The disclosure provides an approach for measuring performance between a virtualized desktop infrastructure (VDI) client running on a client device and a remote computing device. Embodiments include generating, by a performance client on the client device, an event and storing a time associated with generating the event. Embodiments include transmitting, by the VDI client to the remote computing device, a message based on the OS event. Embodiments include determining, by a performance agent on the remote computing device, a time associated with receiving the message at the remote computing device and causing an indication of the time to be displayed in a virtual desktop screen. Embodiments include extracting, by the performance client, from the virtual desktop screen, the time, and determining a performance metric based on the extracted time and the time associated with receiving the message at the remote computing device.