Windows Dev Drive
Answer: Dev Drive is available on all Windows 11 SKU editions beginning with supported builds. It uses ReFS and requires administrator rights, at least 50 GB of free space, and a newly created or reformatted volume rather than converting an existing volume in place.
Administrator playbook
Decide, verify, and document
Use the curated answer as a starting point, then prove the outcome against the target tenant or device.
What it means
- Microsoft documents Windows 11 build 22621.2338 or later as the minimum
- Dev Drive is available across Windows 11 SKU editions
- The feature is designed for source code, package caches, and build output—not general document storage
What to check next
- Confirm the build, local administrator rights, memory, and free-space prerequisites
- Decide whether to create a virtual hard disk or reformat an existing partition because an ordinary volume cannot be converted in place
- Coordinate security policy and Defender performance mode with the organization before moving workloads
Verify success
- Confirm the feature is present or enabled on the target edition and build.
- Test the intended workflow with a pilot device and least-privileged user.
- Confirm policy reports success from the actual management authority.
Escalate when
- The documented edition and hardware requirements are met but the feature is absent.
- Policy reports success while the user or device state is incorrect.
- Licensing or OEM terms—not technical prerequisites—control the outcome.
Copyable admin briefAnswer, next checks, source, and review date
Capture edition and build
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName,WindowsVersion,OsBuildNumber,OsArchitectureRead-only. Edition and exact build often control availability.
List optional feature state
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online | Where-Object State -ne "Disabled" | Select-Object FeatureName,StateRead-only. Not every Windows capability is represented as an optional feature.
Evidence to preserve
- Windows edition, version, and build
- Hardware and firmware prerequisites
- Management authority and policy source
- Required user or device experience