Create an organizational AppleID if you haven't already. Sign into the App Store with that ID. Download and install the new Microsoft Remote Desktop.app. Package it and deploy it. Done. When/if there is an updated version, rinse and repeat.

It looks like you can just open up the .app and delete "/Contents/_MASReceipt". I just tried it with the current version that's in the Mac App Store (8.0.24091) and was able to copy the .app from one computer to another, and it didn't prompt for an Apple ID after copying.

I tried it as well, same result after deleting teh MASReceipt folder.

Update from this morning: I followed gregneagle's steps, deployed, and user's can open with out any prompt. (I didn't need to delete the _MasReceipt folder.) This is the same packaging process that has worked for me on all "Apple" created applications from the App Store.

It hasn't worked for me for 3rd party apps from the App Store. I believe deleting that folder is necessary for deploying other 3rd party apps.

So I will keep the MS Remote Desktop 8 package I created, including the _MasReceipt, and see how it goes.

Deleting the _MasReceipt folder keeps the app from using the Mac App Store for updates. So when the MAS scans apps on your system, if it finds the_MasReceipt folder, the MAS will prompt you to update the app if there are updates. Of course I am simplifying the backend of how it knows there are updates, but I'm sure you get the idea.

I've been using Greg's method. A highly-annoying side effect, though, is that the App Store notifies the user of updates, but since the app is purchased with the institutional AppleID, the user can't install the update because they don't know the password (which we are not sharing). So they call us (a lot) to say they need the update.

I'm hoping that the automatic app update feature in OS X Mavericks might be a worthwhile feature. (Even better would be a way to initiate updates from the Mac App Store using something similar to the command-line softwareupdate command.) The only problem with autoupdating is the possibility of updates breaking the program. I'm looking at you, Wunderlist!

You should be able to download a copy of the Microsoft Remote Desktop 8 installer from the MAS using the technique described here:

http://derflounder.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/downloading-apples-server-app-installer-package/

When I installed Microsoft Remote Desktop 8 in a test VM using the installer package copy, there was no _MASReceipt and I was not prompted to enter an Apple ID.

Well, would you look at that. A debug menu. Thanks for the tip!

I've documented the process of downloading the Remote Desktop installer package and posted it here:

http://derflounder.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/downloading-microsofts-remote-desktop-installer-package-from-the-app-store/

I've used the process suggested by rtrouton. It works!

iTap is dead...long live Microsoft Remote Desktop.

http://itap-mobile.com/desktop/rdp

The desktop version is fairly busted. Just by having a bookmarks/saved sessions list, it's a step in the right direction. However, noticeably absent is a preference for user-defined defaults, or any measure of restraint when sizing the toolbar and fonts (at least on my Retina 15). Also, it doesn't seem to detect my trust settings for our CA.

any difference in using RTrouton's method vs the MAS version? Seems like a lot of extra steps when we can just delete teh MASReceipt folder.

@jwojda,
The primary difference is that with Rich's method, you end up with a valid signed Apple package installer. With the latter, you will need to wrap up the application in something like Composer or Packages, etc. So, while it might seem like more work, it actually saves you the step of rewrapping the package in most cases.

More confirmation that iTap mobile RDP is the basis for the new Microsoft Remote Desktop as hinted by @donmontalvo. Looking at the strings in the binary show many references to iTap and HLW.

Microsoft taps iTap as basis for remote desktop apps | Macworld
http://www.macworld.com/article/2053689/microsoft-taps-itap-as-basis-for-remote-desktop-apps.html

Both ways seem to work. I s'pose though that ripping MAS receipts is breaking the 40 page licensing agreements we click through. But until Apple adds a way for folks to do this in the enterprise, MAS receipts will mysteriously disappear…thanks rtrouton for the instructions.

I've knocked up a little script to create connections using the new app: http://macmule.com/2013/10/22/how-to-create-a-microsoft-remote-desktop-8-connection/

what about copying existing connections to a new computer?

@jwojda: If you right-click on connections, you can select "export".
Then you can import them with the File Menu/Import.
So I guess you can package those and setup a script to import or whatever. Not sure where they are stored as they are created - I'm not on my main Mac at the moment...

@boettchs - lmao - that simple eh? I think I need to go home and have a beer.

@jwojda - are you kidding - who'd expect such an elegant solution from MS? :)
Send one my way please!

Any progress on deploying connections? I've got the new RDP app deploying well, but i cannot get a connection deployed. I have tried using the script by bentoms, but I'm not seeing a connection show up after it completes.

Composer isn't showing any files when i try to snapshot the "import" of a .rdp connection.

@spowell01 I took @bentoms script and had to re-write it to use the defaults command and I've had success with this:

#!/bin/sh



# date: 18 Jun 2014

# Name: RDC-Connection.sh

# Author:  Steve Wood (swood@integer.com)



# grab the logged in user's name

loggedInUser=`/bin/ls -l /dev/console | /usr/bin/awk '{ print $3 }'`



# global

RDCPLIST=/Users/$loggedInUser/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.rdc.mac/Data/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.rdc.mac.plist

myUUID=`uuidgen`

LOGPATH='/private/var/inte/logs'



# set variables

connectionName="NAME YOUR CONNECTION"

hostAddress="SERVERIPADDRESS"



# if you need to put an AD domain name, put it in the userName variable, otherwise leave blank

userName='DOMAINNAME'

userName+=$loggedInUser

resolution="1280 1024"

colorDepth="32"

fullScreen="FALSE"

scaleWindow="FALSE"

useAllMonitors="TRUE"



set -xv; exec 1> $LOGPATH/rdcPlist.txt 2>&1



defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarkorder.ids -array-add "'{$myUUID}'"

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.label -string "$connectionName"

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.hostname -string $hostAddress

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.username -string $userName

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.resolution -string "@Size($resolution)"

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.depth -integer $colorDepth

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.fullscreen -bool $fullScreen

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.scaling -bool $scaleWindow

defaults write $RDCPLIST bookmarks.bookmark.{$myUUID}.useallmonitors -bool $useAllMonitors



chown -R "$loggedInUser:staff" /Users/$loggedInUser/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.rdc.mac

I haven't had chance to place this on my Github or on a blog post at all.

I forgot to mention, the one thing I haven't been able to do is manage the Redirection portion of RDC. So if you need to setup a folder redirection to a user's home folder, I haven't figure that one out yet.

Thanks Steve! No need for folder redirection at this point. I will play with the new script you've shared shortly.