Microsoft is bringing the Linux sudo command to Windows Server

The Linux sudo command is being introduced to Windows Server by Microsoft. In a move that will revolutionize the way admins elevate privileges for console applications, Microsoft has announced its plans to introduce Linux’s ‘sudo’ feature in Windows Server 2025.

Sudo, short for Superuser do, is a program in the Linux console that permits users with limited privileges to run commands with increased permissions. In most cases, these elevated privileges belong to the root user. In Linux, this directive provides enhanced security by permitting servers to function normally using low-privileged accounts while also enabling users to elevate their privileges as required for executing specific commands.

The following is an instance wherein the sudo command comes into play. Initially, we execute ‘whoami’ with a user having low privileges and then carry out the same operation using sudo. It should be noted that running the whoami command displays me as the bleeping user. Nevertheless, executing it using sudo elevates my privileges to root.

Performing a test of sudo on Windows Server 2025.

Last week, the initial Windows Server 2025 Insider preview build was launched by Microsoft. However, shortly thereafter an updated version surfaced online without permission. Windows Latest was the first to break the news  that a leaked version is now available with some new features still under development, such as novel settings for a Windows ‘sudo’ command.

Enabling developer mode is a prerequisite for accessing these settings and the non-functioning of the sudo command when used via command line signals that it is still in its initial phases of development. The sudo settings offer indications on how the command will function, allowing users to execute sudo applications in various ways such as ‘In a new windows’, with disabled input or ‘Inline’.

By utilizing UAC prompts, Windows already provides the capability to automatically elevate programs and enable them to operate with heightened privileges within their own window. Nevertheless, performing certain administrative tasks such as running commands with bcdedit and reagentc necessitates having administrator privileges.

The sudo command enables the programs to function in accordance with their corresponding Windows settings, which could involve running them in a new window, integrating them within the current window, or potentially operating through a non-interactive shell that utilizes disabled input configuration.

It wouldn’t be unexpected for Microsoft to include the sudo feature in Windows 11, even though it hasn’t been observed yet. One must note that Microsoft frequently assesses new features in preview builds, which may not eventually be included in the production builds.It will be intriguing to observe Microsoft’s incorporation of this feature into Windows and it is a development worth monitoring.