Quickstart: Create and connect to a dev box by using the Microsoft Dev Box developer portal

In this quickstart, you get started with Microsoft Dev Box by creating a dev box through the developer portal. After you create the dev box, you can connect to it through a browser or through a Remote Desktop client like Windows App.

You can create and manage multiple dev boxes as a dev box user. Create a dev box for each task that you're working on, and create multiple dev boxes within a single project to help streamline your workflow. For example, you might switch to another dev box to fix a bug in a previous version, or if you need to work on a different part of the application.

Prerequisites

To complete this quickstart, you need:

• Your organization must have configured Microsoft Dev Box with at least one project and dev box pool before you can create a dev box.
  • Platform engineers can follow these steps to configure Microsoft Dev Box: Quickstart: Configure Microsoft Dev Box.
• You must have permissions as a Dev Box User for a project that has an available dev box pool. If you don't have permissions to a project, contact your administrator.

Create a dev box

Microsoft Dev Box enables you to create cloud-hosted developer workstations in a self-service way. You can create and manage dev boxes by using the developer portal.

Depending on the project configuration and your permissions, you have access to different projects and associated dev box configurations. If you have a choice of projects and dev box pools, select the project and dev box pool that best fits your needs. For example, you might choose a project that has a dev box pool located near to you for least latency.

Important

You organization must have configured Microsoft Dev Box with at least one project and dev box pool before you can create a dev box. If you don't see any projects or dev box pools, contact your administrator.

To create a dev box in the Microsoft Dev Box developer portal:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Dev Box developer portal.

2. Select New > New dev box.

3. In Add a dev box, enter the following values:

   Setting	Value
   Name	Enter a name for your dev box. Dev box names must be unique within a project.
   Project	Select a project from the dropdown list.
   Dev box pool	Select a pool from the dropdown list, which includes all the dev box pools for that project. Choose a dev box pool near to you for least latency.

   

   After you make your selections, the page shows you the following information:

   • How many dev boxes you can create in the project that you selected, if the project has limits configured.
   • Whether Hibernation is supported or not.
   • Whether Customizations is enabled or not.
   • A shutdown time if the pool where you're creating the dev box has a shutdown schedule.
   • A notification that the dev box creation process can take 25 minutes or longer.

4. Select Create to begin creating your dev box.

5. Use the dev box tile in the developer portal to track the progress of creation.

   

   Note

   If you encounter a vCPU quota error with a QuotaExceeded message, ask your administrator to request an increased quota limit. If your admin can't increase the quota limit at this time, try selecting another pool with a region close to your location.

Important

A dev box is automatically started and running when the creation process finishes. Dev boxes incur costs whenever they're running.

Connect to a dev box

After you create a dev box, you can connect remotely to the developer virtual machine. You can connect from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. Microsoft Dev Box supports connecting to a dev box in the following ways:

• Connect through the browser from within the developer portal
• Connect by using a Remote Desktop client application

To connect to a dev box by using the browser:

1. Sign in to the developer portal.

2. Select Open in browser.

   

A new tab opens with a Remote Desktop session through which you can use your dev box. Use a work or school account to sign in to your dev box, not a personal Microsoft account.

Note

The new Windows App remote desktop client is the recommended client for Microsoft Dev Box; it provides an enhanced user experience, including support for multiple monitors. It is also available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android/Chrome OS (preview), and web browsers. For more information, see Get started with Windows App.

Clean up resources

When you no longer need your dev box, you can delete it:

1. Sign in to the developer portal.

2. For the dev box that you want to delete, from the Actions menu, select Delete.

   

3. To confirm the deletion, select Delete.

   

Related content

In this quickstart, you created a dev box through the developer portal and connected to it by using a browser.

• Learn how to connect to a dev box by using a Remote Desktop app