as part of Build 2026 developer conferenceMicrosoft spent most of its time in discussion AI agents, native AI modelsand new hardware for developers. While these announcements grabbed the headlines, some of the most interesting news stories were smaller in scope.
As someone who spends a lot of time covering the desktop version of the operating system and applications, four announcements caught my attention, including: Coreutils, WSL Containers, Smart Terminaland Windows Developer Configurations.
Warning: These are tools no brilliant for home users. However, they show that the company is determined to make the operating system more capable and developer-friendly, reducing the friction that has traditionally driven developers away. Linux or macOS.
I spend most of my time typing commands, and while I spend most of my time using the Command Prompt, I also use Linux, and sometimes I feel that some commands are better in Linux.
Windows 11 already includes some tools based on Linux, e.g sudo, curlyand tarbut one of the more surprising announcements from Build 2026 was the general availability of Coreutils.
Coreutils for Windows is based on open source utilities project, and it brings Linux-style command-line utilities directly to Windows 11. For developers who regularly switch between Linux servers, cloud environments, containers, and on-premises Windows 11 machines, this means many familiar commands (like etc, cp, touch, it’s mkand pwd) can run natively without relying on third-party ports or workarounds.
This may not sound like a major feature, but it does attempt to address a long-standing pain point for Microsoft. Windows K2 initiative. Consistency is taken into account when you switch between operating systems throughout the day. The less time you spend remembering platform-specific differences, the more time you can spend building software.
You can install it from Coreutils GitHub or using the Windows Package Manager “Install Microsoft.Coreutils in winget” command.
WSL Containers can make Docker optional for many developers
At Build 2026, the company also announced WSL Containersthis is a huge deal. Previously, if you wanted to run Linux containers on Windows 11, you had to install third-party platforms like Docker Desktop, Podman, or Rancher Desktop. However, WSL Containers provide a built-in container runtime that replaces the dependency on third-party solutions in the operating system. “wslc.exe” and one API.
According to the company, WSL CLI uses a new binary that works out of the box to build, run, and deploy Linux containers.
The API for container functionality allows you to run “Linux containers programmatically” in native applications for Windows 11.
Behind the scenes, instead of requiring a complex, cumbersome third-party VM setup, WSLC spins up OCI-compliant Linux containers in a dedicated, highly optimized Hyper-V utility VM run natively by Windows 11. This virtual machine is completely isolated from your standard Linux distributions (like Ubuntu or Debian) and communicates with Hyper-V sospecketed Windows.
The good news is that if you already know Docker, you know how to use WSLC because the commands are almost identical. For example, to start a container, you would run a command like the following: “wslc run -d -p 8080:80 –web nginx name”. In Docker, you would manage it “docker run -d -p 8080:80 –name web nginx” command.
While anyone can use containers, Microsoft adds policies to manage the feature using familiar controls.
Containers for WSL are not yet available, but the company will release this support in the coming months through regular updates to the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Smart Terminal is one of the more practical AI features that Microsoft has announced
Build 2026 does not include any flaws AI announcements, however Smart Terminal he was one of the few who immediately felt interesting.
This feature integrates AI agents directly into the terminal experience. Instead of copying error messages to the browser, searching for workarounds, and manually applying fixes, developers can get context-aware help without leaving the command line.
In other words, to avoid another AI backlash, the company has dedicated a separate version of Windows Terminal and added support for integrating AI agents, e.g. GitHub Copilot Instead of integrating Copilot into Windows Terminal.
Microsoft says the feature can provide relevant context when commands fail, suggest workarounds, and help you perform multi-step tasks right in the terminal.
Whether or not this will become a mainstream developer tool remains to be seen, but unlike many AI demos that focus on future capabilities, Smart Terminal solves a workflow problem that developers face every day.
You can install through Intelligent Terminal in Windows 11 Microsoft Storeusing a direct command prompt (as admin). “Install Microsoft.IntelligentTerminal with wing” you can download the command and the tool from here GitHub.
Windows Developer Configurations solve a problem every developer faces
Setting up a new development or test machine is rarely anyone’s favorite task as it takes a lot of time and a very long list of steps.
Windows Developer Configurations aims to greatly simplify this process through a Windows Package Manager (winget) configuration file (dev-config.winget) that installs common developer tools, applies recommended settings, and prepares a machine for development or testing with a single command.
Configuration includes Visual Studio Code, GitHub Copilot, PowerShell 7, WSL, Git, Python, and more. includes tools such as It can also apply developer-oriented settings for the operating system, including showing file extensions and enabling Git integration in File Explorer.
This is not a tool you need to install. Instead, it is a configuration file with “.winget” extension, where you can specify how you want to configure the custom installation. Microsoft has published a README file that lists everything you can install and configure on the project’s official website GitHub page.
What I like most about this announcement is its focus on reducing setup time. Whether you’re replacing a device, configuring multiple systems, or preparing computers for new developers, the transition from a clean install to a productive environment is faster.
Windows Central’s Take
I found these announcements more interesting than the bigger Build 2026 announcements. New AI hardware and ambitious agent platforms are important, but they are also aimed at a relatively small audience. Coreutils, WSL Containers, Smart Terminal, and Windows Developer Configurations focus on something more practical, making Windows 11 development easier.
Microsoft has spent years making its operating system a more developer-friendly platform, and these announcements continue those efforts. Rather than pushing Windows-specific approaches, the company is increasingly embracing tools, workflows and technologies that developers already use. They’re not flashy features, but they’re the kind of improvements that can save time every day.
Many people will never use these tools, but developers build the apps we use every day. If Microsoft can make its operating system a better platform for developers, the benefits eventually reach far beyond the developers themselves.
What are your thoughts on Microsoft’s latest developer tools for Windows 11? Let me know in the comments!
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