Zed lands on Windows with native rendering and full remote support
Zed is now officially supported on Windows with both a stable download and a preview channel. The Windows build aims for a native feel by integrating directly with the platform rather than running on Electron. The team will ship weekly updates across macOS, Linux, and Windows, and a dedicated Windows team (led by @localcc) will maintain the platform.
Windows platform integration
The Windows release uses DirectX 11 for rendering and DirectWrite for text rendering to match the Windows look and feel. This approach gives Zed direct control over rendering and typography on Windows systems.
WSL and SSH remoting
Zed integrates directly with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). From the WSL terminal, folders can be opened via the zed command-line script, and the editor can open folders inside installed WSL distros via File > Open Remote or the command palette. For remote Linux machines, a Connect New Server option is available.
When editing under WSL or SSH, Zed runs a lightweight remote server process under wsl.exe / ssh.exe, routing all I/O through that process. Most editor features are designed to work over this remoting layer, including file load/save, git integration, terminals, tasks, language servers, and debuggers. Microsoft’s WSL documentation is available at the official Windows docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/
Extension compatibility
Extensions are implemented as WebAssembly Components and exposed to the editor through WASI. Extensions work on Windows without platform-specific changes. Zed handles path conversions between Windows and Unix-style paths so extension authors do not need to address those differences manually. Further details on the component model and WASI can be found at https://component-model.bytecodealliance.org/ and https://wasi.dev/.
Agentic coding and AI features
All AI-driven features are supported on Windows, including edit predictions and ACP-powered agents. ACP integration enables using agents such as Claude Code directly in Zed. Trial access to Zed Pro is available for 14 days, or alternative key provisioning is supported. Relevant ACP documentation is at https://agentclientprotocol.com/overview/introduction and the Claude integration is described at /blog/claude-code-via-acp.
Getting involved and reporting issues
The Windows release asks for feedback on WSL workflows, IME and keyboard layouts, multi-monitor setups, and high-refresh (120–144 Hz) displays. Bug reports can be opened via the Zed GitHub templates: https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/new?template=07_bug_windows.yml. Stable and preview downloads are available at https://zed.dev/download and https://zed.dev/releases/preview/latest. General downloads and hiring information are at /download and /jobs.
Original source: https://zed.dev/blog/zed-for-windows-is-here
