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Building a great Windows app means crafting a user interface that's intuitive, responsive, and visually polished. The Windows platform provides a rich set of UI building blocks—from ready-to-use controls and flexible layout systems to smooth animations and windowing APIs—so you can create experiences that feel right at home on Windows.
For design principles, patterns, and visual guidance, see the Design overview.
Controls
Windows provides a comprehensive library of UI controls that follow the Fluent Design language. From basic input controls like buttons, check boxes, and text boxes to advanced collection views, dialogs, menus, and pickers—these controls give you the building blocks for any app interface.
Layout
Layout panels and attached layouts let you arrange UI elements in a way that adapts to different screen sizes and orientations. Use built-in panels like StackPanel, Grid, and RelativePanel, or create custom panels for specialized scenarios. Transforms and 3-D perspective effects add further flexibility.
Navigation
Help users move through your app with navigation patterns like backwards navigation, navigation history, and page-to-page transitions. Use navigation controls like NavigationView, BreadcrumbBar, and TabView to create clear, consistent navigation structures.
Motion
Motion brings your app to life and creates a sense of continuity as users interact with it. Use page transitions, connected animations, parallax effects, and XAML animations to provide visual feedback and guide attention.
Windowing
The windowing APIs let you manage app windows, customize title bars, and control how your app appears on screen. Use the AppWindow class and related APIs to create multi-window experiences, go full screen, or implement compact overlays.
Collaborate with us on GitHub
The source for this content can be found on GitHub, where you can also create and review issues and pull requests. For more information, see our contributor guide.
Windows developer