Access Windows 365 Cloud PC from Ubuntu Linux

I use Ubuntu as my daily machine, but my work lives on a Windows 365 Cloud PC. When I first set it up, I assumed it would be a headache. It wasn't. There's no official Linux app, but the browser route works well. VS Code, PowerShell and even Teams calls run fine inside the Cloud PC.

Here's how I do it.

Connect through the browser

Microsoft's Windows App is available for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, but not for Linux. The good news is you don't need it.

Open Chrome or Edge on Ubuntu. (Edge for Linux is available as a .deb from Microsoft.)
Navigate to the Windows 365 Portal (or windows365.microsoft.com) and sign in with your work account.
Click your Cloud PC and choose Open in browser.

That's it. Your Windows desktop shows up in a tab. Press F11 for full screen and it feels close to a normal desktop.

Tip: Use a Chromium-based browser. Firefox works for basic sessions, but I had fewer problems with Chrome and Edge, especially with audio and clipboard.

Using VS Code inside the Cloud PC

Once you're in, the Cloud PC is just Windows. Open VS Code from the Start menu and work as you normally would.

Your code, extensions, terminals and builds all run on the Cloud PC, not on your Ubuntu machine.
Clone repos, install extensions and run your projects there.
If you need to move files between Ubuntu and the Cloud PC, enable file transfer in the browser session, or use OneDrive.

Nothing is installed on Ubuntu for this. Your laptop is only the screen, keyboard and mouse.

Using PowerShell inside the Cloud PC

Same idea. Open Windows PowerShell or PowerShell 7 on the Cloud PC and run your scripts there.

This is actually the big benefit of using a Cloud PC from Ubuntu. Windows-only modules (Active Directory tools, registry access, Windows-specific admin modules) just work, because you're running real Windows. You can also run PowerShell from the VS Code terminal inside the Cloud PC.

Using Office apps inside the Cloud PC

This is one of my favorite parts. Ubuntu has no native Word, Excel or PowerPoint, but on the Cloud PC they're the full desktop versions.

Open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote from the Start menu, just like on a normal Windows PC. Sign in with your work account and they're licensed automatically.
Everything works as you'd expect: Excel macros and Power Query, PowerPoint presentation features, Outlook add-ins and shared mailboxes. These are the things the web versions struggle with.
Files saved to OneDrive sync inside the Cloud PC, so you can open the same documents from anywhere.
Copy and paste text between Ubuntu and the Cloud PC works once clipboard access is allowed in the browser. For files, use OneDrive or the browser's file transfer option.

If you only need a quick edit, Office on the web (office.com) in a local Ubuntu tab is fine. But for heavy Excel files, macros or presentations, the desktop apps on the Cloud PC are much better. And because they run in the cloud, large spreadsheets open as fast as the Cloud PC's size allows, with no load on your laptop.

Microsoft Teams calls

This is the weak spot, and I'll be upfront about it. When I opened Teams inside the Cloud PC from Ubuntu, I got this message:

"We're unable to optimize your virtual desktop."

Here's what that means in real life:

Audio is very choppy. Without optimization, your voice and the other person's voice are streamed through the remote desktop session instead of being handled by your local machine. Any small network hiccup shows up as broken, robotic audio. If you are using Firefox, switch to chrome browser and the experience is good and not choppy or laggy.
The camera isn't detected inside the Cloud PC. Teams in the Cloud PC can't see your Ubuntu webcam, so video meetings aren't possible from there.

Screen sharing works, but it's choppy too. It's usable for showing a document or a quick demo, but don't expect smooth motion or video playback. If you are using Firefox, switch to chrome browser and the experience is good and not choppy.

The reason is that Teams needs media optimization to hand audio and video over to your local device, and that isn't available in this setup. Without it, everything goes through the remote session.

What I do instead:

Join important calls from Teams in a browser tab on Ubuntu (not inside the Cloud PC). Audio and your camera work normally there, because the call runs on your local machine.
Keep the Cloud PC for your work (VS Code, PowerShell, Office apps) and share content from it by joining the call locally and sharing the Cloud PC browser window or tab.
Use Teams inside the Cloud PC only for chat, files and quick listen-only calls.
Use a headset. It helps with audio quality in either case.

Video playback:

I tried streaming YouTube inside the Cloud PC and it lagged. Video is the hardest thing to push through a remote session, because every frame has to be rendered on the Cloud PC and then streamed to your screen. Text, code and documents feel fine, but video doesn't. If you need to watch a video or a training session, play it in a regular Ubuntu browser tab instead.

One thing you can do is in the settings - turn off the high DPI and then the video playback seems to be better but not high enough.

Update - For best experience always use chrome or edge browser and the performance is very good and the video play back is really good. Above experience was from Firefox and it wasn't the best.

Also the Advanced clipboard for copy paste works best in the chrome/Edge browser alone.

What about performance?

Here's the thing: since everything runs in the cloud, performance has very little to do with your Ubuntu machine. Your laptop only decodes and displays a video stream of the desktop. The heavy work (builds, scripts, VS Code, Teams processing) all happens on the Cloud PC.

So what decides how fast it feels?

Cloud PC size. The vCPU, RAM and storage of your Cloud PC decide how quickly builds, VS Code and PowerShell scripts run. If things feel slow, ask IT about a bigger size. Changing your laptop won't help.
Network latency. This is the main factor for how responsive it feels. Under ~50 ms feels great, and over 150 ms starts to feel laggy. Latency depends on the distance to the Cloud PC's region.
Connection stability. Remote desktop cares more about a steady connection than raw speed. Wired Ethernet or good 5 GHz Wi-Fi helps.
Teams optimization. This is the one exception where your setup matters. Without optimization, audio and video go through the remote session, so calls are choppy and the camera isn't available. Running the call locally on Ubuntu avoids this.
Display settings. Lowering resolution or scaling (especially on a 4K monitor) can make the screen feel snappier.

Your Ubuntu laptop only needs to be good enough to run a browser smoothly. Anything modern will do.

Common gotchas

Clipboard not working? Allow clipboard access when the browser prompts. Use chrome/Edge for best experience.
Keyboard shortcuts get caught by Ubuntu. Some shortcuts (like Super or Alt+Tab) go to your local desktop and not the Cloud PC. Full-screen mode helps.
Session disconnects. Usually a Wi-Fi or VPN issue. Reconnect, and your session is exactly where you left it.

Final thoughts

Cloud PC in an Edge or Chrome tab, VS Code, PowerShell and Office apps running inside it, and Teams calls taken locally in a separate Ubuntu browser tab. It's not an "official" Linux experience, and Teams calls are the one real limitation, but for everything else I barely notice I'm on Ubuntu.

If you've found a better trick, I'd love to hear it.