| Windows App SDK | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Other names | Project Reunion |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Initial release | 29 March 2021 |
| Stable release | 1.6.1[1]  / 1 October 2024 |
| Preview release | 1.6.0-preview2[2] / 23 August 2024 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Windows 11,Windows 10 version 1809 and later |
| Platform | x86-64,ARM64,IA-32 |
| Type | Application programming interface (API) |
| License | MIT License |
| Website | learn |
Windows App SDK (formerly known asProject Reunion)[3] is asoftware development kit (SDK) fromMicrosoft that provides a unified set of APIs and components that can be used to developdesktop applications for bothWindows 11 andWindows 10 version 1809 and later. The purpose of this project is to offer a decoupled implementation of capabilities which were previously tightly-coupled to the UWP app model.[4] Windows App SDK allows nativeWin32 (USER32/GDI32) or.NET (WPF/WinForms) developers alike a path forward to enhance their apps with modern features.[4]
It follows that Windows App SDK is not intended to replace theWindows SDK.[4] By exposing a commonapplication programming interface (API) primarily using theWindows Runtime (WinRT) through generatedWinMD metadata, the tradeoffs which once characterized either app model are largely eliminated.NuGet packages for version 1.4 were released in August 2023 after approximately four months of development.[5]
While Microsoft has developed a number of new features, some of the features listed below are abstractions of functionality provided by existing APIs.[4]
Most of the investment[6] into the decoupled UI stack[7] has gone towards bug fixes, improvements to the debugging experience, and simplifying the window management capabilities made possible by switching from CoreWindow. An API abstracting USER32/GDI32 primitives known asAppWindow was introduced to expose a unified set of windowing capabilities[8] and enable support for custom window controls.
A replacement for the UWP WebView control was announced early on.[9] This is because it was based on anunsupported browser engine.[10] A newChromium-based control, namedWebView2, was developed and can be used from WinUI as well as other supported app types.
WhileMSIX is included in the Windows App SDK and considered to be the recommended application packaging format,[11][12] a design goal was to allow for unpackaged apps. These apps can be deployed as self-contained or framework-dependent. Support for dynamic loading of app dependencies is included for both packaged and unpackaged apps.[13]
DWriteCore is being developed as a decoupled and device-independent solution for high-quality text rendering.[14]Win2D has also been made available to WinUI 3 apps.[15]
MRT Core allows for management of appresources for purposes such as localization. It is a decoupled version of the resource management system from UWP.[16]
With the stable releases delivered after its initial launch, Windows App SDK now supports several app lifecycle features which previously required a considerable amount of effort for developers to implement in Win32 applications. These features includepower management notifications, rich activation, multiple instances, and programmatic app restart.[17]
Support forpush notifications was initially implemented as a limited-access, preview feature.[18] However, the APIs for it have since been stabilized and push notifications can be delivered to app users. Official documentation states that access to the feature can be revoked by Microsoft at their discretion.[18][19] Additionally, apps can now easily display local app notifications without the need to create anXML payload.[20]
Third-party integration with the Windows Widgets system in Windows 11 has been included as part of the stable release channel.[21] Developers can design custom widgets for their app using adaptive cards[22] and surface them on the widgets board.[23]
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