Microsoft Exam Syllabus

AZ-140 syllabus, skills measured, and exam topics

The AZ-140 exam measures Plan and implement an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure, Plan and implement identity and security, and Plan and implement user environments and apps. Use this page to review the current official syllabus, major domains, and source links before exam day.

Skills measured by domain

Use the weighting table to decide where to spend the most study time.

Domain Weight
Plan and implement an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure 40–45%
Plan and implement identity and security 15–20%
Plan and implement user environments and apps 20–25%
Monitor and maintain an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure 10–15%

What to know before you study

These sections explain the role, audience, and exam framing behind the outline.

Purpose of this document

  • This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
  • Useful links: Description
  • How to earn the certification: Some certifications only require passing one exam, while others require passing multiple exams.
  • Certification renewal: Microsoft associate, expert, and specialty certifications expire annually. You can renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
  • Your Microsoft Learn profile: Connecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates.
  • Exam scoring and score reports: A score of 700 or greater is required to pass.
  • Exam sandbox: You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
  • Request accommodations: If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.
  • Take a free Practice Assessment: Test your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

Updates to the exam

  • Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
  • We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
  • The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
  • Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Audience profile

  • As a candidate for this exam, you should be a server or desktop administrator with subject matter expertise in designing, implementing, managing, and maintaining Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop experiences and remote apps for any device.
  • To deliver these experiences, you should work closely with:
  • Azure administrators
  • Azure architects
  • Microsoft 365 administrators
  • Azure security engineers
  • Azure Local administrators
  • You should have experience with Azure technologies, including:
  • Compute
  • Networking
  • Identity
  • Storage

Detailed outline

Scan each section as a working study checklist instead of one long wall of text.

Plan and implement an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure (40–45%)

  • Assess network capacity and speed requirements for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Design network configuration for session hosts to meet requirements for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Plan and implement Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Shortpath, RDP Multipath, and quality of service (QoS) policies
  • Plan and implement an Azure Private Link solution for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Monitor and troubleshoot network connectivity
  • Plan storage for Azure Virtual Desktop user data
  • Implement storage for FSLogix components
  • Implement storage accounts for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Implement file shares for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Implement Azure NetApp Files for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Recommend resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups for Azure Virtual Desktop resources
  • Recommend an operating system (OS) for Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts

Plan and implement identity and security (15–20%)

  • Select an identity scenario for Azure Virtual Desktop, including Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft Entra Domain Services
  • Specify requirements to configure the Azure Virtual Desktop session host for an identity scenario
  • Plan and implement Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Plan and implement Microsoft Entra Conditional Access policies for connections to Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Plan and implement authentication options in Azure Virtual Desktop, including passwordless, smart card, and multifactor authentication
  • Manage roles, groups, and rights assignments on Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts
  • Configure single sign-on
  • Plan, implement, and manage security for Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts by using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
  • Configure session host protection by using Microsoft Defender Antivirus
  • Configure session host protection by using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, including onboarding and scanning options
  • Implement and manage network security for connections to Azure Virtual Desktop, including user defined routes (UDRs), network security groups (NSGs), and Azure Firewall
  • Configure Azure Bastion or just-in-time (JIT) VM access for administrative access to session hosts

Plan and implement user environments and apps (20–25%)

  • Recommend FSLogix configuration
  • Configure FSLogix Profile Containers
  • Configure FSLogix Office Profile Containers (ODFC)
  • Configure FSLogix Cloud Cache
  • Implement FSLogix application masking
  • Choose an Azure Virtual Desktop client
  • Choose a deployment method for the client
  • Deploy and troubleshoot Azure Virtual Desktop clients
  • Configure device redirection
  • Configure multimedia redirection
  • Configure printing and Universal Print
  • Configure user settings through Microsoft Intune policies or Group Policy

Monitor and maintain an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure (10–15%)

  • Configure log collection and analysis for Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts
  • Monitor Azure Virtual Desktop by using Azure Monitor
  • Customize Azure Monitor workbooks for Azure Virtual Desktop Insights
  • Optimize session host capacity and performance
  • Implement autoscaling in host pools
  • Monitor and manage active sessions and application groups
  • Recommend an update strategy for session hosts
  • Plan and implement a disaster recovery plan for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Plan for multi-region implementation
  • Design and implement a backup strategy for Azure Virtual Desktop
  • Configure backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles, personal desktops, and images