Windows Autopilot Device Preparation and Windows 365 are now fully integrated — and it is generally available. From May 11, 2026, you can include an Autopilot Device Preparation policy directly in a Windows 365 Cloud PC provisioning policy. Apps, scripts, and configurations deploy automatically before a user ever signs in, without any manual setup. This is a significant step forward for organisations provisioning Cloud PCs at scale.
What This Actually Means
Before this, provisioning a Windows 365 Cloud PC gave you a standard Windows 11 desktop — but getting it fully configured with the apps, scripts, and policies your organisation requires still took manual work or separate automation. The integration with Autopilot Device Preparation closes that gap.
When a Cloud PC is created, the Device Preparation policy kicks in immediately. It runs through the Enrollment Status Page (ESP) experience, installing your required apps and running your specified PowerShell scripts before the user is allowed to reach the desktop. By the time the user signs in for the first time, the device is already in the state you defined — compliant, configured, and ready to use.
Why this matters for IT at scale
Every Cloud PC in your estate goes through the same baseline, automatically, at creation time. No manual enrollment steps, no post-provision catch-up scripts, no inconsistent states because someone skipped a step. For teams provisioning dozens or hundreds of Cloud PCs, this eliminates a category of manual work entirely.
Which Windows 365 Editions Are Supported
Windows 365 Enterprise
Generally available
Windows 365 Flex — Dedicated mode
Generally available
Windows 365 Flex — Shared mode
Generally available
Windows 365 Cloud Apps
Generally available
Windows 365 Reserve
In public preview
How to Configure It
Create your Autopilot Device Preparation policy in Intune
In the Microsoft Intune admin center, create a Device Preparation policy with the apps (up to 25) and PowerShell scripts (up to 10 in automatic mode) you want deployed before desktop access. Assign it to a user group.
Edit your Windows 365 provisioning policy
In the Microsoft Intune admin center, go to Devices → Windows 365 → Provisioning policies. Create a new or edit an existing provisioning policy.
Select your Device Preparation policy on the Configuration tab
On the Configuration tab, select your Autopilot Device Preparation policy from the dropdown.
Set a timeout that allows enough time for your apps
Enter a value for Minutes allowed before device preparation fails that gives your apps enough time to install. If the apps and scripts are not finished by this time, device preparation fails — the provisioning still continues, but the device may not be in the expected state. Set the timeout generously, especially if you have large Win32 apps.
Monitoring Deployments
You can monitor the deployment status for Cloud PC provisioning in the Windows Autopilot Device Preparation deployment report in the Intune admin center. It shows which apps and scripts succeeded or failed per device, which is especially useful when you first roll out the integration and want to validate your timeout settings and app configurations.
Key things to know before you configure this
- Device Preparation policies are assigned to user groups, not device groups — keep this in mind when scoping
- Only Microsoft Entra join is supported — hybrid Entra join is not supported for Device Preparation
- If device preparation fails (timeout exceeded), provisioning still completes — but the device may be missing required apps
- Up to 25 apps and 10 PowerShell scripts can be included in automatic mode for Windows 365
Official Microsoft References
- Microsoft Learn — Use Autopilot Device Preparation with Cloud PCs
- Microsoft Learn — What's New in Windows Autopilot Device Preparation
- Microsoft Learn — Autopilot Device Preparation in Automatic Mode for Windows 365
- Microsoft Tech Community — Windows 365 at Build 2026
- Microsoft Learn — Autopilot Device Preparation Reporting and Monitoring