, the real value lies in its self‑service capabilities. By leveraging Intune policies and role‑based controls, organizations can allow users to perform predefined actions on their own Cloud PCs, such as restart, reprovision, or resize, without direct IT intervention. These self‑service actions reduce operational overhead while maintaining governance, auditability, and security.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how the Windows App enables self‑service scenarios, how these actions are configured through Microsoft Intune, and what this means for administrators designing scalable, user‑centric Cloud PC environments.
Windows App Self Service options
In the Windows App, the end user has several options, such as Restart, Reset, Restore, and Rename. These settings are visible by default, two of which are quite impactful for the end user, namely Reset and Restore. Giving the end user this option can be an advantage or a disadvantage. The advantage is that the end user can reprovision their own device and save the IT department time. The disadvantage is that people who are not very tech-savvy may press the wrong button.
As an organization, it is important to make a decision here: do we allow this or not? This is something we can manage with Microsoft Intune.
INFORMATION: The options Reset and Restore are visible but give you an error as long as you haven’t configured a Windows App settings policy.
Microsoft Intune
Go to the Microsoft Intune admin center | Devices | Windows 365 screen, and then navigate to Settings.
If we choose Create in the Settings pane, we’ll see the option to create a Windows App setting (preview) policy.
Let’s create one, choose Windows App settings (preview), and then we will create a policy that disables these options. Give the policy a name and a description and choose Next.
- Name: Windows App – Disable Self-Service options
- Description: This policy will disable the reset and restore options in the Windows App.
Now, let’s enable the two options available. Notice that this policy is only applicable to the user group assigned to a provisioning policy. In my Windows 365 beginners blog, I’ve created a license-based user group assigned to a provisioning policy. You can read it here if you want.
Set the reset and initiate a restore option to disable and choose Next.
Skip Scope tags for now, and go to Assignments. Now choose a user group that is also assigned to a provisioning policy and choose Next.
Review your settings and choose Create.
Our settings policy is now ready and assigned.
INFORMATION: If you are using User settings and there is a conflict with Windows App settings, the Windows App settings will override User settings.
End user experience
Restore a Cloud PC
For the end-user experience part, I’ll show you how to restore a Cloud PC from within the Windows App to a previous restore point. Just click on the images below to see all the steps.
Reset a Cloud PC
When you initiate a Reset, the device will be deleted and re-provisioned to get a full, clean provisioned Cloud PC. Check the images below to see all the steps.
Once the Cloud PC is re-provisioned, you’ll notice it is available again in the Windows App.
Conclusion
Enabling self‑service user actions in the Windows App offers a balanced way to modernize Cloud PC operations by combining user empowerment with centralized control. When properly governed through Microsoft Intune, self‑service reduces helpdesk dependency, accelerates the resolution of common issues, and improves the overall user experience, while allowing IT teams to scale more effectively and focus on higher‑value work. At the same time, organizations must be aware of potential downsides, such as misuse of actions or user confusion if guidance is not clearly defined. For this reason, self‑service should be introduced deliberately, with clear policies, communication, and monitoring in place. When approached as a controlled capability rather than unrestricted freedom, self‑service in the Windows App becomes a powerful enabler for efficient, scalable, and user‑centric Cloud PC management.
