Azure Linux Desktop: A Windows app that boots a full Linux desktop in a window using Build 2026 tech
By
Hayden Barnes
Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, baked to perfection. Worth every minute at the bakery.
Summary
A developer created a Windows app called "Azure Linux Desktop" that boots a full Linux desktop (XFCE on Azure Linux 4.0) in a window using Microsoft Build 2026 technologies. The app combines wslc container API, WinUI Reactor, Azure Linux 4.0, and .NET 10 to deliver a seamless experience with working audio, GPU acceleration, copy-paste, and resizable display — all without any setup wizard or terminal interaction. The project was inspired by Craig Loewer's earlier work and serves as both a practical tool and a nostalgic homage to older Linux-on-Windows experiments.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledI made a thing...
Azure Linux "Desktop" is a small Windows app that boots a full Linux desktop in a window.
It opens, starts an embedded Linux container, and a few seconds later you are looking at a themed XFCE desktop running on Azure Linux 4.0, with working audio, GPU acceleration, copy and paste, and a display that resizes with the window.
No buttons, no setup wizard, no terminal. You launch the app and you are at a Linux desktop.
I was inspired in part by Craig Loe
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