diff --git a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/ide/heart-beat.ts b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/ide/heart-beat.ts
index 5d4ba9febc4f84..54c2be8e59903e 100644
--- a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/ide/heart-beat.ts
+++ b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/ide/heart-beat.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ export const track = (w: Window) => {
 }
 
 let pageCloseCompatibile: boolean = false
-
+// TODO(ak) remove
 isSaaSServerGreaterThan("main.4124").then((r) => {
     pageCloseCompatibile = r
 })
diff --git a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/index.ts b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/index.ts
index c7794fd3a70812..dded7e9b78e748 100644
--- a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/index.ts
+++ b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/index.ts
@@ -158,16 +158,7 @@ const toStop = new DisposableCollection();
                         });
                         if (!desktopRedirected) {
                             desktopRedirected = true;
-                            try {
-                                const desktopLink = new URL(ideStatus.desktop.link)
-                                // redirect only if points to desktop application
-                                // don't navigate browser to another page
-                                if (desktopLink.protocol != 'http:' && desktopLink.protocol != 'https:') {
-                                    window.location.href = ideStatus.desktop.link;
-                                }
-                            } catch (e) {
-                                console.error('invalid desktop link:', e)
-                            }
+                            loading.openDesktopLink(ideStatus.desktop.link)
                         }
                         return loading.frame;
                     }
diff --git a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/shared/loading-frame.ts b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/shared/loading-frame.ts
index 4de953253e9f71..f4aca469cb7612 100644
--- a/components/supervisor/frontend/src/shared/loading-frame.ts
+++ b/components/supervisor/frontend/src/shared/loading-frame.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,15 @@ import { WindowMessageReader, WindowMessageWriter } from "@gitpod/gitpod-protoco
 import { JsonRpcProxyFactory } from '@gitpod/gitpod-protocol/lib/messaging/proxy-factory';
 import { createMessageConnection } from 'vscode-jsonrpc/lib/main';
 import { ConsoleLogger } from 'vscode-ws-jsonrpc';
+import { isSaaSServerGreaterThan } from '../ide/gitpod-server-compatibility';
 import { startUrl } from './urls';
 
+let openDesktopLinkSupported = false;
+// TODO(ak) remove after 15.09.2022
+isSaaSServerGreaterThan("main.4275").then(r =>
+    openDesktopLinkSupported = r
+)
+
 const serverOrigin = startUrl.url.origin;
 const relocateListener = (event: MessageEvent) => {
     if (event.origin === serverOrigin && event.data.type == 'relocate' && event.data.url) {
@@ -36,6 +43,7 @@ export function load({ gitpodService }: {
     frame: HTMLIFrameElement
     sessionId: Promise<string>
     setState: (state: object) => void
+    openDesktopLink: (link: string) => void
 }> {
     return new Promise(resolve => {
         const frame = document.createElement('iframe');
@@ -56,7 +64,27 @@ export function load({ gitpodService }: {
             const setState = (state: object) => {
                 frameWindow.postMessage({ type: 'setState', state }, serverOrigin);
             }
-            resolve({ frame, sessionId, setState });
+            const openDesktopLink = (link: string) => {
+                if (openDesktopLinkSupported) {
+                    frameWindow.postMessage({ type: '$openDesktopLink', link }, serverOrigin);
+                } else {
+                    let redirect = false;
+                    try {
+                        const desktopLink = new URL(link);
+                        redirect = desktopLink.protocol !== "http:" && desktopLink.protocol !== "https:";
+                    } catch (e) {
+                        console.error("invalid desktop link:", e);
+                    }
+                    // redirect only if points to desktop application
+                    // don't navigate browser to another page
+                    if (redirect) {
+                        window.location.href = link;
+                    } else {
+                        window.open(link, "_blank", "noopener");
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            resolve({ frame, sessionId, setState, openDesktopLink });
         };
     });
 }