Kubernetes workflows often require writing and maintaining YAML, switching between tools (kubectl, dashboards, monitoring), and an understanding of low-level infrastructure concepts. AKS desktop simplifies this process using Projects, which group everything your application needs into a single, manageable unit, and provides guided workflows for deploying, monitoring, scaling, and troubleshooting applications. AKS desktop works within your existing environment and tools, including Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and CI/CD pipelines. It connects to your existing AKS clusters and supports multi-environment scenarios across dev, test, staging, and production, including Azure hybrid and edge deployments.
What's new in 0.43.0
Update translations
Fix preview AI Assistant feature so it loads
Full Changelog: https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/compare/v0.9.0...v0.9.1
insights-plugin: bump to v0.2.8 by @eiffel-fl in https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/pull/724
Dependency updates
build(deps): bump actions/checkout from 6.0.2 to 6.0.3 by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/pull/720
build(deps-dev): bump lint-staged from 17.0.5 to 17.0.7 by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/pull/709
build(deps): bump github/codeql-action from 4.36.0 to 4.36.2 by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/pull/719
build(deps-dev): bump knip from 6.14.2 to 6.16.1 by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/pull/707
Full Changelog: https://github.com/Azure/aks-desktop/compare/v0.7.0...v0.8.0
0.10.0Sep 24, 2026
0.1.0-alphaNov 19, 2025
Frequently asked questions
Is AKS desktop free?
Yes. AKS desktop is free and open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license.
What is the latest version of AKS desktop?
The latest version is 0.43.0, released on Jul 30, 2026.
Is it safe to download AKS desktop?
The download button links to the official installer published on github.com, the same file Windows Package Manager installs. You can verify the downloaded file by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with 429cdf73b0e51d8bde5a3f63d0d13ddb816f251818dc5078239cccb000cd059e.
Which Windows versions does AKS desktop support?
AKS desktop runs on Windows and is available for 64-bit (x64) systems.
How do I install AKS desktop silently?
Run the offline installer with "aks-desktop-0.9.1-win-x64.exe" /S /currentuser, or install it with Windows Package Manager: winget install --id=Microsoft.AKSdesktop -e --silent.
How do I uninstall AKS desktop?
Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find AKS desktop and select Uninstall. From the command line, run winget uninstall --id=Microsoft.AKSdesktop -e.
Alternatives to AKS desktop
Other Development kits programs for Windows from different developers.
