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Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops
Current Release Service 2511 2507 LTSR 2503 2411 2407 2402 LTSR 2311 2203 LTSR
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Simulate and evaluate policies

May 27, 2026
Contributed by: 
C

Note:

Starting with version 2511, Citrix Web Studio™ (web-based) is the only management console for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops™. Citrix Studio (MMC-based) has been removed from the installer. This article applies only to Web Studio. For information about Citrix Studio, see the equivalent article in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2212 or earlier.

Use the comparison and Policy Modeling tools in Web Studio to verify your configurations, test policy behavior, and evaluate which settings apply before deploying them.

Note:

  • The Modeling tab is available only if enabled by customer request.
  • Only enabled policies with filters are modeled. Disabled policies are never applied; enabled policies without filters are always applied.

Compare policies and templates

Use the comparison feature in Web Studio to view the differences between policies, templates, or default settings. This helps you verify configuration consistency, maintain compliance with best practices, and troubleshoot unexpected behavior.

You can:

  • Compare the settings of a policy or template with another
  • Compare settings against default values
  • Identify conflicting or missing configurations across policies

To compare policies and templates:

  1. In Web Studio, select Policies in the left pane.
  2. Click the Comparison tab and then click Select.
  3. Choose the policies or templates to compare.
  4. (Optional) Select Compare to default settings to include defaults.
  5. Click Compare. Settings appear in columns.
    • To see all settings, select Show All Settings.
    • To return to the default view, select Show Common Settings.

Run the Policy Modeling wizard

  1. In Web Studio, select Policies.
  2. Select the Modeling tab.
  3. Select Policy Modeling in the action bar.
  4. Read the Introduction page and click Next.
  5. Select users or computers. You can also browse for containers or specific users or computers. Click Next.
  6. Choose your filter evidence. Optionally, refine the simulation by specifying details such as Delivery group, Tags, and Client IP address. Click Next.
  7. Review the summary and click Run.

View and manage modeling results

After the wizard runs, it generates a report you can review, act on, and export.

Review the report

  • Use the drop-down menu to view All settings, Computer settings, or User settings.
  • Search for specific settings.
  • Click a setting to see why it was or was not applied.
  • Export results in JSON or HTML format.

Manage the report

The following options are available in the action bar after a simulation runs:

Option Description
View Modeling Report Review or export the results.
Rerun Policy Modeling Run again using the same criteria.
Delete Modeling Report Remove the current report.

Evaluate policy application using Resultant Set of Policy

If a connection does not behave as expected, conflicting policies might be the cause. Higher-priority policies can override others. Use Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) to evaluate which settings apply to a given connection.

Two RSoP methods are available:

  • Citrix Group Policy Modeling Wizard

    Simulate a connection scenario by specifying users and assignment conditions.

  • Group Policy Results

    Generate a report of Citrix policies applied to a user and Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA).

Note:

Site policy settings created in Web Studio are not included in the Resultant Set of Policy when you run the Citrix Group Policy Modeling wizard from the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). For the most comprehensive results, start the Policy Modeling wizard from Web Studio, unless you create policies using only the GPMC.

Troubleshoot policy issues

Users, IP addresses, and other assigned objects can have multiple policies applying simultaneously, which can lead to unexpected behavior.

If you run the Policy Modeling wizard and no policies apply to user connections, it might be because:

  • No policies have assignments that match the evaluation criteria.
  • Policies that match the assignment have no settings configured.
  • Policies that match the assignment are disabled.

To resolve these issues:

  • Enable the relevant policies.
  • Configure at least one setting for each policy.

Note:

In double-hop scenarios (for example, a single-session OS VDA connecting to a multi-session OS VDA) Citrix policies treat the single-session OS VDA as the user device. Images cached for the second hop apply to the first-hop machine.

View applied policies in Director

Non-administrators can use Director to view the policies that apply to a user session. This is useful for verifying which policy settings are in effect without requiring access to Web Studio.

Simulate and evaluate policies
May 27, 2026
Contributed by: 
C
May 27, 2026
Contributed by: 
C

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