Windows 365 for Agents: The Secure, Scalable AI Agent Platform for the Modern Enterprise
What is Windows 365 for Agents?
Unless you have been asleep in a cryogenic pod, you have probably heard about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept and how it is transforming the way you work. While AI has laid the foundation for intelligent automation, the next evolution is AI agents: AI that is purpose-built to act autonomously, orchestrate workflows, and deliver outcomes with minimal human intervention. From automating repetitive tasks to enabling intelligent decision-making, AI agents are becoming essential components of modern enterprise workflows. These agents can perform complex tasks autonomously, interact with applications like humans, and scale across environments to deliver efficiency and innovation.
However, deploying AI agents at scale introduces several challenges, including security, governance, resource allocation and cost control. Enterprises need a solution that combines flexibility with compliance, scalability with predictability, and innovation with trust.
To meet these requirements, Microsoft introduced Windows 365 for Agents at Ignite 2025 as its latest evolution of Cloud PC technology designed specifically for agentic workloads. The idea is to provide a secure environment for computer-using agents (CUAs) that interact with applications autonomously on behalf of a human user.
The purpose of this new solution is to create a secure, policy-controlled environment where computer-based agents can independently interact with applications on behalf of users. These agents are capable of browsing websites, processing data, and automating tasks, all within a secure, policy-governed Cloud PC. Whether orchestrating customer service bots, automating IT operations, or running large-scale data analysis, Windows 365 for Agents is designed to provide the infrastructure and tools to make it happen.
Overview of features
Windows 365 for Agents is more than just a virtual desktop with an agent installed. It is a secure, scalable platform for automated CUA workflows, built on trusted Microsoft tools. IT admins can easily manage agent Cloud PCs through Intune, Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and Power Platform Admin Center, which integrates seamlessly with existing processes. Meanwhile, agent makers can focus on innovating and advancing AI CUAs without worrying about infrastructure.
Here are some of the key features that Windows 365 for agents is built on top of:
Cloud PC for Agents
At its core, Windows 365 for Agents provides virtual desktops hosted in the Microsoft Cloud. These Cloud PCs can run Windows or Linux, offering flexibility for diverse workloads across use cases. Unlike traditional VDI solutions, these environments are optimized for agentic tasks, ensuring performance and reliability.
Check-in/Check-out model
Instead of assigning a dedicated Cloud PC to each agent, organizations can create host pools to be used in a check-in/check-out model. Each required CUA is provisioned a unique Cloud PC when needed, it completes its tasks and then returns it to the pool. This helps organizations to:
- Maximize resource utilization
- Reduce idle time
- Optimize cost by avoiding over-provisioning
Elastic scaling
Workloads fluctuate; sometimes you need hundreds of agents, while at other times, just a few are required. Windows 365 for Agents supports warm pools (pre-provisioned for quick access) and cold pools (on-demand provisioning). This elasticity ensures you can scale up or down without compromising performance or budget.
Windows 365 has pay-as-you-go pricing (initially set at 40 cents per hour), which allows organizations to align costs with usage. Elastic scaling combined with the check-in/check-out model ensures manageable budgeting without sacrificing performance.
API-driven automation
Automation is at the heart of agentic workflows. Windows 365 for Agents offers full lifecycle management via APIs, enabling:
- Provisioning and de-provisioning
- Session control
- UI automation
- Integration with orchestration tools
In particular, Windows 365 for Agents seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Copilot Studio for computer use, Project Opal, and Researcher, providing the infrastructure that enables orchestration of multi-step workflows across Microsoft 365 applications, websites, and enterprise data.
Also, Microsoft is working with third‑party agent makers and ISVs such as Manus AI, Fellou, Genspark, Simular, and TinyFish to integrate with Windows 365 for Agents as they continue to build on it as a platform for both agent makers and internal automation teams.
Enterprise-grade security
Security is non-negotiable. Windows 365 for Agents integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for identity management and Microsoft Intune for device compliance. Agents are assigned an Agent ID in Microsoft Entra ID, ensuring they are bound by the same least privilege models and zero-trust principles as any other user. Policies can enforce encryption, access controls and conditional access, ensuring agents operate within a secure perimeter.
In addition to security controls, there are additional features for observability and reporting. Because trust is critical when deploying autonomous agents, Windows 365 for Agents provides:
- Session logs for auditing
- Screenshot capture for transparency
- Human-in-the-loop debugging for intervention when needed
The human-in-the-loop can also be used when the AI agent does not have permission to the resource, but the user does. The CUA can pause and ask the user to view the Windows 365 session and enter the credentials for the agent to proceed. This ensures the agent does not have greater permissions than necessary, while allowing the user to run tasks with their own permission sets.
Use cases
The use cases for Windows 365 for Agents are nearly limitless, bound only by your imagination and innovation. Agents are frequently deployed for automation using API integrations and with great results. However, when APIs are not available, agent automation with computer use can go further by interacting with a computer in the same way a user would. AI CUAs can run on Cloud PC pools designed for agent computer use, navigate websites and find or enter information, open and modify documents, and perform research. Nearly any task a user does manually today can be automated with CUA in a secure and scalable environment. Here are just a few ideas for how these powerful tools could be used to create new efficiencies in an environment:
RFP response
Challenge: Sales teams spend hours scanning websites to find new Request for Proposals (RFPs) and creating tiger teams to respond to them.
Solution: AI-powered CUAs to automate the process to find new RFPs, qualify them, create an initial draft and coordinate the team to respond, integrated with CRM, Microsoft Teams and Outlook.
Example: The CUA provisions and launches a Windows 365 for Agents instance, scanning various customer websites for newly posted RFPs. It then downloads any new RFPs found, scans the existing library of past RFP responses for prior work, creates an initial draft response, and establishes a new Microsoft Teams room with the relevant employees who cover that customer's technology, uploading the draft to the room. Once complete, it closes out of the instance, and the virtual desktop is restored to a clean state for the next agent that needs it.
Time reporting
Challenge: Time-consuming process to fill out time sheets and activity trackers every week for employees who have worked on multiple projects
Solution: Creating a CUA that can reference tasks an employee took over the week, find project codes assigned to them, and update the systems automatically.
Example: Running on a Cloud PC, the agent would review an employee's calendar, email, and Microsoft Teams messages, referencing those to project codes assigned to the user, and then navigate to the timesheet website to fill out a timesheet for them, representing the work they completed. The agent could then update their activity tracking board and update tasks or move project tasks between statuses, reducing the time a user spends on administrative work.
Product catalog update
Challenge: A user must periodically navigate a supplier website to find either new products or updates on the specs of products they resell to their customers. The changes must be copied and then uploaded to their website in a CSV file.
Solution: A CUA is created to go and capture the updates at scheduled intervals, create the CSV file in a shared folder, and upload it to the inventory system.
Example: Instead of the user manually browsing the site and copying and pasting, the agent launches the virtual desktop, navigates the supplier website, identifies all the changes, opens Microsoft Excel, and enters them into the file, saving a CSV file to the company drive. The agent also creates a report highlighting the changes and submits a workflow for approval to upload the CSV file to the inventory system.
What's next
Currently in public preview, Windows 365 for Agents is the cloud platform designed to power CUAs and help agent makers deliver the best agentic experience to organizations and end users. Interested customers can request early access to Windows 365 for Agents by filling out this form. Additionally, Microsoft is offering 50 hours of free Cloud PC pool usage for organizations to try out Copilot Studio with Windows 365 for CUA and test out what is possible.
As Windows 365 for agents continues to improve, expect new innovations such as:
- Deeper integration with Microsoft Copilot
- Expanded SDKs for developers
- Advanced governance features via Agent 365
Organizations should initiate pilot programs to understand how agentic workflows can drive efficiency and gain a competitive advantage. This may be in combination with projects involving agent makers, such as Manus or Fellou, or as part of building your own in-house agents. Windows 365 for Agents is designed to support your journey as you create agent-driven workflows to drive innovation and efficiency through AI agents.