This post covers the latest features and enhancements in Microsoft Dev Box. These updates introduce advanced customization capabilities, improved security, performance optimizations, and better developer experience to make Dev Box even more efficient.

Last update: 03/12/2025

In this post:

• Config-as-workflow improvements
• Enhanced user provided customizations
• Developer onboarding & experience
• Streamlined and flexible onboarding for enterprises
• Enhanced monitoring and cost controls capabilities
• Security and privacy
• Seamless and reliable connectivity
• Service health & reliability
• Share Your Feedback!

Config-as-workflow improvements

Development teams need more control over Dev Box configurations to reduce manual setup overhead and streamline development. To address this, new customization and imaging features have been introduced. These features are currently available as public preview.

• Use custom images to enable IT Admin to generate Dev Box images based on team customizations. You can also specify custom network connections when building images to securely access resources within private virtual networks.
• Debug PowerShell and WinGet-based customization tasks via CLI and VS Code extensions, with custom timeouts for long-running scripts.
• Reference secrets from Azure Key Vault from different subscriptions directly in Dev Box YAML configuration files, now with cross-subscription support.
• Execute Dev Box customization scripts as the signed-in user, ensuring the correct access and privileges. Learn more.

Learn more about Customization | Learn more about Imaging

Enhanced user provided customizations

WinGet and Desired State Configuration (DSC) are essential tools for automating software installations and maintaining system consistency across development environments. With native WinGet and DSC support, developers and admins can seamlessly install software packages without a pre-configured catalog, automatically apply system configurations to meet enterprise standards, and reduce setup time by enabling Dev Boxes to pull configurations directly, ensuring consistency across environments.

• Enable native WinGet and DSC support to apply package installations and configurations without requiring an attached catalog.

Developer onboarding & experience

A seamless onboarding experience, faster access to Dev Boxes, and consistent RDP access reduce friction when setting up workspaces for development.

• New Developer Portal landing page and welcome tour to guide developers through Dev Box features and best practices. Learn more.
• Direct launch via Windows App, allowing Dev Boxes to be opened directly from the Windows RDP client. Learn more.
• Multi-monitor setup from the Developer portal, configure support for multiple monitors when using Windows App through the Developer portal. Learn more.

Streamlined and flexible onboarding for enterprises

IT Admins need easy and quick guidelines to set up the Dev Box service for their organization.

• Identify prerequisites before setting up a Dev Box service with in-product guidance. Learn more.

Enhanced monitoring and cost controls capabilities

As an IT admin managing Dev Box environments, you need control over managing and reducing costs.

• Enable hibernation on disconnect, reducing compute costs when Dev Boxes are inactive. This feature is available as a public preview. Learn more.

Security and privacy

Managing Dev Box environments efficiently requires guardrails and stronger policy enforcement.

• Define project-based policies, restricting Dev Box usage based on team roles and security policies. This feature is available as public preview. Learn more.

Seamless and reliable connectivity

Microsoft Dev Box aims to provide “like-local” developer experience that is as responsive and seamless as working on a local machine. We’re continually enhancing the reliability, speed, and performance of Dev Box service.

• Enable Single Sign-On (SSO), removing the need to repeatedly enter credentials for new Dev Boxes. Learn more.
• Optimize Visual Studio 2022 RDP performance in Dev Box, reducing typing and navigation latency. Learn more.
• Auto network repair by resetting the configuration in Dev Box if connectivity is lost due to network adapter misconfiguration.

Service health & reliability

IT admins and developers need a way to access the overall health of Azure Cloud along with the health of their Dev Box service.

• Startup optimization for reliable startup of a Dev Box machine improving developer’s productivity.
• Receive real-time outage notifications through Azure Service Health and the Azure status portal.

Share Your Feedback!

We are continuously working to improve Microsoft Dev Box based on your feedback. Let us know what features and enhancements you’d like to see!

Related content:

• Microsoft Dev Box Roadmap
• What is Microsoft Dev Box?
• Quickstart: Configure Microsoft Dev Box
• Quickstart: Create a Dev Box

🚀 Try these new features today and let us know your thoughts!