Feature Request: GUI support for Windows Containers with Process Isolation

[falhumai96]

Description

Currently, Windows Containers with process isolation only provide access to a service console session. While this works for headless/server-style workloads, it prevents running GUI-based applications.

With process isolation, containers already share the host kernel and can detect host hardware (e.g., GPU devices). This makes them very close to a native environment, and GUI support would unlock a wide range of new use cases:

• Running GUI applications in isolated environments.
• Testing applications that require full hardware access (GPU, displays, etc.) without needing a VM.
• Providing a lightweight alternative to full virtualization for GUI-based apps.

Comparison to Existing Options

• Sandboxie Plus: Currently my only option for lightweight sandboxing with GUI support, but it’s a third-party solution.
• Windows Sandbox: Provides GUI support and even GPU-PV, while being more lightweight than a full Hyper-V VM. However, it’s limited to running only a single sandbox at a time, which makes it unsuitable for running multiple isolated GUI environments.
• Hyper-V VMs: Full GUI support, but heavy compared to process-isolated containers.

Request

It would be extremely valuable if Windows Containers with process isolation could support GUI sessions, either directly or by providing a mechanism to connect to a container’s desktop/interactive session.

One possible approach could be to implement a GUI server, which would communicate with the container over networking to forward and render GUI calls—similar to how X server works on Linux/Unix systems. In this model, all computation remains inside the container, while the host is only responsible for displaying the rendered output.

➡️ Please consider prioritizing this feature, as it would greatly enhance the usability of Windows Containers for a broader range of real-world applications. If this feature is being considered, could you also provide a rough timeline or roadmap for when it might be available?

Impact

• Provides a more "native" containerized experience for Windows applications.
• Removes reliance on external tools like Sandboxie.
• Bridges the gap between server-only container use cases and desktop/workstation scenarios.

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