Microsoft Ships Winapp CLI For Windows Development

Microsoft this week launched the Windows App Development CLI, "winapp," which entered public preview in January 2026 and is available as an open-source GitHub utility. Winapp provides a single command-line interface to automate setup, SDK management, manifest and certificate generation, and MSIX packaging across Electron, .NET, Rust, C++ and Dart. The tool aims to streamline Windows app creation, simplify CI/CD integration, and lower barriers for independent developers.