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Microsoft Build 2026 takes place on June 2-3 and promises to showcase the latest innovations the company is cooking up. Taking place at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, this developer-focused event likely won’t feature bombshell announcements like Windows 12, but instead spotlight the latest and upcoming AI tools.
The full session catalog is already live, with sessions based around agentic AI, Azure cloud smarts, GitHub Copilot, Windows development, and responsible AI. That might not sound exciting, but what we learn during the two-day event will give us a glimpse of updates that will trickle down to the apps, PCs, and services you and I use every day.
You can watch Microsoft Build 2026 online for free by registering at the official Microsoft Build 2026 website. We’ll be covering the show as well, so make sure to keep it locked here as we break down all the technical jargon and explain what is (or isn’t) important.
Here are the biggest announcements happening at Microsoft Build 2026.
Agentic AI and multi-agent systems
One term we expect to hear a lot during Build is “agentic AI.” Right now, people use LLMs like ChatGPT to ask questions. AI agents, however, can take proactive actions on your behalf. For instance, they can resolve scheduling conflicts in your calendar, collaborate with other AI agents, and handle other complex tasks. Microsoft Foundry (the evolved version of the Azure AI platform) should be the basis for this.
To that end, expect Build sessions to cover topics such as agent orchestration and debugging, and perhaps even get real-world production stories. For instance, we could see a demo of an agent researching flights, while another books hotels, and another checks your budget. This would happen without anyone micromanaging the agents.
We’ve heard horror stories about agents deleting important documents and emails, so I hope to see Microsoft address this very real concern. But if these agents work as advertised and don't torch your work, they should act as digital assistants to take some of the stress off your daily grind.
A more autonomous GitHub Copilot
Related to the previous point, GitHub Copilot could also start doing things on your behalf. This platform has already been a boon for developers, and could become even more indispensable. We could see deeper integrations with Visual Studio, VS Code, and the full dev lifecycle.
If developers have an easier time creating app or fixing code, this could result in higher-quality apps for folks like us. Think smoother interfaces on streaming platforms, bug-free banking apps, or even smarter fitness trackers. Developers shipping code more quickly and with fewer bugs means faster app updates.
Azure AI platform
Microsoft’s Azure platform is what does the heavy lifting, so expect Build to discuss the latest on the cloud-based platform. We’ll see sessions diving into things like training and fine-tuning models efficiently, multi-model orchestration, and moving prototypes to production without giant bills.
For non-developers, this could mean keeping AI features affordable, which could result in the price of subscriptions for services we use staying low. That could be wishful thinking on my part, but if the developers are saving money, then perhaps we might as well.
Windows AI Foundry
Windows AI Foundry lets developers build apps that can run AI models on-device on laptops and PCs using the NPU, GPU, or CPU. This is beneficial if you’re working on something sensitive and don’t want to do it on the cloud.
To that end, we should see sessions featuring on-device inference, WinUI 3 with agents, WSL improvements, and other developer-optimized experiences. This builds on Copilot+ PCs but works broadly, all on-device.
Local AI means faster response times since there’s no internet lag. And as mentioned above, it also means better privacy for both personal and business files. Privacy is a growing concern with AI, so I expect Microsoft to really push on-device AI during Build.
What not to expect
Let’s get the big one out of the way. While we’ve heard rumblings about Windows 12 for years, there has not been official confirmation from Microsoft. Build isn’t usually an event where major software is announced, so it’s unlikely that the company will unveil Windows 12 there. However, we’ll no doubt see elements of what could end up in the operating system at the various sessions. What actually makes it into Windows 12 is anyone’s guess, however.
Similarly, we doubt that Microsoft will make any significant hardware announcements. Surface devices for business have already launched, such as the Surface Laptop 8 I reviewed, so any kind of mention would be redundant. We also don’t think Microsoft will unveil or discuss Xbox Project Helix.
If anything, we could hear something about the next Xbox during Summer Game Fest that’s also happening next week—but that’s a whole different story.
Microsoft Build 2026: Outlook
Microsoft Build 2026 won’t be a big fancy event like WWDC or Google I/O, but it will give us some insight into the tools developers will use to (hopefully) build more useful applications and features for regular users. From agentic systems that handle your work to local AI that lets you work more privately, there’s a lot to look forward to.
We’ll be covering Microsoft Build 2026 live as it happens, so keep it locked here for all the latest developments from Microsoft’s big developer conference.
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