Ignite 2025: MCP Comes to Windows Developers in Preview

At its biggest annual convention this morning, Microsoft announced how it will transform Windows for developers in the AI era.

“As AI transforms the way we work, agents are becoming powerful tools to make users more productive, handling routine tasks and taking away the drudgery so users can focus on what matters most,” Microsoft distinguished engineer Logan Iyer writes. “To empower developers and organizations on this journey, Windows is evolving as an operating system with the foundational structures to make agents on Windows more effective, secure and governable—with flexibility for developers and peace of mind for organizations to embrace this trend with confidence.”

Today’s announcements are a continuation of the Windows developer efforts that we learned about at Build back in May, including the open sourcing of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Microsoft Foundry on Windows, and native support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) in Windows, the foundation required for AI agents connecting to Windows apps.

Here’s what’s new.

MCP in public preview. This includes a public preview of the Windows On-Device Registry (ODR), which Microsoft describes as “a secure, manageable repository of agent connectors” (MCP servers), and the public preview of built-in agent connectors for File Explorer and System Settings. “Agents can use the File Explorer connector to manage, organize and retrieve local files with user consent,” Microsoft says. “With the System Settings connector, agents will be able to adjust Windows system settings like changing from light mode to dark mode or troubleshooting issues, while keeping the user in full control.” You can learn more here.

Agent Workspace in public preview. This contained, policy-controlled environment lets agents interact with apps and complete tasks using their own identity and without disrupting the user’s session.

Security policies for developers. Microsoft has created policies for developers building agents, agent connectors, and security controls that are secure by default.

Microsoft Foundry on Windows improvements. Microsoft Foundry on Windows is the new name for the Windows AI Foundry (which was itself the new name for the Windows Copilot Runtime back in May). Video super resolution (VSR) and Stable Diffusion (SDXL) APIs are now in public preview. And Windows ML is now generally available.