For years, organizations have asked a simple question: Why can every platform except Windows do lightweight BYOD? In July 2026, Microsoft finally delivered the missing piece. The new BYOD Support for Windows (now generally available) brings Windows into the modern identity era. No domain join. No Intune enrollment. No heavy-handed device management. Just clean, identity-first access for unmanaged Windows devices. And it’s a bigger shift than most people realize. Why This Matters Organizations have been stuck between two extremes: Fully managed Windows devices (great security, heavy overhead) Guest access with no device context (lightweight, but limited and risky) The new BYOD Windows model creates a third path: Identity-driven access with lightweight device registration. This means users-internal or external can register their Windows device with Entra and securely access corporate resources without being forced into full management. It’s the same model that’s worked for iOS, Andro...