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What the Developer Configuration image includes
Microsoft’s Windows 365 Developer Configuration gallery image provides a Windows desktop set up for Windows and Linux development workflows. It includes Windows settings, WSL Ubuntu, a bash environment setup, and developer tools such as PowerShell 7, Visual Studio Code, PowerToys, Python, Node.js/npm, Git and GitHub CLI, Azure CLI, and the .NET Runtime and SDK. Tool versions can change, so consult Microsoft’s device-images documentation for current details.
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The image is distinct from a Microsoft 365 Developer Program sandbox: this task provisions and manages a Windows 365 Cloud PC. Microsoft’s Developer Program page describes a separate program and its eligibility; it is not the source of the Cloud PC image or its plan availability.
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Microsoft states: “This image is available for Windows 365 Enterprise and Windows 365 Flex Dedicated mode.” It does not support 2-vCPU or GPU licenses because those specifications do not support nested virtualization. Confirm that the Windows 365 offering and Cloud PC specification you intend to assign meet the image requirements before creating the policy. Availability and requirements are described in Microsoft’s Windows 365 device-images documentation.
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How to select the image in an Intune provisioning policy
- Open the Microsoft Intune admin center and go to the Windows 365 provisioning policies.
- Create a policy or edit an existing one, then select the Developer Configuration gallery image with preinstalled Microsoft 365 Apps in the image selection step.
- Check the Windows 365 offering, license specification, and other policy settings against your deployment requirements, then complete and save the policy.
- Assign the policy to the appropriate users or groups according to your Windows 365 provisioning workflow.
The gallery image is selected as part of provisioning policy creation. The exact gallery image names and policy interface may change; Microsoft documents the image and its constraints on its device-images page.
Use the image’s Microsoft 365 Apps or deploy a suite separately
If the preinstalled Microsoft 365 Apps meet your needs, you can use them as part of the image. If you need to choose the suite’s apps, architecture, update channel, version, languages, activation mode, or assignment behavior through Intune, create a separate Microsoft 365 Apps deployment. A Microsoft 365 Apps license is required for activation. Microsoft’s Intune documentation says: “You must use Microsoft 365 Apps licenses to activate Microsoft 365 Apps apps deployed through Microsoft Intune.” See Add Microsoft 365 Apps to Windows devices using Microsoft Intune.
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Create the Intune app deployment
- In the Intune admin center, go to Apps > All Apps > Create.
- For the app type, choose Windows 10 and later under Microsoft 365 Apps.
- Configure the suite and any scope tags, then assign it to the required user or device groups.
- Review the settings and assignments, then create the deployment.
Intune downloads and installs the suite through Office CSP and Microsoft’s content delivery network. For assignments, Required installs the suite automatically; Available makes it available through Company Portal for a user to install.
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Use Intune’s configuration designer for the available suite choices. Microsoft 365 Apps for business must be configured using XML data. Decide on architecture, update channel, version, selected apps, languages, shared computer activation, and assignment behavior based on the environment. Avoid configuring conflicting values for settings such as update channel or version in both the suite deployment and the Settings Catalog.
Check installation conflicts before assigning
- If Office MSI installations remain on the Cloud PC, the Microsoft 365 Apps deployment can fail. Use the deployment’s Remove MSI option when appropriate for the device.
- Microsoft does not support multiple Microsoft 365 Apps deployments running at the same time on one device.
- Office apps left open during installation can cause installation failure, and unsaved work may be lost. Plan installation timing and tell users to close their apps and save work.
- For Windows Autopilot Enrollment Status Page scenarios that track app installations, Microsoft recommends deploying Microsoft 365 Apps as a Win32 app to avoid an installation concurrency issue.
These behaviors and configuration choices are detailed in Microsoft’s Intune Microsoft 365 Apps deployment instructions.
How the image and a separate deployment differ
| Choice | What it provides | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Developer Configuration gallery image | Standardized developer desktop with WSL and preinstalled tools; the image also includes Microsoft 365 Apps. | Provisioning a Cloud PC with a ready-made development environment. |
| Plain gallery image | No preinstalled applications; the organization configures the environment. | Organizations that need to build and control the full application setup themselves. |
| Microsoft 365 Apps included with the developer image | Uses the applications already present in the selected image. | When the image’s preinstalled suite meets the deployment need. |
| Separate Microsoft 365 Apps deployment in Intune | Intune controls suite selection, configuration, assignment, and deployment lifecycle. Activation still requires a Microsoft 365 Apps license. | When the organization needs to configure or manage the suite through Intune. |
| Image-provided third-party developer tools | Tools are present in the image but are not managed as Intune packaged apps. | Convenient use of the image-provided toolchain, with the organization responsible for its ongoing security and maintenance. |
| Uninstall and redeploy third-party tools through Intune | Moves those tools into the organization’s Intune app lifecycle process. | When Intune-based packaging, deployment, and lifecycle management are required. |
Can Intune manage the preinstalled developer tools?
Microsoft describes the preinstalled third-party applications as unmanaged through Intune as packaged apps. If you require Intune app lifecycle control, uninstall the preinstalled tools and redeploy them through Intune. Your organization remains responsible for monitoring vulnerabilities, applying security updates, configuring the tools, and maintaining compliance.
The image itself is maintained separately: Microsoft updates gallery images monthly. Newly provisioned Cloud PCs use the latest image, while existing Cloud PCs receive image updates through reprovisioning. Plan the reprovisioning process around your organization’s data, user experience, and change-management requirements. See Microsoft’s image update guidance.
Configure supported Cloud PC settings after provisioning
Cloud PC configurations are separate from the gallery image and its preinstalled applications. To configure supported settings, go to Devices > Cloud PC Settings in Intune, create a configuration, and assign it to user groups. Available settings and any hardware thresholds depend on the feature; consult Microsoft’s Cloud PC configurations documentation for current requirements. Some capabilities described there may be in preview.
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