Nerdio Manager provides administrators a straightforward method to migrate source VMs from their current VDI solution (for example, Omnissa or Citrix) to AVD. This guide outlines the steps, requirements, and considerations necessary to complete this process. For an overview of all supported migration paths, see Nerdio Migrate overview.
This process automatically detects and removes the Citrix or Omnissa Horizon agent from the source VM.
Important
Migration doesn't migrate user profile data (Citrix UPM, roaming profiles, or FSLogix containers). Plan profile migration separately.
Ensure that the following system and environment requirements are met before starting a migration:
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Source VMs run in Azure infrastructure only.
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Source VMs originate from any legacy VDI platform.
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An Azure Virtual Desktop host pool exists.
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The AVD host pool supports single‑session.
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Source VMs meet Azure Virtual Desktop requirements for operating system and configuration.
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Target host pools can be Microsoft Entra ID-joined or Active Directory-joined.
This procedure requires the Admin Nerdio Manager role, or a custom role with Manage access to the Migrate and Workspaces modules.
Before starting the migration, verify the following resource group conditions have been met:
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Source VMs reside in Azure resource groups linked in NME.
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Source VM resource groups do not have Azure resource locks that prevent modification.
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You can view and select the source VMs from NME within Migrate > Sources.
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Source VNET linked in NME.
If any of the source resource groups are not linked, follow the instructions at Azure Environment: linked networks and resource groups to link them.
Caution
Migration can only proceed if Nerdio Manager has access to the resource group containing the source VMs.
Migrate an individual source:
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In Nerdio Manager, navigate to Migrate and select Sources from the menu.
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Locate the source VM you wish to work with, then initiate the discovery script by selecting Discover from the more options
menu .
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The discovery script reports the profile SID(s) on the source VM. Discovery matches each profile SID against Entra ID and resolves the corresponding UPN.
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To review discovery logs, select Request Logs from the more options
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From there, initiate the migration using one of the following options:
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Select the Migrate
icon to start a migration for an individual VM.
Note
Alternatively, select Migrate from the more options
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To migrate multiple VMs, select two or more checkboxes next to the desired VMs and then select + New Migration in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.
By default, a single legacy VDI to AVD Personal or Windows 365 Enterprise migration can include up to
50VMs. To change this limit, create or change the Advanced App Service settingFeatures:VdiMigration:UnmanagedVmToAny:MaxVmswith the value you need.Note
Nerdio recommends raising this limit incrementally in batches of 50 (50, 100, 150, and so on) to keep migration success rates consistent as the value increases.
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In the Source & Target section of the Migrate VM wizard:
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Select Azure Virtual Desktop (Personal Host) from the Migration target drop-down list.
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To create a backup of the VM, check the Take snapshot of source VM(s) before migration checkbox.
Caution
Nerdio strongly recommends administrators use the snapshot feature to prevent data loss. Snapshot storage costs may apply. Administrators can enable the Remove snapshot toggle and set a date to automatically delete the snapshot once the checkbox is selected.
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Select Next.
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In the User Assignments section:
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The field next to the VM name displays the assigned user.
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To change the user, select the cancel
icon next to the user name, then select a different user from the drop-down list.
Note
Each individual user can only be assigned to one VM.
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Select Next.
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On the Destination page, select a personal host pool from the Host pool destination drop-down list. This selection defines where Nerdio Manager registers the VM as a session host VM.
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To move the VM, enable the Move VM toggle.
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Designate the Network, VM size, Resource group, and Storage account using the associated drop-down lists.
Note
The storage account is used to temporarily stage the exported disk while the target VM's disk is created. It must be in the target region.
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Select Next.
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In the Notifications section, configure emails to be sent to users once the migration is complete:
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Enable the toggle next to Notify end user when migration is complete.
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Select the mailbox you would like the emails sent from in the corresponding drop-down list.
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In the Message to end user field, enter a message informing the user that the migration is complete and their desktop is ready for use.
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On the Review step, ensure the migration details are configured as desired, then select Submit.
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Migration runs two steps in sequence: an uninstall step that detects and removes the Citrix or Omnissa Horizon agent, followed by a VM Readiness check.
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If removal requires a reboot, Nerdio Manager reboots the VM and retries automatically. A reboot mid-migration is expected, not a failure.
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Currently, if the agent can't be fully removed, the migration stops rather than continuing partway. Resuming isn't available from the migration wizard because it's controlled by an app setting rather than a self-service toggle. If this happens, contact Nerdio support, who can help you move past it. An enhancement is planned to address this.
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