Win32desktop

Win32desktop refers to the Windows desktop programming environment built on the Win32 API, the 32-bit application programming interface that provides the core services for creating traditional Windows graphical user interface applications. It covers window management, message routing, drawing, input handling, and interaction with system services. The environment is centered on user32.dll for window messages, kernel32.dll for process and memory management, and gdi32.dll with GDI/GDI+ for graphics, with additional support from other system libraries.

In a Win32desktop program, developers create windows or controls, run a message loop that dispatches events such as WM_PAINT, WM_SIZE, or WM_COMMAND, and implement handlers to respond to user input, timers, and other messages. The API also exposes facilities for file I/O, registry access, threading, synchronization, and inter-process communication. Applications may be written in C or C++, and are commonly built with the Windows SDK in environments such as Visual Studio. Higher-level frameworks and wrappers, such as MFC, ATL, or cross-platform toolkits like Qt and wxWidgets, layer on top of the Win32 API. .NET-based technologies like WinForms and WPF can host Win32 windows or run on top of the same underlying message-pump model.

Today, Win32 remains a foundational API for Windows desktop software. It coexists with newer app models such as UWP/WinRT and Windows App SDK, and is supported on 64-bit and 32-bit Windows, including WoW64 compatibility for 32-bit applications.