- Dev Home was launched in 2023 as a tool to make the work of developers on Windows 11 easier.
- Microsoft has announced its retirement by May 2025, citing low adoption and redundancy with other existing tools.
- Some Dev Home features will be integrated into other parts of Windows, though specific details are still vague.
- Users can remove Dev Home manually using a PowerShell command before its official retirement.
Microsoft retires Dev Home, a tool introduced in 2023 to help developers manage their projects in a more centralized manner. The withdrawal is scheduled for May 2025, leaving many users surprised by the decision, especially given that Dev Home had initially been acclaimed as an innovative solution to simplify the developers' workflow.
The main goal of Dev Home was to provide a unique space for configuring development environments, integration with GitHub and monitoring of system resources through customizable widgets. Its debut was supported by a team with experience in other successful projects, such as Windows Terminal and PowerToys. However, despite initial potential, the tool failed to gain sufficient traction within the developer community.
Why has Microsoft made this decision?
Microsoft has not clearly specified the reasons behind the removal of Dev Home, but everything seems to point to factors such as low adoption and the perception of redundancy with other programs already available. According to rumors, Many developers preferred to continue using established tools like Visual Studio Code, GitHub Desktop or even Task Manager, leaving Dev Home in the background.
In addition, for certain users, some of the Dev Home features such as widgets for monitoring resources turned out to be dispensable, since Windows offers alternatives such as Task Manager or more specific third-party tools.
What will happen to Dev Home features?
Although the end of Dev Home sounds definitive, Microsoft has indicated that Some of its features will be moved to other sections of Windows 11. This leaves open the possibility of improvements to the overall system, such as the integration of features into Task Manager or other developer-oriented tools. However, specific details have not yet been revealed, creating uncertainty about what elements can be reused and in what form they will be available.
Among the features most valued by Dev Home users were widgets integrated with GitHub and the “Dev Drives,” drives optimized for file-intensive tasks, which offered up to 30% improvement in performanceIt is not yet clear whether these features will continue on to other platforms.
How to remove Dev Home from your system
While the app will be officially discontinued in May 2025, users can uninstall it manually following a simple process with PowerShell. To do this, Just open PowerShell in administrator mode and run the following command:
Get-AppxPackage *Windows.DevHome* | Remove-AppxPackage
It is important to mention that Dev Home takes up minimal space and does not significantly impact system performance, so Its removal is optional for those who wish to anticipate the official withdrawal..
The broader context: a cleanup in Windows 11
The removal of Dev Home is not an isolated case. Microsoft has been continuously evaluating which tools and features are actually useful for Windows 11 users., in an effort to reduce complexity and unnecessary bloatwareExamples of this strategy include the removal of Paint 3D and the People bar.
The approach seems to be to keep only the features that offer a clear and demonstrable value for a broad spectrum of users, thus optimizing the operating system experience without sacrificing its versatility.
The disappearance of this tool raises questions about the future of innovations in the field of Windows 11Time will tell whether the feature redistribution meets developers' expectations and whether Microsoft manages to fill the gap with more effective and accessible options.
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