Deploy a Windows application with the Xbox PC Remote Tools

Use the Xbox PC Remote Tools to deploy your Windows application on a remote device without generating a Visual Studio project.

Xbox PC Remote Tools are Microsoft tools that support deploying and debugging applications on remote Windows 10+ devices. The Xbox PC Toolbox is a core component of Xbox PC Remote Tools that you use to set up and pair remote Windows devices. After pairing, you can deploy your application directly from the Unity Editor, enabling faster iterations when testing your builds.

Prerequisites

Before you deploy a Windows build to a remote target device with the Xbox PC Remote Tools:

• Ensure your development machine and target device both run Windows 10 or later.
• Install the Xbox PC Toolbox on the target device from the Microsoft Store.
• Install the Xbox PC Toolbox on your development machine from the Microsoft Store beforehand or install it through the Unity Editor during step 4 of Configure the Xbox PC Toolbox and deploy your app.
• Pair the development and target devices in the Xbox PC Toolbox app.
• Get the IP address of the target device.

Configure the Xbox PC Toolbox and deploy your app

To set up the Xbox PC Toolbox and deploy your Windows application, follow these steps:

1. In the Unity Editor, open the Build Profiles window (menu: File > Build Profiles).

2. Create a build profile for the Windows platform, or select an existing Windows build profileA set of customizable configuration settings to use when creating a build for your target platform. More info
   See in Glossary.

3. In the Build and Run on dropdown, select Xbox PC Remote Tools.

4. Check the Xbox PC Toolbox installation status.

   • If the status displays Xbox PC Toolbox: Not installed, select Get to install the Xbox PC Toolbox from the Microsoft Store. Follow the on-screen instructions to pair the devices.
   • Select Refresh to check the status manually. Unity refreshes installation status once per day.

5. In the Xbox PC Toolbox Device property, enter the IP address of the target device you paired in the Xbox PC Toolbox app. Unity saves this value as an Editor preference.

6. Select Launch to open the Xbox PC Toolbox app.

7. Select Build and Run.

Unity builds the Windows application, deploys it to the remote device, and then launches it.

Additional resources

• Windows build settings reference
• Visual Studio project generation for Windows
• Develop for Windows
• Debugging PC projects on remote Windows devices by using Visual Studio (Microsoft)
• Remote iteration command-line tools: wdRemote.exe and wdEndpoint.exe (Microsoft)
• Xbox PC Remote Iteration API (Microsoft)