Using AnyWare

Last Updated

Thu. Feb 19, 2026 – 12:00 am

Several of our training sessions use software that is not freely available. Some computer labs on campus, like 146 Armory, have most or all of these programs installed on the lab machines. However, for software that is not available in the lab, students and faculty may use Illinois AnyWare. (Unfortunately, staff cannot currently use AnyWare).

The video below contains instructions for how to log into and use AnyWare. Written instructions are posted below the video.


Instructions

Logging In

  1. To start, open Chrome or another internet browser and go to uiucanyware.cloud.com.
  2. You may need to accept the privacy notice.
  3. Log in using your Illinois email address and password.
  4. It will ask if you want to detect a Citrix workspace or use your web browser. Unless you have experience using the Citrix workspace app, we recommend using your web browser.
  5. Click General Purpose Desktop.

Using the AnyWare Desktop

  • When the general purpose desktop loads, it will show a Windows desktop environment.
  • Notice that you have a Start button and taskbar on the AnyWare desktop (in addition to the Start button and taskbar from your own machine, if you are running Windows, or the Launcher if you are running MacOS).
  • The AnyWare machine is a separate computer than yours – it has different apps installed and different files, which is what lets you use software like SPSS.
  • From the Anyware desktop, you can access the internet and download the code and data files for the training session.
  • You can use the Start button to open programs for the training session like SPSS, Stata, or SAS.

Saving Files

When you’ve finished the training session, you may want to save your files somewhere that you can access later. To get files into or out of the Anyware desktop, there are two methods.

The first is to use the Upload and Download buttons that appear when you hover your mouse over the round button at the top-middle of the screen. This will save files to the device you’re using, which is helpful if you’re using your own device, but not as helpful if you’re working on a lab computer.

The second method is to save files to cloud storage, such as your Illinois OneDrive account, a Box folder, or Google Drive. This will make the files accessible on any device where you are logged in.

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