--- title: Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools,... description: Microsoft Build 2026 introduced several new Windows developer tools: an experimental AI-agent-friendly intelligent terminal, WSL Container (WSLC) for running... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools, including an intelligent terminal, WSLC, and a winget setup config | daily.dev og:description: Microsoft Build 2026 introduced several new Windows developer tools: an experimental AI-agent-friendly intelligent terminal, WSL Container (WSLC) for running... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/MBGWhyr6V.png og:image:alt: Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools, including an intelligent terminal, WSLC, and a winget setup config og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools, including an intelligent terminal, WSLC, and a winget setup config **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Microsoft Build 2026 introduced several new Windows developer tools: an experimental AI-agent-friendly intelligent terminal, WSL Container (WSLC) for running containerized apps natively via WSL, an open source port of 75+ Unix command-line utilities (grep, head, tail, etc.), and Windows Developer Configurations - a plaintext WinGet-based config file that provisions a full dev-ready Windows 11 machine in two commands. The config tool comes in three variants (full workstation, WSL-only, language runtimes only), is MIT-licensed, and replaces the discontinued Dev Home app since it requires no standalone application to maintain. All tools are open source and available now. ## Content Microsoft's Build 2026 conference brought a handful of genuinely useful tools for Windows developers. Here's what was announced and what it actually means in practice. ## The announcements **Intelligent terminal** — An experimental terminal redesigned for working with AI agents. The idea is smoother interaction when you're running agentic workflows from the command line, though it's still experimental. **WSL Container (WSLC)** — Runs containerized apps natively through WSL. If you've been juggling Docker Desktop and WSL separately, this is meant to simplify that. **75+ command-line utilities** — Microsoft ported grep, head, tail, touch, and over 70 other Unix staples to Windows via an open source repo. These are the tools Windows developers have been reaching for WSL to get for years. **Windows Developer Configurations** — Probably the most immediately practical announcement. A plaintext WinGet config file, hosted at `microsoft/WindowsDeveloperConfig` on GitHub, that sets up a full developer environment with two commands after cloning the repo. Everything is open source and available now. ## What Windows Developer Configurations actually does The config installs a reasonable default developer stack: VS Code, Git, GitHub CLI, PowerShell 7, Python, Node LTS, .NET 10 SDK, PowerToys, Oh My Posh, and WSL. It also applies OS settings that most developers want anyway — dark mode, disabled notifications, and a cleanup of default Windows annoyances like widgets, Start menu recommendations, Bing suggestions, and Edge's first-run wizard. Three variants are available: a full workstation setup, WSL-only, or just language runtimes. ## How it compares to Linux This is where it gets interesting. On Linux, package managers like apt or dnf handle installation, but everything else — shell config, dotfiles, application settings — falls to bash scripts or a dotfiles repo you maintain yourself. Tools like Nix and Ansible solve this more completely, but they have real learning curves. WinGet config is simpler than Nix or Ansible. It won't replace them for teams with complex provisioning needs. But for an individual developer setting up a new machine, it's a faster path from fresh Windows install to working environment than most Linux setups offer out of the box. ## Worth noting This is Microsoft's second attempt at this kind of tool. Dev Home, the previous effort, was discontinued. The optimistic read on this version is that it's just a plaintext file built on WinGet rather than a standalone app — less surface area to abandon. Whether Microsoft sticks with it long-term is an open question, but the format is simple enough that the community could maintain it even if Microsoft loses interest. ## Questions this post answers ### What is Windows Developer Configurations and how do I set up a dev machine with it? Windows Developer Configurations is a plaintext, WinGet-based configuration file announced at Microsoft Build 2026 that provisions a developer-ready Windows 11 machine using just two WinGet commands after cloning its public GitHub repo. It installs VS Code, Git, GitHub CLI, PowerShell 7, Python, Node LTS, .NET 10 SDK, PowerToys, Oh My Posh, and WSL, and disables Widgets, Start menu recommendations, Bing suggestions, and Edge's first-run wizard. It comes in three variants (full workstation, WSL-only, or language runtimes only) and is MIT-licensed. _Developers standardizing new machine setups can track tooling releases like this via daily.dev._ ### What is WSL Container (WSLC) on Windows? WSL Container, or WSLC, is a Microsoft Build 2026 feature that lets containerized apps run natively through WSL, reducing the need to juggle Docker Desktop and WSL as separate workflows. It's aimed at Windows developers who currently manage both tools independently and want a more unified containerization experience on Windows. _Teams deciding between Docker Desktop and native WSL containers can follow tooling shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### Did Microsoft port Unix command-line tools like grep and tail to Windows? Yes, Microsoft released an open source package porting over 75 Unix-style command-line utilities, including grep, head, tail, and touch, natively to Windows, announced at Build 2026. Previously Windows developers relied on workarounds to get these tools, so having an official open source version removes a long-standing friction point. _Windows developers relying on Unix-style tooling can keep up with releases like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Making Windows a developer platform, again](https://daily.dev/posts/making-windows-a-developer-platform-again-hh9y1edqr) · InfoWorld · 14 upvotes · 3 comments --- Tags: [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools, including an intelligent terminal, WSLC, and a winget setup config","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v"},"datePublished":"2026-08-28T12:04:03.151Z","dateModified":"2026-09-02T13:43:38.667Z","description":"Microsoft Build 2026 introduced several new Windows developer tools: an experimental AI-agent-friendly intelligent terminal, WSL Container (WSLC) for running...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/51ac802e78204aa1c88f5d0b743ddc23?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/51ac802e78204aa1c88f5d0b743ddc23?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"microsoft,devtools,windows","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Microsoft Build 2026: new Windows developer tools, including an intelligent terminal, WSLC, and a winget setup config"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-build-2026-new-windows-developer-tools-including-an-intelligent-terminal-wslc-and-a-wi-mbgwhyr6v#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is Windows Developer Configurations and how do I set up a dev machine with it?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Windows Developer Configurations is a plaintext, WinGet-based configuration file announced at Microsoft Build 2026 that provisions a developer-ready Windows 11 machine using just two WinGet commands after cloning its public GitHub repo. It installs VS Code, Git, GitHub CLI, PowerShell 7, Python, Node LTS, .NET 10 SDK, PowerToys, Oh My Posh, and WSL, and disables Widgets, Start menu recommendations, Bing suggestions, and Edge's first-run wizard. It comes in three variants (full workstation, WSL-only, or language runtimes only) and is MIT-licensed. Developers standardizing new machine setups can track tooling releases like this via daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is WSL Container (WSLC) on Windows?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"WSL Container, or WSLC, is a Microsoft Build 2026 feature that lets containerized apps run natively through WSL, reducing the need to juggle Docker Desktop and WSL as separate workflows. It's aimed at Windows developers who currently manage both tools independently and want a more unified containerization experience on Windows. 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