avd

AVD is an acronym that can refer to several technologies in information technology. Two widely used meanings are Android Virtual Device and Azure Virtual Desktop.

Android Virtual Device (AVD) is a configuration used by the Android Emulator to model a physical Android device. An AVD defines device type (phone, tablet, wearables), screen size, resolution, Android version, and hardware properties such as RAM, storage, and graphics capabilities. AVDs are created and managed with the AVD Manager in Android Studio, or via command-line tools such as avdmanager and emulator. The emulator runs the selected system image, enabling developers to test apps across API levels and hardware configurations. Features include snapshots, quick boot, and the ability to simulate sensors, network conditions, and other device features.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a cloud-based service from Microsoft that provides virtualized Windows desktops and applications hosted in Microsoft Azure. It supports multi-session Windows 10/11 and Windows Server desktops, enabling multiple users to share a pool of session hosts. Administrators create host pools, assign users, and configure personal or pooled desktops, software, and policies. Users connect via the Remote Desktop client on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, or a web browser. AVD integrates with Azure Active Directory and FSLogix profile containers, and can scale using autoscale rules. Licensing is tied to eligible Microsoft 365 or Windows licenses plus Azure compute and storage usage. It is often contrasted with Windows 365, with AVD favoring multi-user scalability and flexible deployment.