Microsoft Windows

aid: microsoft-windows
name: Microsoft Windows
description: 'Microsoft Windows is Microsoft''s desktop and server operating system. Its developer surface is overwhelmingly
  native and in-process: the Win32 API, Windows Runtime (WinRT/UWP), WMI, the Registry and Shell APIs, DirectX graphics and
  PowerShell, all documented on Microsoft Learn and shipped through the Windows SDK, plus a small HTTP surface in Windows
  Push Notification Services (WNS) for cloud-sent toast, tile and raw notifications.'
deliveryModel:
  model: open-core
  license: MIT
  open_source: true
  commercial: true
  callable_host: false
  label: Open core · an OSS project plus a commercial hosted product
  confidence: high
  source:
  - license
  - pricing
  generated: '2026-08-28'
  method: derived
accessModel:
  pricing: paid
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Paid
  confidence: medium
  probe_state: unreadable
  source:
  - finops
  - rate-limits
  - security
  generated: '2026-11-13'
  method: derived
image: https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-11-logo.png
url: https://developer.microsoft.com/windows
created: '2024'
modified: '2026-11-12'
specificationVersion: '0.23'
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com
tags:
- Desktop
- Development
- Microsoft
- Operating System
- Windows
common:
- type: CLI
  url: cli/microsoft-windows-cli.yml
- type: Conventions
  url: conventions/microsoft-windows-conventions.yml
- type: Compliance
  url: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center
- type: LLMsTxt
  url: llms/microsoft-windows-llms.txt
- type: SecurityTxt
  url: well-known/microsoft-windows-security.txt
- type: WellKnown
  url: well-known/microsoft-windows-well-known.yml
- type: Hosts
  url: hosts/microsoft-windows-hosts.yml
- type: Vendors
  url: vendors/microsoft-windows-vendors.yml
- type: Leadership
  url: https://news.microsoft.com/leadership
- type: TrustCenter
  url: security/microsoft-windows-trust-center.yml
- type: RateLimits
  url: rate-limits/microsoft-windows-rate-limits.yml
- type: FinOps
  url: finops/microsoft-windows-finops.yml
- type: Website
  url: https://www.microsoft.com/
- type: IssueTracker
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues
- type: Releases
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/releases
- type: SecurityPolicy
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/blob/master/.github/SECURITY.md
- type: CodeOfConduct
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- type: ContributionGuide
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/blob/master/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
- type: License
  name: MIT
  url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/blob/master/LICENSE
- type: VulnerabilityDisclosure
  url: security/microsoft-windows-vulnerability-disclosure.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/microsoft-windows-domain-security.yml
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-windows
- type: Portal
  url: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/
- type: Blog
  url: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/
- type: Support
  url: https://support.microsoft.com/windows
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/microsoft
- type: TermsOfService
  url: https://www.microsoft.com/legal/terms-of-use
- type: PrivacyPolicy
  url: https://privacy.microsoft.com/
- type: SDK Downloads
  url: https://developer.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/
- type: UsageTerms
  url: terms/microsoft-windows-terms-of-service.yml
- type: Attestations
  url: compliance/microsoft-windows-compliance.yml
- type: Eligibility
  url: eligibility/microsoft-windows-eligibility.yml
- type: AIPreferences
  url: ai-preferences/microsoft-windows-ai-preferences.yml
- type: DataLicense
  url: data-license/microsoft-windows-data-license.yml
- type: Documentation
  url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/
- type: APIReference
  url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/
- type: GettingStarted
  url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/get-started/
apis:
- name: Windows Runtime (WinRT) API
  description: Modern API for building Windows applications with support for multiple programming languages.
  image: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/images/winrt-logo.png
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/uwp/
  tags:
  - Application
  - UWP
  - Windows
  - WinRT
  tags_raw:
  - Applications
  - UWP
  - Windows
  - WinRT
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/uwp/get-started/
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-runtime-winrt-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Win32 API
  description: Traditional Windows API for native application development with full system access.
  image: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/images/win32-logo.png
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/
  tags:
  - C++
  - Native
  - Win32
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/apiindex/windows-api-list
  - type: Reference
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/api/
  - type: CodeExamples
    url: https://github.com/microsoft/Windows-classic-samples
  aid: microsoft-windows:win32-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
  description: Infrastructure for management data and operations on Windows systems.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/wmisdk/
  tags:
  - Management
  - System Administration
  - Windows
  - WMI
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/wmisdk/wmi-reference
  - type: PowerShell Integration
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-management-instrumentation-wmi
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Windows PowerShell API
  description: Task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/
  tags:
  - Automation
  - PowerShell
  - Scripting
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/scripting/overview
  - type: Module Reference
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/powershell/module/
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-powershell-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Windows Registry API
  description: API for accessing and manipulating the Windows Registry database.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/sysinfo/registry
  tags:
  - Configuration
  - Registry
  - System
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/sysinfo/registry-functions
  - type: Reference
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/sysinfo/registry-reference
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-registry-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Windows Shell API
  description: APIs for interacting with Windows Shell features and user interface elements.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/shell/
  tags:
  - Explorer
  - Shell
  - UI
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/_shell/
  - type: Examples
    url: https://github.com/microsoft/Windows-classic-samples/tree/main/Samples/Win7Samples/winui/shell
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-shell-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: DirectX Graphics API
  description: Collection of APIs for handling tasks related to multimedia and game programming.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/directx
  tags:
  - DirectX
  - Gaming
  - Graphics
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/directx
  - type: Direct3D Reference
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/direct3d12/
  - type: Examples
    url: https://github.com/microsoft/DirectX-Graphics-Samples
  aid: microsoft-windows:directx-graphics-api
  x-baseUrl-note: Native, in-process Windows API (no HTTP host); the previous api.windows.com base did not resolve (DNS failure,
    probed 2026-11-12) and was removed.
- name: Windows Notification API
  description: API for creating and managing Windows notifications and toast messages. Cloud senders POST notifications over
    HTTPS to a per-app channel URI issued by Windows Push Notification Services (WNS), e.g. https://cloud.notify.windows.com/?token=...
    as shown in the WNS overview.
  humanUrl: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/apps/design/shell/tiles-and-notifications/
  baseUrl: https://cloud.notify.windows.com
  tags:
  - Notification
  - Toast
  - User Interface
  - Windows
  tags_raw:
  - Notifications
  - Toast
  - User Interface
  - Windows
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/develop/notifications/push-notifications/wns-overview
  - type: CodeExamples
    url: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/apps/design/shell/tiles-and-notifications/adaptive-interactive-toasts
  aid: microsoft-windows:windows-notification-api
x-parent: microsoft
x-relationship: product
x-enrichment:
  date: '2026-11-12'
  status: enriched
  artifacts_added: 2
  pass: local-v6
x-coverage:
  state: unreadable
  reason: no-machine-readable-spec
  method: derived
  generated: '2026-11-12'
  generator: derive-coverage.py (pre-flight evidence)
  detail: the company publishes developer documentation but serves no machine-readable contract from it
  evidence:
  - url: https://support.microsoft.com/mcp
    status: 403
  - url: https://www.microsoft.com/
    status: 200