The Windows 10 SDK (10.0.15063.468) provides the latest headers, libraries, metadata, and tools for building Windows 10 apps. The Windows 10 SDK, when used in conjunction with Visual Studio 2017, will provide the optimum experience for building apps for Windows- allowing you to take advantage of the latest tools and APIs delivered the Windows 10 Creators Update.
In addition to targeting the Windows 10 Creators Update, this SDK allows you to build Universal Windows Platform apps as well as desktop apps on all versions of Windows 10. This SDK also supports building desktop apps on Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2012 R2. For earlier versions of the Windows and Windows Phone SDKs, see the Archive page.
Note: Windows 10 app development targeting Windows 10 Creators Update requires Visual Studio 2017. This SDK will not be discovered by previous versions of Visual Studio.
For your convenience you can either download and run the executable, or download the ISO.
The Windows 10 SDK also includes an emulator for mobile development. Click here to learn more about the emulator that corresponds with this SDK.
Before you install there are some things you need to be aware of.
The Windows 10 SDK is optimized for use on Windows 10. Windows 10 app development is only supported on Windows 10, version 1507 or higher.
Windows 10 SDK also is available through Visual Studio 2017 RTM.
Note: Installation on Windows 8.1 and earlier operating systems requires KB2999226. To install through Windows Update, make sure you install the latest recommended updates and patches from Microsoft Update before you install the Windows SDK.
Not all tools are supported on earlier operating systems.
The Windows 10 Creators Update SDK exposes a number of exciting new APIs and platforms for developing your Universal Windows apps. Learn more about the about the new features in Windows 10, version 1703.
The Windows 10 SDK for the Windows Creators Update SDK includes we have made significant changes to improve the developer experience.
Windows 10 app development targeting Windows 10 Creators Update requires Visual Studio 2017. This SDK will not be discovered by previous versions of Visual Studio.
The Windows 10 SDK installer name has been updated to winsdksetup.exe.
The Windows 10 SDK can be installed either by running the installer, or can be downloaded and installed by ISO.
To improve the developer experience, tools and metadata will lay down in versioned folders. This will allow developers to isolate the SDK and tools between releases.
Tools will now be found in the following locations:
Contract files and metadata will now be in the following locations:
Windows 10 SDK setup now offers more granularity in the choices of components to install. For example, managed developers do not need to install the native development headers and libs.
Options include:
ComparePackage analyzes the differences between two versions of your app package and helps you understand how the changes can impact users' updates.
MakeAppx.exe now supports conversion of content group maps and creation of streaming UWP packages. Learn more about MakeAppx.exe.
Windows 10 app samples are now available through GitHub. You can browse the code on GitHub, clone a personal copy of the repository using Git, or download a zipped archive of all the samples. We welcome feedback, so feel free to open an issue within the repository if you have a problem or question. These samples are designed to run on desktop, mobile, and future devices that support the Universal Windows Platform. You can find other examples in the MSDN Code Gallery.
The Emulator for Windows 10 Mobile is a desktop application that emulates a device running Windows 10 for Mobile Emulator. It provides a virtualized environment in which you can debug and test your Windows apps without a physical device. It also provides an isolated environment for your application prototypes. Learn more about the Windows 10 Mobile Emulator.
The previously released SDKs and emulators, including update details, can be found on the archive page.
The Windows SDK may fail to install and report Fatal Error if Visual Studio is currently running. Please exit Visual Studio prior to installation.
This is a known bug in the Windows SDK installer. If you encounter this issue, you can repair the SDK by simply running the following command from an Administrative command prompt: “C:\program files (x86)\windows kits\10\bin\10.0.15063.0\x86\DismFoDInstall.cmd”
If you are developing Desktop (Win32) apps targeting a specific version of Windows 10, the SDK version you use for developing these apps must match the same target version of the operating system you intend to deploy your apps to.
For example, if your Target Platform Version is Windows 10 RTM, then you will have to download the "Windows 10 RTM SDK (version 10.0.26624.0) Microsoft Emulator for Windows 10 mobile" and compile your app using that SDK. Similarly, if your Target Platform version is Windows 10, version 1511, then you will have to download the "Windows 10 RTM SDK (version 10.0.10586.212) Microsoft Emulator for Windows 10 mobile" and compile your app using that SDK.
Learn more about common tool issues.
For the latest release notes, see the Windows Developer Forum.
