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To create a new Windows 11 26H2 Cloud PC, make a Windows 365 provisioning policy in the Intune admin center, choose a 26H2 gallery image and network, then assign the policy to a Microsoft Entra group whose users have eligible licenses. Check that your tenant offers the image you want before planning deployment: Microsoft lists three Enterprise 26H2 options, but availability can vary by tenant.

Check licensing, permissions, and network prerequisites

Before creating a policy, confirm the Windows 365 Enterprise environment and the users it will serve meet Microsoft’s Windows 365 requirements.

  • The tenant has working Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Entra services.
  • Each intended user has Windows E3, Intune, Microsoft Entra ID P1, and a Windows 365 license.
  • Your administrator account has the Intune Administrator or Windows 365 Administrator role.
  • You know which Microsoft Entra group will receive the policy.

Choose the network model before configuring the policy. A Microsoft Entra-joined Cloud PC on Microsoft’s hosted network does not require your organization to have an Azure subscription. Using your own Azure network requires an active Azure subscription and the documented Windows 365 network permissions.

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Choose a Windows 11 26H2 gallery image

Microsoft’s Windows 365 Enterprise update notes list these Windows 11 Enterprise 26H2 images for provisioning new devices:

Gallery image When to choose it
Windows 11 Enterprise 26H2 Choose the standard Enterprise image when you do not need Microsoft Apps preinstalled or the specialized developer setup.
Windows 11 Enterprise + Microsoft Apps 26H2 Choose this option when you want Microsoft Apps preinstalled.
Windows 11 Enterprise Developer Configuration + M365 Apps 26H2 Choose this image for the corresponding developer environment.

The update notes do not establish that every image is immediately selectable in every tenant, region, or license context. Confirm your preferred image is present in the target tenant’s gallery before assigning the policy. Windows 11 26H2 general availability for eligible existing Windows devices, reported as part of a phased rollout beginning September 29, 2026, is separate from its availability in a particular Windows 365 tenant’s image selector; see Microsoft’s Windows 11 26H2 release-health page.

Create and assign the provisioning policy

In Intune, the provisioning policy specifies key inputs such as the Cloud PC image, network, configuration, and assignment. Follow Microsoft’s policy creation guidance as you configure the tenant-specific options.

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  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center.
  2. Go to Devices > Provision Cloud PCs > Provisioning policies, then select Create policy.
  3. On General, enter a policy name and, if useful, a description. Choose the experience and license type appropriate to your deployment.
  4. Select the join type and network. Microsoft Entra Join with Microsoft’s hosted network is the simpler option when it meets your organization’s requirements. For a customer network, select the relevant Azure network connection and ensure its permissions and prerequisites are in place.
  5. Choose the Windows 11 Enterprise 26H2 image that appears in your gallery and fits the workload. Use the Microsoft Apps variant when those apps should be preinstalled, or the Developer Configuration image for its intended developer environment.
  6. Set optional provisioning settings and scope tags as needed.
  7. Assign one or more Microsoft Entra groups, review the policy, and create it.
  8. Confirm that assigned users have the required licenses, then monitor provisioning status in Intune.

Windows 365 uses the first assigned policy that applies to a user’s eligible Cloud PC license. A user without the necessary license will not be provisioned. For policy assignment and behavior details, see Provisioning in Windows 365.

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Understand image updates and changes to existing Cloud PCs

Windows 365 gallery images are updated monthly after the Windows security update cycle; updated images are generally available in Intune near the end of the third week of the month. Newly provisioned Cloud PCs use current images. Microsoft’s device-image guidance also covers supported Windows 10 and Windows 11 Enterprise versions and image requirements. Newly created custom images must be Gen2 and meet the other documented preparation and format requirements.

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Changing a provisioning policy does not automatically rebuild Cloud PCs that have already been provisioned. To rebuild an existing Cloud PC using updated policy or image settings, use the reprovision action described in Microsoft’s provisioning documentation.

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Review the 26H2 security baseline separately

Intune’s What’s new in Microsoft Intune page lists a Windows 11 version 26H2 security baseline. Existing baseline profiles do not automatically update to that version. Create a new profile or update an existing one, review the setting differences, and test the intended configuration before broad deployment.

Quick Recap

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Dell Latitude 5420 14' FHD Business Laptop Computer, Intel Quad-Core i5-1145G7, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, Camera, HDMI, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
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