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Today we’re covering Microsoft Build 2025, where the company introduced its latest technologies, tools, and platforms for software development. This year’s event puts a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence, Copilot agents, updates to Windows 11, and new resources for developers.
Build is Microsoft’s annual developer conference, featuring in-depth sessions aimed at developers and IT professionals. It’s a platform where the company showcases the newest capabilities across Windows, Office, Azure, and other products. For 2025, AI takes center stage, with particular focus on Microsoft’s vision for agent-based AI integration.
This year, Microsoft also shared its outlook on the future of AI, personal computing, and development for Windows 11. Here’s a brief summary of the key announcements from the company.
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Microsoft releases source code for Windows Subsystem for Linux
Microsoft has announced that the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is now open source. This move allows developers and enthusiasts worldwide not only to download and build WSL from source, but also to contribute fixes, suggest new features, and actively participate in its ongoing development. The announcement was made during the Build 2025 developer conference.
The source code for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is now available on GitHub at the following address.
WSL is a comprehensive solution made up of components that operate both within the Windows environment and inside a WSL 2 virtual machine. The architecture of WSL is structured as follows:
The WSL codebase can be divided into several key areas:
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Command-line executables: Tools like wsl.exe, wslconfig.exe, and wslg.exe serve as entry points for interacting with WSL from the Windows environment.
- WSL service (wslservice.exe): This handles core operations such as launching the WSL virtual machine, starting Linux distributions, mounting file systems, and managing other essential tasks.
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Linux-side binaries: These run within the Linux environment to support WSL functionality. Examples include init (for launching the system), gns (for networking), localhost (for port forwarding), and others.
- Implementation of the Plan9 server to provide access to Linux files from Windows.
Detailed information about each component can be found on the official WSL website.
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New features in the Microsoft Store for developers
At its annual Build 2025 developer conference, Microsoft announced a series of significant updates to the Microsoft Store aimed at giving app developers more flexibility and support. One of the key changes is the removal of the registration fee for individual developers. Here’s a closer look at what’s new.
Publications
Starting next month, individual developers will be able to publish apps on the Microsoft Store without paying any registration fee. This change makes the Microsoft Store the first major global digital storefront to eliminate such charges. Additionally, a bank card will no longer be required to get started, removing a common barrier for many developers around the world.
Developers can register for the Microsoft Store using [this link].
For companies that haven’t yet published their apps to the Microsoft Store, Microsoft is launching a new initiative called Microsoft Store FastTrack. This free program is designed to simplify the onboarding process by offering assistance with application submission, waiving the registration fee, streamlining certification, and providing guidance at every stage. Registration for the program is available [here].
The app certification process has been significantly improved. Developers can now expect faster reviews, clearer guidance, and fewer resubmissions. Detailed reports – including crash logs, policy recommendations, and screenshots – are provided to help quickly address any issues. Additionally, meeting privacy policy requirements has been made easier. Developers can now host their privacy policies for free on Microsoft’s servers, removing the need for external hosting.
User engagement
The new Microsoft Store Web Installer makes it easier for developers of Win32 or MSIX apps to simplify the download and installation process through any web browser. For example, the installer can be integrated directly into a developer’s website. Notably, it will also work on corporate devices where the Microsoft Store app might be disabled. Developers can visit the relevant site to create a link to their app using the “mode=Direct” launch parameter.
Users will now find it easier to discover, install, and launch apps from the Microsoft Store directly through the search box on the Windows taskbar. Additionally, search functionality within the Microsoft Store itself has been improved, becoming more intelligent through the use of vector embeddings and semantic ranking.
Microsoft Store’s integration with Intune has been expanded to include support for deploying Win32 apps (currently in beta), AI-powered applications, and apps with age restrictions.
In the coming weeks, all developers will gain access to the App Campaigns program, which enables the creation of advertising campaigns for apps and games both within the Microsoft Store and across other Microsoft platforms. Built-in analytics will help track user engagement post-installation and optimize growth strategies.
You can apply for participation in the open beta testing by following this link.
Analytics
Partner Center’s engagement reports have been improved with the addition of a key metric, the Install Success Rate, along with a trend chart tracking User-Initiated Aborts.
Over the next two months, performance reports will be expanded. New metrics, including crash rates, hang frequency, and the number of affected devices, will help developers prioritize bug fixes and compare the quality of different app versions, architectures, and devices.
Edit console text editor for Windows
Microsoft has introduced a new command-line text editor for Windows called Edit. This is an open-source project, allowing developers and enthusiasts to build it from source. The tool is expected to appear in Windows 11 Insider builds in the coming months before being included in stable releases. The editor’s size is under 250 KB.
Edit addresses a longstanding gap in 64-bit Windows versions, which lacked a built-in command-line text editor. While 32-bit versions included the MS-DOS Edit tool, its absence in 64-bit systems has been notable.
Microsoft aimed to create a straightforward and user-friendly editor suitable for both beginners and experienced users. The developers intentionally avoided modal editors – like Vim, which is famously associated with the question “How do I exit Vim?” – favoring a modeless interface instead. Existing alternatives either lack official Windows support or are considered too bulky, which led Microsoft to develop its own solution.
Main features of Edit
Let’s take a closer look at what makes the new Edit console text editor interesting to us.
Launch
The editor can be launched directly from the command line using the command edit or edit <filename>, allowing users to edit files without leaving the command-line environment.
Text-based user interface (TUI)
All menu options include easily memorable keyboard shortcuts displayed alongside each item. Mouse control is also supported.
Work with multiple files
The editor supports opening multiple files simultaneously, with the ability to switch between them using the Ctrl+P shortcut or by clicking the file list in the lower-right corner.
Search and replace
The search and replace feature (accessible via Ctrl+R or through the “Edit” → “Replace” menu) supports case sensitivity and regular expressions.
Word wrap feature
To improve readability of long lines, the editor includes a word wrap feature, which can be toggled with Alt+Z or via the View → Word Wrap menu.
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Native support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Windows 11
At the Build 2025 developer conference, Microsoft also announced native support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), aimed at simplifying the development of applications and services using agent-based AI technologies.
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that enables AI models to interact more easily with data outside of a specific application or service. It allows programs to exchange contextual information that can be utilized by AI tools or agents.
At the conference, Microsoft introduced two key components for Windows 11:
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MCP Registry: A single, secure, and reliable source that allows AI agents on Windows to discover installed MCP servers on the device, utilize their capabilities, and provide meaningful benefits to end users.
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MCP Servers: These include Windows system features such as the file system, window management, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which will be accessible to AI agents as MCP servers.
“The MCP platform in Windows will provide a standardized foundation for connecting AI agents to native Windows applications, enabling these applications to offer specific functions that expand the skills and capabilities of these agents on Windows 11 PCs,” said Pavan Davuluri, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft emphasizes that security and data protection are the top priorities in implementing MCP.
The company is collaborating with developers from Figma, Anthropic, and Perplexity on MCP integration. Microsoft’s own Windows App Actions will also leverage the advantages of the MCP protocol in Windows 11.
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Microsoft Edge will get interesting features
At Microsoft Build 2025 and as part of recent spring updates, significant news about the Microsoft Edge browser was announced.
Translate entire PDFs in Edge
Microsoft Edge will be expanded to include the ability to translate entire PDF documents. Currently, translating full websites works smoothly, automatically converting content into the desired language, so extending this functionality to files makes sense. Until now, translating PDF text required manually selecting portions, right-clicking, and choosing “translate selection,” which opened the translation panel. This process was time-consuming and frustrating, especially for large documents, so an update was necessary.
Microsoft announced that Edge will be able to translate entire PDF pages from over 70 languages. Users will be able to open a PDF document in Edge, click the translation icon in the browser’s address bar, and quickly generate a new document fully translated into their chosen language. The goal is to provide real-time translations of whole PDF documents, removing barriers to understanding important content. This feature is currently available in the Canary build and is expected to roll out to the stable version of Microsoft Edge in June.
Copilot Chat in Edge for Business
For Edge for Business users, a new integration with Copilot Chat will be introduced. Microsoft 365 Copilot agents, designed to automate repetitive tasks, will be accessible from the Copilot Chat sidebar in Edge for Business starting in early June. Additionally, Copilot Chat in Edge for Business will gain the ability to summarize Microsoft 365 documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint online. This summarization feature, currently in preview, is intended to help users quickly grasp complex information.
Microsoft is introducing experimental APIs that allow developers to easily integrate artificial intelligence into websites and extensions. A key feature is the use of the Phi-4-mini model, embedded directly within the Edge browser. This compact model is designed to deliver performance comparable to much larger counterparts. The new APIs include a query API for calling the model and a writing assistant API, which supports text generation, summarization, and editing. These are currently available in the Edge Canary and Dev channels. Additionally, a translator API is expected to be released soon, enabling text translation.
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Outlook with new features
At Microsoft Build 2025, the company showcased several new features for the Outlook app aimed at improving daily email and calendar management. The most notable updates involve the integration of an enhanced AI assistant, Copilot, which offers intelligent summaries, better organization of information, and support for meeting preparation.
Smart assistant in Outlook
The new Copilot integration with Outlook enables users to quickly summarize email content, search results, and attachments directly within their inbox. This eliminates the need to scroll through lengthy conversation threads or open each document individually, as key information is presented in a clear and concise format.
Copilot can also assist with preparing for upcoming meetings. It automatically gathers and presents key information and documents related to the meeting topic, making it easier and faster to review the agenda and any materials needed for the discussion.
New Copilot features available in Outlook
All new Copilot features are now generally available to Outlook users. Microsoft emphasizes that the goal is to simplify email and calendar management, allowing users to focus on important tasks rather than spending time searching through messages and attachments.
It’s important to note that Copilot in Outlook currently supports only work accounts and Microsoft accounts using outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, and msn.com email addresses. Third-party email accounts, such as Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud, can be used with Outlook but do not have access to Copilot features.
Among other new features announced at the recent Microsoft conference are enhanced tools for AI developers, including updates to Azure, GitHub, and Visual Studio. The company also highlighted innovations in security and data management, as well as open platforms and protocols for AI agents.
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Windows AI Foundry platform for working with AI on Windows
Continuing with key announcements from the Build 2025 developer conference, which largely focused on artificial intelligence, Microsoft introduced a new platform called Windows AI Foundry. Built on the Windows Copilot Runtime, this platform provides developers with a unified environment for creating, customizing, and deploying AI solutions within the Windows operating system.
Microsoft representatives noted that many developers need ready-made AI tools for specific tasks without having to build or train models from scratch. They also require a straightforward way to find, test, and use open-source AI models.
Windows AI Foundry aims to address these needs by simplifying access to AI models through the integration of multiple model catalogs into a single platform. It supports the entire AI development lifecycle, including model selection, optimization, fine-tuning, and deployment. The platform connects to various model sources, such as Foundry Local, Ollama, and NVIDIA NIMs (NVIDIA Inference Microservices).
“Windows AI Foundry offers developers a range of options, supporting them at every stage of the AI development process. It provides ready-to-use APIs based on built-in models, tools for customizing Windows’ built-in models, and a high-performance runtime environment to help developers use their own models and deploy them across various hardware platforms. With the integration of Foundry Local into Windows AI Foundry, developers also gain access to a rich catalog of open-source models,” added Pavan Davuluri, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Windows, during the presentation.
Windows AI Foundry includes Windows ML, a runtime environment that supports model deployment across a wide range of hardware, including CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs from leading manufacturers. Integrated model catalogs like Foundry Local, Ollama, and NVIDIA NIMs provide developers with easy access to open-source models for testing and local deployment.
Additionally, Windows AI Foundry offers ready-to-use APIs for tasks such as intelligent analysis, image recognition, and object removal. Advanced features have also been announced, including LoRA-based fine-tuning and APIs for semantic search and knowledge retrieval, aimed at enabling the development of more intelligent and personalized applications.
The Windows AI Foundry platform is now available to developers. More detailed information can be found on the Windows Developer blog.
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New Windows 11 security features to improve privacy and control
Microsoft is enhancing Windows 11 security with a new set of features designed to give users greater control over their privacy and the protection of their Windows PCs.
Administrator Protection is a new Windows security feature designed to prevent unauthorized or accidental changes that require elevated privileges. It works by requiring users to authenticate using Windows Hello – such as facial recognition, fingerprint, or PIN – before performing any action that needs administrator rights. This additional security layer helps reduce the risk of malware installation or unauthorized changes by other users.
Advanced privacy controls for Windows 11
Microsoft has released an update to Windows privacy settings aimed at giving users more control over their personal data. Specifically, access to sensitive resources like the camera, microphone, and location will now require explicit user permission before any app can use them. Previously, these permissions were often enabled by default on Windows 11 PCs.
Microsoft is encouraging developers to assign package identifiers to their applications, which will help Windows recognize and manage them more securely and consistently. Developers can update existing apps by adding a package identifier to their installer. This change aims to improve integration with modern Windows features like permission management, updates, and security controls.
Microsoft states that these features are currently available in a public preview, which may affect applications relying on the platform’s previous behavior. Developers are advised to test their apps to ensure proper functionality when administrator protection is enabled, as well as with the default desktop privacy settings.
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Major AI updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft has announced the general availability of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 spring update. This release includes an updated Microsoft 365 Copilot app, a new Create interface, and Copilot Notebooks tailored to the needs of business users.
According to Microsoft, the new version of Copilot aims to improve how users interact with artificial intelligence. It offers centralized access to documents, emails, meetings, and chats, making it easier to ask questions or create content across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem. New features include Copilot Pages for organizing generated content, audio summaries for quickly reviewing files, and the ability to upload images directly from a phone, which can help streamline workflows.
Microsoft 365 Copilot now supports image creation and editing using the OpenAI GPT-4o model. Additionally, the Copilot Notebooks feature allows users to integrate spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, meeting notes, and other types of content into notebooks.
In June, Microsoft will begin rolling out two new features for Microsoft 365 users: Copilot Search and Copilot Memory. Copilot Search allows users to ask natural-language questions about applications and organizational data, while Copilot Memory stores key user information to deliver more personalized responses.
The company also plans to introduce two new AI agents – Research and Analyst – aimed at commercial users through the Frontier program. These agents are designed for research and data analysis tasks and will be available through a new agent marketplace. The store will also include third-party integrations from Microsoft partners such as Jira, Monday.com, and Miro.
At today’s Build conference, Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning, a new low-code solution that enables organizations to customize AI models using their own internal data, workflows, and processes.
The company also introduced an early version of multi-agent orchestration, which allows AI agents to share information and collaborate on tasks – a step toward enabling more complex, coordinated automation across enterprise environments.
New App Actions feature for Click to Do in Windows 11
At the Build 2025 developer conference, Microsoft introduced a new set of App Actions APIs for Windows. These APIs will allow applications to integrate more contextually into the operating system’s interface.
App Actions will appear in the Click to Do menu (and potentially other parts of the OS in the future), triggered by a right-click on the screen. Depending on the current screen content, Windows will contextually suggest relevant tasks, providing a more integrated and responsive user experience.
With the App Actions API, developers can integrate their own apps into this interface and offer context-aware actions. For instance, if a user is viewing a photo, Windows might suggest image editing options. In addition to built-in apps, third-party applications that implement the App Actions API will also appear in the list, making the experience more dynamic and tailored to user activity.
Microsoft is working with a range of developers – including Zoom, Todoist, Raycast, and Spark Mail – to bring App Actions support to their applications. This functionality is expected to leverage the newly announced Model Context Protocol, which will be integrated into Windows 11.
This was just the first day of the Microsoft Build 2025 conference, which will continue for two more days. More updates and announcements are expected as the event progresses.
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