WSL Container Is Now Available for Public Preview
Microsoft Dev Blogs (Windows Command Line), Monday, June 29th, 2026
Microsoft introduces WSL containers, enabling native Linux containers on Windows without third-party tools.
Microsoft has released WSL containers for public preview, introducing a built-in container runtime for Windows users. The feature includes a new CLI tool called wslc.exe offering familiar container commands for managing Linux workloads, plus an API enabling Windows applications to leverage containers through C, C++, and C# bindings.
Performance improvements include a new virtiofs file system delivering 2x faster Windows file access and an experimental consomme networking mode for better compatibility with enterprise environments. The platform integrates with VS Code dev containers, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint monitoring, and Intune management policies. The team aims for general availability in fall 2026.