Microsoft just made it easier to set up a Windows 365 Cloud PC

What you need to know

It's now possible to set up Windows 365 Cloud PCs without an Azure subscription.
The new option is available in public preview for Windows 365 Enterprise.
Windows 365 is also available in the U.S. Central and Germany West Central regions starting today.

Microsoft is now testing one of its most requested features for Windows 365. It's now possible for an admin to provision a Cloud PC without a full Azure subscription being required. Instead, a Cloud PC can be set up through Azure AD Join through a Microsoft Hosted Network. The new option is available in public preview starting today for Windows 365 Enterprise.

The new process is outlined by Microsoft in a Tech Community post:

Azure AD Join Windows 365 Cloud PC support – This has been by far the most requested feature since Windows 365 reached general availability. With Azure AD Join as a Cloud PC join type option, you no longer need an existing Azure infrastructure to use the service, just your Azure AD users.

If admins prefer to use their own Azure virtual network, that's still an option.

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Microsoft has localized the first-run experience for Cloud PCs. A longer list of languages is now available when creating Cloud PCs. Admins can choose to have a language and region pack installed on a Cloud PC when it's being set up. A total of 38 languages are available for this process.

Also starting today, Windows 365 is supported in the U.S. Central and Germany West Central regions.

Windows 365

Windows 365 lets you access a cloud PC from a wide range of devices, including iPads, Android tablets, Macs, and PCs.

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.