Packer Windows Builder

---
name: windows-builder
description: Build Windows images with Packer using WinRM communicator and PowerShell provisioners. Use when creating Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates.
---

# Windows Builder

Platform-agnostic patterns for building Windows images with Packer.

**Reference:** [Windows Builders](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/guides/windows)

> **Note:** Windows builds incur significant costs and time. Expect 45-120 minutes per build due to Windows Updates. Failed builds may leave resources running - always verify cleanup.

## WinRM Communicator Setup

Windows requires WinRM for Packer communication.

### AWS Example

```hcl
source "amazon-ebs" "windows" {
  region        = "us-west-2"
  instance_type = "t3.medium"

  source_ami_filter {… install to load the full skill