Microsoft unveils new ‘Sudo for Windows’ feature in Windows 11

Microsoft unveils new 'Sudo for Windows' feature in Windows 11

February 8, 2024 at 01:55PM

Microsoft introduced ‘Sudo for Windows,’ a new feature in Windows 11, enabling users to run elevated commands from unelevated terminals. They recommend Gerardo Grignoli’s gsudo as an alternative with more features. The tool is being rolled out to Windows Insiders and will only be available on non-server builds. Microsoft plans to open-source the tool.

Here are the key takeaways from the meeting notes:

1. Microsoft introduced “Sudo for Windows”, a new feature in Windows 11 that allows users to execute commands with elevated privileges from unelevated terminals.

2. Windows Product Manager Jordi Adoumie emphasized that “Sudo for Windows” is an ergonomic and familiar solution for users to run elevated commands without having to open a new elevated console.

3. The new Sudo tool is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels running Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26052.

4. Sudo for Windows is not a fork or port of the Linux sudo project, but rather a Windows-specific implementation of the sudo concept.

5. Enabling the sudo command on the system requires navigating to Settings > For Developers page in the Windows Settings app and toggling the “Enable Sudo” option.

6. It can be configured to run applications in a new elevated console window, in the same window with input disabled, or inline, with the new process taking input and routing output to the current window.

7. After elevating a new process using sudo, a UAC dialog will appear to ask the user for confirmation and escalate privileges once confirmed based on the chosen configuration option.

8. Microsoft mentioned that the setting to enable sudo may mistakenly appear on Windows Server Insider Preview builds, but sudo will not be available on Windows Server, and this setting will be disabled in a future Server Insider Preview build.

9. Microsoft plans to expand documentation for Sudo for Windows in the coming months, and the team is working on open-sourcing Sudo for Windows, with more details about their plans to be shared in the future.

Let me know if you need any more information or details!

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