Windows SDK Documentation

Welcome to the official documentation for the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). The Windows SDK provides the headers, libraries, metadata, and tools you need to develop applications for Windows.

What is the Windows SDK?

The Windows SDK is a comprehensive set of tools, documentation, and code samples designed to help developers build robust and feature-rich applications that run on various versions of the Windows operating system. It includes APIs for:

User Interface development (WinUI, UWP, Win32)
System programming and services
DirectX for graphics and gaming
Networking and communication
Security and cryptography
And much more...

Latest Version Highlights

The latest Windows SDK brings support for the newest Windows features, including improvements in:

Performance: Optimized APIs and runtime components for faster application execution.
Security: Enhanced security features and updated cryptographic libraries.
Modern UI: Comprehensive support for building modern, adaptive user interfaces with WinUI 3 and Project Reunion.
Developer Productivity: New tools and templates to streamline the development process.

Getting Started

To start developing with the Windows SDK, you'll typically need:

A supported version of Visual Studio.
The Windows SDK, which is often installed automatically with Visual Studio. You can also download it separately.
Familiarity with C++, C#, or Visual Basic.

Refer to the Installation Guide for detailed instructions and prerequisites.

Explore the SDK

Dive into the detailed documentation for specific areas:

API Reference: Comprehensive documentation of Windows APIs.
Code Samples: Practical examples to learn and adapt for your projects.
Getting Started Guides: Step-by-step tutorials for common development tasks.

For information on older SDK versions or specific Windows releases, please use the search functionality or navigate through the documentation archives.

Example Code Snippet (C++):


#include <Windows.h>

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow) {
    MessageBox(
        NULL,
        L"Hello, Windows SDK!",
        L"Sample Application",
        MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION
    );
    return 0;
}

This snippet demonstrates a basic "Hello, World!" message box application using the Windows API.