Microsoft announced Release of coreutils For Windows at its Build 2026 developer conference, added several popular Linux command-line utilities as native applications for Windows.
The project is based on the open-source Utils project, a cross-platform rewrite of GNU coreutils written in Rust. Its goal is to enable developers to switch between Linux, macOS, Windows, and WSL without needing to change their command-line workflow.
This project is available on GitHub as a package created by Microsoft that combines uutils, coreutils, findutils, and GNU-compatible grep implementations into a single binary.
How to install coreutils and how single binary works
Coreutils for Windows provides many command-line tools familiar to Linux users, such as cat, cp, find, grep, hostname, ls, mv, pwd, rm, sleep, t, and uptime. Its purpose is to enable existing scripts and tools to run smoothly on Windows without requiring any modification.
The package can be installed via WinGet with the following command:
winget install Microsoft.CoreutilsInstead of creating a separate executable for each program, Microsoft developed a single coreutils.exe that contains all functionality.
During installation, Setup creates NTFS hardlinks to each supported command, such as ls.exe, cp.exe, cat.exe, and rm.exe, all pointing to coreutils.exe located in C:\Program Files\coreutils.
When a user runs one of these commands, Windows loads coreutils.exe, which then determines which utility to run based on the command name used.
This approach allows Microsoft to maintain a single executable while offering individual Linux-style commands. When running a command, it is common to see dozens of command names referencing the same file.
Shell conflict and compatibility
Many Linux command names clash with those used in Command Prompt and PowerShell. Microsoft has published a compatibility table that explains how each utility behaves in different Windows shells.
Commands such as ls, cat, cp, mv, rm, pwd, sleep, and t are included in the table, but whether or not a coreutils version is usable depends on the shell being used, the order of directories in the system PATH, and the Powershell alias table.
Some commands such as dir, more, paste, and whoomi are not included because they conflict with existing Windows commands.
What is not included in coreutils for Windows, and why
Microsoft has not released many Unix utilities that rely on POSIX features not available on Windows. These include commands like chmod, chown, chroot, nohup, tty, and who.
Kill and timeout commands are also not provided, as Windows does not support POSIX signals. Microsoft has indicated that support for Signal may be possible in the future.
The company warns that there may be behavioral differences between the Linux and Windows versions of these commands. Such differences may be due to variations in line feeds, file permissions, and POSIX support.
Coreutils for Windows is part of a broader effort by Microsoft to make Windows more attractive to developers. At Build 2026, the company announced WSL Containers, which will allow users to create, run, and manage Linux containers on Windows using native command-line tools and APIs.
Coreutils for Windows is now available through WinGet and GitHub as an open-source project maintained by Microsoft.
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