How to Resize a Cloud PC in Windows 365: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Resize a Cloud PC in Windows 365: A Comprehensive Guide

This blog post introduces a significant feature in Windows 365: the capability to resize Cloud PCs. It outlines how administrators can now seamlessly adjust the RAM, CPU, and storage of Cloud PCs to meet changing business needs and workload demands without the complex process of reprovisioning. The guide offers a comprehensive walkthrough on the prerequisites, detailed step-by-step instructions, and essential considerations for effectively resizing a Cloud PC, ensuring resources are optimized to cater to user requirements efficiently.

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the resizing process, it’s crucial to understand its scope and limitations:

• Upgrade and Downgrade: You can increase the RAM, CPU, and storage size or decrease the RAM and CPU. However, reducing the disk space is not supported.
• License Types: The feature supports direct and group-based licenses across paid, preview, and trial offerings.
• Bulk Operations: Both single device and bulk operations are supported for resizing.
• Exclusions: GPU Cloud PCs are not eligible for resizing. Attempting to resize these will result in an error.

Resizing your Cloud PC is particularly useful when users require more resources for CPU-intensive applications, additional storage for files, or fewer resources for their current workload. However, note that resizing automatically disconnects users from their session, potentially leading to unsaved work loss. Coordinating with end-users before proceeding is advised.

Requirements

Role Requirements

• Direct Assigned License Cloud PC: Requires roles such as Global Admin, Intune Service Admin, or a combination of Intune Reader and Cloud PC or Windows 365 Admin roles.
• Group-Based License Cloud PC: Similar requirements with the addition of roles allowing Microsoft Entra group read/write membership and licensing permissions.

IP Address Requirements

For hybrid join BYON (Bring Your Own Network) Cloud PCs, an additional IP address is needed during resizing to ensure rollback capabilities.

Created a post about Deploying Windows 365 and Integrating with Azure Network Connection.

Resizing Process

Direct Assigned License Cloud PCs

1. License Management: Windows 365 service manages the unassigning of the original and assigning of the new license.

Execution:

In the Microsoft Intune admin center, https://intune.microsoft.com

navigate to Devices > All Devices, select a device.

Click on Resize and choose the new size and click resize once done.

Group-Based License Cloud PCs

1. Group Management: Create a new Microsoft Entra group for the users you intend to resize.
2. Policy Assignment: Assign the existing provisioning policy to the new target group if necessary.
3. Execution: Similar to the direct license process, but includes additional steps for managing group memberships and licenses.

Bulk Resizing

For resizing in bulk, the process differs slightly:

• For directly assigned licenses, use the Bulk device actions option in the Intune admin center.
• For group-based licenses, the process involves managing group memberships and policy assignments similarly but on a larger scale.

Considerations and Troubleshooting

• License State: The resizing process places the Cloud PC in a “Resize pending license” state, and if not completed within 48 hours, it enters a grace period.
• Step-up Licenses: Utilize step-up licenses for seamless migration from lower to higher configuration licenses while preserving user data.
• Performance Impact: Resizing might temporarily disconnect users, with the process taking approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Conclusion

Resizing a Cloud PC in Windows 365 significantly enhances the flexibility and efficiency of resource management. By following the outlined steps and considerations, administrators can ensure a smooth transition to optimized Cloud PC configurations that align with evolving business needs and user demands.

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