How to watch Microsoft Build 2020 online: Schedule, dates and registration

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Everything you need to watch Microsoft Build 2020 online

How to watch Microsoft Build 2020
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Microsoft Build 2020 start time, dates

Satya Nadella's Build 2020 keynote speech starts at 11:20 a.m. Eastern | 8:20 am Pacific.
Build 2020 takes place over today (Tuesday, May 19) and tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20), and is streaming online below.

Today's the day to watch Microsoft Build 2020 online. Yes, this year's big developers conference from Microsoft is taking place remotely, and you can catch all of it at home for free.

Since Microsoft has developers in remote locations around the world, Build 2020 is taking a unique format this year. Running around the clock for 48 hours in a row, Build is engineered to be everything for all things development, at all hours of the day. 

That means multiple segments are running at multiple times, so devs don't need to stay up too late to watch them. There will also be interactive segments of Build 2020, including a Cloud skills challenge where folks can complete "a collection of online learning modules," to win prices and earn a free Microsoft Certification exam. 

Here's everything you need to know about the conference schedule and how to watch Microsoft Build 2020 online.

Watch Build 2020 live

If you don't want to register for Build, and just watch the less-interactive live stream (see below for more details on Microsoft's plans), they're streaming the show on YouTube. We've got that stream embedded here!

Register for Microsoft Build 2020 to watch online

To watch Build 2020, and get the complete experience, you'll want to register online with Microsoft. For that, you'll need a Microsoft account or a work or student Office 365/Microsoft 365 account. 

Build 2020 registration is available here, and those who already signed up to attend Build in person should use their same information.

Microsoft Build 2020 schedule

While the Build 2020 festivities kicked off today (Tuesday, May 19) at 11 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Pacific at Microsoft HQ in Seattle, WA), the first big event doesn't take place until 20 minutes later, when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella takes the virtual stage for a talk called "Empowering every developer."

The brief description for Nadella's talk (via Microsoft.com) says "In this time of uncertainty, developers will play a central role in reimagining the world we live in and accelerating our path to recovery." 

Nadella's talk may be unlike any keynote we've ever seen, as the Build 2020 schedule  only calls for it to last 20 minutes, showing the Imagine Cup taking place 20 minutes after Nadella's talk. That means Build may truly be a "for the developers" event. The Imagine Cup is "a student technology competition."

The next of the Build 2020 Key Segments begin with developer Scott Hanselman giving the talk "Every developer is welcome," at noon Eastern (9 Pacific), Scott Guthrie (among others) presenting on Azure at 12:15 p.m. Eastern and Microsoft Exec VP Rajesh Jha's talk "Building the tools for modern work", which will focus on Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Graph, Fluid Framework and more. 

The following day (May 20), Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott has a 12:45 p.m. Eastern talk entitled "The future of tech." He will focus on the following topics, "AI, large scale machine learning, and convergence of the physical and digital worlds."

The final Key Segment is "Power Platform for developers," given by Microsoft's President of Business Applications, which first airs at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. All of these talks are scheduled to occur multiple times, so people can watch at the times that are best for their local time zones.

Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.