Microsoft announces winapp, the new Windows app development CLI

Microsoft is making it easier for developers to build Windows apps. The company has just announced the public preview of winapp CLI, an open-source command-line interface designed to streamline often complex parts of Windows app development.

"Windows development often involves managing multiple SDKs, creating and editing multiple manifests, generating certificates and navigating intricate packaging requirements," Metulev explained in the announcement. The goal? "Unify these tasks into a single CLI, letting you focus on building great apps rather than fighting with configuration."

At its core, winapp tackles setup headaches with a single command. If you’re a developer building Windows apps, running the winapp init command in your project root will bootstrap everything. The command downloads the Windows SDK and App SDK packages, generates projections (starting with C++/WinRT), creates manifests and assets, handles certificate generation, and sets up dependencies.

For team or multi-machine work, the winapp restore command recreates the exact environment from your config file. Microsoft is also including GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps tasks for enhancing CI/CD pipelines.

Microsoft is also adding support for package identity for debugging to the winapp CLI. This makes accessing modern Windows APIs (like Windows AI, security features, notifications, or shell integrations) much easier. Normally, you'd have to fully package and install your app just to test one feature. Now, a simple winapp create-debug-identity my-app.exe adds a temporary identity to your executable, allowing you to quickly test and debug.

The winapp CLI is still in the early stages of its lifecycle. Microsoft has made it available to the public primarily to gather early feedback, as the development is still underway. If you’re trying out the new CLI, don’t be surprised if you encounter a few issues here and there.

The Windows App Development CLI is available now in public preview. Visit Microsoft’s official GitHub repository for documentation, guides, and to report potential issues you encounter using the early version of winapp.

Read the full announcement on Windows Blog

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Posted Friday 23 January 2026 at 12:27 pm AEST (my time).

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