Citrix Workspace For Mac
Citrix won't maintain the receiver for further versions, the receiver 12.9.1 will obviously the last version. The receiver has been replaced by Citrix Workspace App, the current version is Citrix Workspace app 1809. Download this version from the Citrix website and install it. The new app will automatically replace the receiver app.
Citrix Workspace app is here to replace Citrix Receiver with a new UI and capabilities (primarily for Citrix Cloud customers). Here’s how to deploy it across various supported platforms in a modern management capacity with Microsoft Intune.
Windows 10
- Citrix Workspace App Earlier Versions of Workspace app for Windows Subscribe to RSS notifications of new downloads. Workspace app for Windows. Citrix Workspace app 2102 for Windows. Citrix Workspace app 2012.1 for Windows. Citrix Workspace app 2012 for Windows.
- Mar 14, 2021 Citrix Workspace app is compatible with all the currently supported versions of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, and Citrix Gateway as listed in the Citrix Product Lifecycle Matrix. Citrix Workspace app for Windows is compatible with the following Windows Operating systems.
There are multiple deployment options for Workspace app on Windows via Microsoft Intune:
- Workspace app from the Microsoft Store. This version has some feature limitations but requires the least amount of effort to deploy
- The full Workspace app that provides the best compatibility, but doesn’t ship as a Windows Installer file and therefore requires custom solutions to deploy
Microsoft Store
Adding the Workspace app from the Microsoft Store is well documented and should take only 5 minutes to get the app from the Store, synchronise to Intune and assign the app to your users. How’s that for done and dusted? - I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than package and maintain applications.
Citrix Workspace in the Microsoft Store
The Workspace app can be assigned as available for end-users to install via the Intune Company Portal or required for automatic deployment. Once deployed, the Store will take care of updates, thus there is no further action required by the administrator.
Citrix Workspace app in the Microsoft Intune Company Portal
If you have already deployed Citrix Receiver from the Microsoft Store via Intune, it should be automatically updated to Citrix Workspace. One they key feature limitations of the Microsoft Store version is pass-through authentication, so you might need to consider alternative deployment options
PowerShell
The Workspace app installer is a single executable just it has been with Citrix Receiver. This presents a challenge to deploy Workspace app as a line-of-business application with Intune which requires Win32 applications to be packaged as a single Windows Installer file. PowerShell scripts are a simple alternative, but deploying applications via PowerShell has two key considerations:
- PowerShell scripts can’t be applied to computer groups
- PowerShell scripts are executed on devices only when an Azure Active Directory user is signed in to the device
Deploying this way also means that the Workspace app will be deployed regardless of user choice and of course does not support deployment via the Intune Company Portal.
Like we’ve done previously with Citrix Receiver, the Workspace app can be deployed to Windows 10 machines via Intune with PowerShell without requiring custom packaging. We need a consistent URL that will always download the latest version of Workspace app and a command line to perform a silent installation. Your command line options might differ depending on your target environment, but the example script below will download and install the Workspace app.
Once deployed, devices must then rely on auto-updates to ensure that Workspace app is kept up-to-date.
Re-package Citrix Workspace app for Windows Installer
With the right tools and a bit of effort, Citrix Workspace app can be re-packaged into a single Windows Installer file. Once you’ve packaged the app with this method you’ll need to maintain the package and update it regularly. As with the PowerShell method though, auto-updates will keep Workspace app up-to-date once deployed.
Is this approach right for you? This requires maintaining and deploying a custom package and is dependent on how the environment is managed and available skillsets. Only you can answer that for your projects or environments. A custom package isn’t ideal and I recommend using the Microsoft Store version as the default approach instead.
Citrix Workspace app extracted Windows Installer files
HDX RealTime Media Engine
The Citrix HDX RealTime Media Engine - required for optimising Skype for Business under XenApp and XenDesktop, does come as a single Windows Installer file. This makes it easy then to deploy the engine to Windows PCs as a Required line-of-business application without modification or custom packaging. This will ensure that no user interaction is required to install the engine since most users are unlikely to know what it does anyway.
Bonus: Citrix Workspace app for Chrome
If you have Google Chrome deployed in your environment and you’d like to deploy the Citrix Workspace app for Chrome, this can be achieved with a PowerShell script that will either deploy it as a preference that users must approve or as a policy that will be automatically pushed out and users will be unable to remove from Chrome.
Google provides detailed documentation on deploying Chrome extensions on Windows.
Here’s a basic script to deploy Workspace app for Chrome via PowerShell that uses the app’s Chrome Web Store identifier (haiffjcadagjlijoggckpgfnoeiflnem) to tell Chrome to install the app on next launch. This shows both approaches - deploy as a preference or enforced.
Add the script to the Intune portal and assign to a user group to deploy. Ensure the script runs in the system context because it needs to write to HKLM.
macOS
The Citrix Workspace app can be deployed as a line-of-business application with Microsoft Intune. The Workspace app download comes as an Installer package (inside an Apple Disk Image) that can be converted into suitable file format with the Microsoft Intune App Wrapping Tool, ready to deploy with Intune.
The Citrix Workspace app disk image
Convert the Installer
Instructions for converting a .pkg file to a .intunemac file are outlined in the documentation, and the basic process I have followed to convert the Citrix Workspace app installer file is:
- Download the Intune App Wrapping Tool for Mac executable -
IntuneAppUtil- to a local folder. I’ve downloaded it to~/bin. - Mark the file as executable. In my example, I’ve done this with:
- Optionally copy the
Install Citrix Workspace.pkgfile to a local folder. You should also be able to run the converter against the copy stored in the disk image. In my example, I’ve copied the installer to~/Projects/Intune-Apps. Rename the installer to remove spaces, so rename the file toInstallCitrixWorkspace.pkg.
Note: Removing the spaces from the installer name before converting is important, otherwise when installing the application, macOS will report the following error and the installing will fail to download and install:
- Convert the .pkg file into the required .intunemac format with a command similar to the following example - note that the
-oswitch should include a directory path only.
If successful the command line will look similar to the following screenshot:
Converting the Citrix Workspace app with IntuneAppUtil
The Workspace app installer will have been converted into a .intunemac format ready to import into the Intune portal for distributing to users.
The converted Citrix Workspace app
Distribute with Intune
With the prepared package, create a new line-of-business app in the Intune portal, select the .intunemac file and enter application information as follows:
- Name - Citrix Workspace
- Description - copy and paste the description from Workspace app on the Microsoft Store
- Publisher - Citrix
- Ignore app version - Yes
- Category - Business or Productivity
- Information URL - https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-workspace-app-for-mac.html
- Privacy URL - https://www.citrix.com.au/about/legal.html
- Logo - download the Workspace app icon in PNG format here
Once the details have been added, click OK to create the application. I initially had issues with uploading the application on Chrome on macOS. I was successful on Internet Explorer.
Adding the Citrix Workspace app as a line-of-business app in Microsoft Intune
Once the application has been created and assigned to users, it will be available for install in the Intune Company Portal. The application can also be set to required for automatic deployment.
Citrix Workspace available in the Intune Company Portal on macOS*
Just as on Windows, updates to the Citrix Workspace app can be managed with the inbuilt updater, post-deployment.
HDX RealTime Media Engine
The Citrix HDX RealTime Media Engine is also available as an installer package that can be converted and deployed the same way as Workspace itself. Citrix Workspace app is now a 64-bit macOS application and will, therefore, require a 64-bit version of the HDX RealTime Media Engine. Right now, a 64-bit HDX RealTime Media Engine is in tech preview that can be downloaded, packaged, uploaded as a line-of-business application and assigned.
iOS
As at the time of writing, Citrix Receiver is still available on the iOS App Store and we should see it updated to Citrix Workspace app soon. Adding an iOS application in Microsoft Intune is, fortunately, a simple process:
- Add an application and choose ‘Store app - iOS’, then search the app store
- Search for ‘Citrix’, ‘Citrix Receiver’ or ‘Citrix Workspace’
- Choose ‘Citrix Receiver’ or ‘Citrix Workspace’ depending on what is returned
- Save the change and Add the application
- Assign the application as required
The application will be available in the Intune Company Portal:
Citrix Workspace for iOS available in the Intune Company Portal
For existing deployments of Citrix Receiver, they should be updated to Citrix Workspace app automatically.
Android
Android Store app
Citrix Workspace Mac M1 Download
At the time of writing, the Workspace app for Android is not available in the Google Play Store, but a tech preview is available for download as an APK. I would recommend deploying Citrix Receiver via the Google Play Store, but with access to an APK file, you can deploy Android applications directly to enrolled devices as a line-of-business application with Intune.
The process for deploying Citrix Workspace app or Citrix Receiver on Android follows the standard Android store app deployment steps:
- Add an application and choose ‘Store app - Android’, then search the app store
- Name - ‘Citrix Workspace’ or ‘Citrix Receiver’
- Description - copy and paste the description from Workspace app on the Microsoft Store
- Publisher - Citrix
- Appstore URL - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.citrix.Receiver
- Minimum operating system - Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
- Category - Business or Productivity
- Privacy URL - https://www.citrix.com.au/about/legal.html
- Logo - download the Workspace app icon in PNG format here
Assign the application and it will be available to users in the Intune Company Portal.
Android Work Profile app
In the future, it’s more likely that organisations will leverage the Android enterprise capabilities, previously known as Android for Work. This also simplifies Android app deployment with a connection between Microsoft Intune and the Google Play store. Once configured, browse the Google Play store, approve a list of desired apps and these will then appear for assignment in the Mobile Apps node in Intune.
Here’s Citrix Receiver in the Google Play store.
Citrix Workspace M1 Mac
Approving Citrix Receiver in the Google Play store*
Once approved, you must choose how new permissions will be approved:
- Keep approved when app requests new permissions - Users will be able to install the updated app. (Default)
- Revoke app approval when this app requests new permissions - App will be removed from the store until it is reapproved.
You can approve and deploy Citrix Receiver today, which should be automatically updated to Citrix Workspace app once it is released.
Wrap-up
In this article, I’ve covered the high-level steps required for deployment of the Citrix Workspace app across the various major platforms supported by Microsoft Intune. Mobile platforms, including the Microsoft Store on Windows 10, will require the least amount of administrative effort to configure, deploy and update. For most organisations supporting Windows as their primary platform, even with Microsoft Intune, the choice of deployment solution will depend on Workpace app feature requirements.
Citrix Files makes accessing your files from a Mac much easier. It allows you to access files and folders from ShareFile directly through Finder on your Mac. Content is streamed when it is accessed and not permanently stored on your computer. Changes made to files in the ShareFile folder are automatically saved back to the cloud. Most Finder operations like drag and drop, copy and paste, move and rename, and others will automatically update to the cloud.
Contents
System Requirements
Install Citrix Files
Sign-in to Citrix Files
Basic Operations
Icon Overlays
Right Click Menu
Menu Bar Icon
Dashboard
Overflow Menu
Preferences
Open and Edit
Conflict Prevention
Troubleshooting
Citrix Files Drive is Unavailable
Reconnect the Drive
Relaunch Citrix Files
Reinstall Citrix Files
System Requirements
- macOS 10.12 Sierra
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra
- macOS 10.14 Mojave
- macOS 10.15 Catalina
Note:
|
Install
- Download the installer DMG.
- Open the installer package and follow the prompts to install Citrix Files.
- You will be required to provide an administrator password and accept prompts for mounting the Citrix Files kernel extension to complete the installation.
| Note: Citrix Files for Mac support for Apple silicon devices (M1 chip) is on a preview basis. Please see macOS Recovery security setting requirements that 'Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers.' |
After installation, a volume named “Citrix Files” will appear. You may access this volume by clicking on the Citrix Files menu bar item and then clicking the folder icon. It will also appear in the Favorites sidebar in Finder windows. This volume displays all of the files and folders from your Citrix Files account.
Sign in
When starting the Citrix Files Desktop app for the first time, you are prompted to sign in with your Citrix Files Credentials.
Basic Operations
Citrix Files allows you to manage the files in your Citrix Files account the same way that you would manage files normally through Finder.
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Open and Edit | Double click on a file in the Citrix Files folder. Make any edits necessary and then save the changes.
|
| Download | Drag and drop file(s) or folder(s) from the Citrix Files folder to another folder on your computer.
|
| Upload | Drag and drop file(s) or folder(s) from the Citrix Files folder to another folder on your computer. |
| Delete | Right click on a file or folder and select Move to Trash. You may also drag files and folders to the trash. |
| Move | Drag and drop file(s) or folder(s) from one location in the Citrix Files folder to another. |
| New Folder | Create a new folder in Citrix Files folder. |
Quick Tip:
|
Icon Overlays
Files and Folders will have an icon overlay representing the status of that item. The following defines what each icon overlay represents:
Online-only files. These folders and files don’t take up space on your computer. |
Mixed state Folder occurs when you have some items within it are mixed across online-only, always offline and/or cached. Note: When you open an online-only file, it is download to your device and becomes a cached file. You can open cached files anytime, even without internet access. If you need to free up space, you can change the file back to online only. To do so just right-click the file and select ‘to be set’ or go to the Citrix Files dashboard – settings – free up space |
Only files or folders that you mark as “Make available offline” will have a green circle with the white check mark. These files or folders are downloaded to your device and are available offline. |
The file or folder is currently syncing to the cloud. |
The file is currently checked out. |
Right Click Menu
When you right click on a file or folder within Citrix Files, you will see some additional options. These options give you access to the functions available in Citrix Files for these items. Options will vary based on the types of files or folders you have selected, permissions, and account settings.
| Operation | Available For | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Share | Files and Folders | Copy Link - Copies a Citrix Files download link. Link settings will be determined by the Share options in your Preferences. Email with Citrix Files - Send a download link through email. Email options may be customized before sending, or by modifying default options in your Preferences. Email with mail app - Opens the Mail app in Mac OS. A new message is generated that contains a Citrix Files download link Initiate Approval - (For a single file only) Initiate an approval workflow on a file |
| Request Files | Single Folder | Copy Link - Copies a Citrix Files upload link. Link settings will be determined by the Share options in your Preferences. Email with Citrix Files - Send a upload link through email. Email options may be customized before sending, or by modifying default options in your Preferences. Email with mail app - Opens the Mail app in Mac OS. A new message is generated that contains a Citrix Files upload link |
| Check Out | Single File | Check Out a file to prevent other users from making changes |
| View Details | Single File or Folder | View detailed information for a file or folder. The details window provides access to multiple file versions, notes, or checkout details |
| Refresh Contents | Single Folder | Folder contents should update automatically as changes are made, but you may refresh contents manually using this function |
Additional actions are available under More Options.
| Operation | Available For | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Download | Files and Folders | For file(s) and folder(s), download allows you to download file(s) or folder(s) to a specific location on your computer. Note: For improved performance, use this option for large file downloads or downloading a large number of items. These downloads are optimized for bulk operations and do not store data in the cache. |
| Upload | Single Folder | Right click on a folder and upload allows you to upload files and folders from a specific location on your computer. Note: For improved performance, use this option for large file uploads or uploading a large number of items These downloads are optimized for bulk operations and do not store data in the cache. |
| Manage Permissions | Single Folder | Add users to a folder, modify folder permissions, and copy folder permissions from one user to another. |
| Add to Favorites | Single File or Single Folder | Adds the file or folder to the Favorites folder. |
| Preview | Single File | Stream a video file without downloading it (Available for .mp4, .ogg, .ogv, and .webm file types). |
Menu Bar Icon
This icon displays the current status of Citrix Files. A spinner over the icon indicates activity.
Uploads in progress or edits that are being saved back to Citrix Files will be indicated by a spinner. You will also see a spinner when navigating to a folder. The spinner indicates that the contents of a folder are being fetched and should appear after the spinner disappears.
Dashboard
Clicking on the menu bar icon will open the dashboard:
- Recent Files - Files that have been uploaded or edited will appear in the list of recent files. Double click on a file to open it.
- Overflow Menu - Access Preferences, Send Feedback, Help Launch Website, and quit/exit the Citrix Files application.
- Workflow button - Open a window containing Workflows where you can view
- Open Citrix Files Folder - Open the Citrix Files drive in Finder on this Mac.
Overflow Menu
This provides access to Preferences, Send Feedback, Help Launch Website, and Quit.Provide a rating for the app and leave detailed comments.
- Help - Provides links to support and legal resources. This menu also allows you to report a technical problem with the app to the development team.
- Launch Website - Opens the Citrix Files website.
- Quit - Quits the App.
- Preferences - Opens the Preferences for the App.
Preferences
Preference | Description |
|---|---|
Account | Log out - Logs you out of your account. Cached files are deleted |
App Settings | Cache - Hover over the ? for details and cache usage |
Share Options | Notifications - Set default notifications that are applied when sharing |
Open and Edit
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Open and Edit has been tested with the following applications:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Adobe Photoshop
- Keynote
- Numbers
- Microsoft Excel 2008, 2011, 2016, 2017
- Microsoft PowerPoint 2008, 2011, 2016, 2017
- Microsoft Word 2008, 2011, 2016, 2017
- Pages
- Preview
- Sketch
- TextEdit
Other applications will be tested and fully supported during the course of the Beta program. Please report any issues you experience with open and edit.
Users are welcome to use Citrix Files for Mac with any application, however when using applications that are not listed above, we recommend saving local copies before uploading to Citrix Files until compatibility has been tested.
Conflict Prevention
Citrix Files for Mac provides end user notifications when another user uploads a new version of a file or checks a file out while you are also viewing / editing the file, in order to prevent file conflicts.
Notification when someone uploads a new version of the file you also have open:
Notification when someone checks out a file while you also have that file open:
Troubleshooting
Citrix Files Drive is Unavailable
Citrix Files gives you access to the files on your Workspace account by making them available as a storage drive (like an SD card or a thumb drive). This drive needs to mount itself into your Mac's file system before files can be accessed from Citrix Files. If the Citrix Files app experiences an issue with mounting, the app menu bar icon will show a warning symbol. You will need to ensure the drive mounts properly before you may use Citrix Files.
Reconnect the Drive
- Click the Citrix Files menu bar icon.
- Click Reconnect.
Relaunch the App
You may need to relaunch Citrix Files app in case the app experiences an issue with mounting.
- Close any files that may be open in Citrix Files (Ex: You have opened a Word document in Citrix Files).
- Click on the Citrix Files menu bar icon.
- Click on (...).
- Select Quit.
- Open Citrix Files app in your Applications folder.
Reinstall Citrix Files
Citrix Files installs a kernel extension or ext to mount the drive.
- Click the Citrix Files menu bar icon.
- Click on (...) Over Flow Menu
- Select Help.
- Click Uninstall Citrix Files.
- Download and install Citrix Files again.
Additional Resources
CTX119253- Language Support for Citrix Products