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Coming to Windows development

Windows has a rich development ecosystem spanning native desktop apps, web experiences, games, and cross-platform solutions. Whether you're switching from macOS, bringing a Linux workflow to Windows, or extending an existing web or mobile codebase, this guide helps you find your footing quickly.

Pick the path that matches your background:

Coming from macOS

You're comfortable with Xcode, Homebrew, the Terminal, and building apps that feel native on the platform they run on. On Windows, that same instinct for native quality has a clear path.

Your tools map to these Windows equivalents:

macOS Windows
Homebrew WinGet
Xcode Visual Studio 2026
iTerm2 / Terminal.app Windows Terminal
zsh / bash PowerShell
Spotlight Windows Search / PowerToys Run
Finder File Explorer
launchd plists Windows Services / Task Scheduler
~/Library/Application Support %APPDATA%

Build native Windows apps with WinUI 3

WinUI 3 is the recommended UI framework for new Windows desktop apps—the equivalent of SwiftUI or AppKit for Windows. It uses Fluent Design components, supports light/dark themes automatically, and runs on Windows 10 version 1809 and later.

Get started in one command:

winget configure -f https://aka.ms/winui-config

This installs Visual Studio 2026 with the required workloads and enables Developer Mode. Then see Quick start: Create your first WinUI 3 app.

Key differences to be aware of

  • File paths use backslash (\) by default, but PowerShell and most tools also accept forward slashes (/).
  • File paths are case-insensitive by default on Windows (though per-directory case sensitivity can be enabled).
  • Apps are distributed as MSIX packages (similar to .app bundles) or through the Microsoft Store.
  • There is no direct equivalent of the macOS Keychain for storing secrets; use the Windows Credential Manager or Azure Key Vault for apps.
  • In Windows Terminal or PowerShell, use explorer . to open the current folder in File Explorer — the equivalent of open . in macOS Terminal.

Coming from Linux

You're at home in a terminal, comfortable with shell scripts, package managers, and build toolchains. Windows has strong support for Linux-style workflows without sacrificing access to the Windows platform.

Run your existing Linux tools with WSL

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) runs a full Linux distribution alongside Windows. Your existing bash scripts, makefiles, gcc/clang toolchains, Docker workflows, and Python environments work unchanged.

wsl --install

After installation, open Ubuntu from Windows Terminal. Your Windows files are accessible at /mnt/c/. VS Code connects to your WSL environment via the WSL extension.

Your tools map to these Windows equivalents:

Linux Windows
apt / dnf / pacman WinGet
bash / zsh PowerShell (or bash inside WSL)
GNOME Terminal / Konsole Windows Terminal
systemd units Windows Services / sc.exe
/home/<user> C:\Users\<username> ($HOME in PowerShell)
~/.config %APPDATA%
/tmp %TEMP%
make install → /usr/local/bin Add directory to %PATH%

Install packages with WinGet

winget install Git.Git
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode
winget install Docker.DockerDesktop

Build native Windows apps with C++ or C#

For system-level work, Win32 APIs are the Windows equivalent of POSIX. For GUI apps, WinUI 3 with C++ or C# gives you native performance and platform integration. See Quick start: Create your first WinUI 3 app.

Tip

For heavy build workloads (compiling large C++ or Rust projects), store source code on a Dev Drive volume. Dev Drive uses the Resilient File System (ReFS) with developer-optimized settings and can significantly reduce build times.

Line endings

Windows uses CRLF (\r\n); Linux uses LF (\n). Add a .gitattributes file to your repo to avoid issues:

* text=auto
*.sh text eol=lf
*.ps1 text eol=crlf

Tips and gotchas

  • WSL lets you run code . from a Linux shell to open VS Code on Windows with full access to your Linux filesystem — no copying files between environments.
  • Use pip install in WSL for your training environment, but ship inference via the ONNX Runtime NuGet package in your Windows app — same model file, two runtimes, zero rework.

Coming from web development

You build with JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js, or similar technologies. Windows is a great platform for web development, and you have multiple options for reaching the Windows desktop.

Set up a web dev environment

WSL lets you run Node.js, npm, and your existing shell scripts natively. Most web developers on Windows use WSL for server-side tooling and Windows Terminal for everything else.

wsl --install
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

See Set up Node.js on Windows for a full walkthrough.

Reach the Windows desktop from web technologies

You have several options for shipping a Windows app from a web codebase:

Approach Best for
Progressive Web App (PWA) Existing web app, light Windows presence
WebView2 Embedding web UI in a native app shell
React Native for Windows Shared React codebase targeting Windows and other platforms
Electron on Windows Existing Electron app shipping on Windows

React Native for Windows is the most direct path if you're already writing React Native for iOS and Android. Add Windows as a target platform with:

npx react-native init MyApp
cd MyApp
npx react-native-windows-init --overwrite

See React Native for Windows – Getting Started for a full guide.

Key Windows platform features for web developers

Tips and gotchas

  • Use Edge DevTools (F12) to debug your WebView2 content with the same tools you already use for web development — breakpoints, network inspector, and console all work identically.
  • You can keep your existing package.json scripts — MSBuild can invoke npm/node as a pre-build step, so your existing web build pipeline still works alongside a native app shell.

Coming from iOS or Android development

You're used to a simulator, a mobile-first design mindset, and deploying through an app store. Windows has equivalents for each—and a familiar app lifecycle model.

Your tools map to these Windows equivalents:

iOS / Android Windows
Xcode / Android Studio Visual Studio 2026
Swift / Kotlin C# (with Windows App SDK)
SwiftUI / Jetpack Compose WinUI 3 (XAML + Fluent Design)
Simulator / Emulator Deploy and debug directly on Windows
App Store / Google Play Microsoft Store
.ipa / .apk MSIX package
UserDefaults / SharedPreferences ApplicationData (requires package identity) or local settings
Push notifications (APNs / FCM) Windows Push Notification Services (WNS)

Build cross-platform with .NET MAUI

If you're targeting Windows, iOS, and Android from a single codebase, .NET MAUI is the recommended framework. You write C# and XAML once and deploy to all platforms.

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.9
dotnet new maui -n MyApp
cd MyApp
dotnet run -f net9.0-windows10.0.19041.0

Build a native Windows app with WinUI 3

For a Windows-only experience that takes full advantage of Fluent Design, notifications, and platform APIs, WinUI 3 is the native choice. The development model—XAML markup, a code-behind file, an app lifecycle, and a Store packaging path—will feel familiar.

App lifecycle on Windows

WinUI 3 desktop apps do not have a managed lifecycle the way iOS and Android apps do. There is no applicationDidEnterBackground equivalent. Apps run as normal Windows processes. For background work, use background execution in Windows App SDK or Windows Services.

Tips and gotchas

  • Use winget from the command line to install dev tools quickly — it's similar to using sdkmanager for Android SDK components. For example: winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community.

Coming from .NET on another platform

You write C# or F# and use .NET on macOS or Linux. Most of your skills transfer directly—the main adjustment is learning which Windows-specific APIs and UI frameworks to use.

Your .NET code already runs on Windows

.NET 8 and later are cross-platform. Your class libraries, ASP.NET Core services, console apps, and worker services run on Windows without modification. The Windows-specific differences are:

  • UI frameworks: On Windows, you have WinUI 3, WPF, and WinForms in addition to .NET MAUI.
  • Platform APIs: The Windows App SDK exposes Windows-specific capabilities—notifications, windowing, file pickers, sharing, push notifications—as NuGet packages.
  • Packaging: Windows apps are distributed as MSIX packages, not .deb, .rpm, or .dmg files.

Choose the right UI framework

Scenario Recommended framework
New Windows desktop app WinUI 3
Windows + macOS + iOS + Android .NET MAUI
Existing WPF app, add new features WPF + Windows App SDK
Existing WinForms app WinForms + Windows App SDK
Web app with Windows presence ASP.NET Core + WebView2

Get set up

Install the .NET SDK and Visual Studio with the WinUI workload:

winget configure -f https://aka.ms/winui-config

Then follow the Quick start: Create your first WinUI 3 app.

Key Windows-specific NuGet packages

  • Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK — windowing, notifications, app lifecycle, push notifications
  • Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools — Windows SDK build support
  • Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.Notifications — toast notification builder (legacy; prefer Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK for new apps)

Windows platform concepts for everyone

Regardless of your background, a few Windows-specific concepts come up early.

Package management with WinGet

WinGet installs apps and developer tools from the command line:

winget install Git.Git
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS
winget search python

Use a WinGet Configuration file to reproduce your entire dev environment from a single YAML file—ideal for onboarding or setting up a new machine.

Developer Mode

Enable Developer Mode before running or sideloading apps you build. Open Windows Settings > System > Advanced and toggle Developer Mode to On, or run:

# Requires elevation
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense" /d "1"

Packaging and distribution

Windows apps are distributed as MSIX packages or through traditional installers. MSIX provides clean install/uninstall, automatic updates via the Store, and app isolation.

AI-assisted development tools

Several Windows developer tools include AI features:

  • GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio / VS Code: Inline completions, chat, and multi-file edits.
  • Intelligent Terminal: An experimental Windows Terminal build with a built-in agent pane — see Announcing Intelligent Terminal version 0.1.
  • Windows Development Skills: Structured knowledge that lets AI agents build native Windows apps end-to-end — see Get started with Windows Development Skills.
  • WinApp CLI: A command-line tool for scaffolding, packaging, and deploying Windows apps, designed for automation and AI agent workflows.

See AI-assisted development for Windows for more.

Next steps

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