Universal Windows Platform
universal application platform created and developed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows
Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is a computing platform created by Microsoft and introduced in Windows 10. The purpose of this platform is to help develop universal apps that run on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile (discontinued), Windows 11, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and HoloLens without the need to be rewritten for each. It supports Windows app development using C++, C#, VB.NET, and XAML. The API is implemented in C++, and supported in C++, VB.NET, C#, F# and JavaScript. Designed as an extension to the Windows Runtime (WinRT) platform introduced in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, UWP allows developers to create apps that will potentially run on multiple types of devices, but Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 cannot run UWP apps.
UWP does not target non-Microsoft systems. Microsoft's solution for other platforms is .NET MAUI (previously "Xamarin.Forms"), an open-source API created by Xamarin, a Microsoft subsidiary since 2016. Community solutions also exist for non-targeted platforms, such as Uno Platform.
Compatibility
UWP is a part of Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 11. UWP apps do not run on earlier Windows versions.
Apps that are capable of implementing this platform are natively developed using Visual Studio 2015, Visual Studio 2017, Visual Studio 2019, or Visual Studio 2022.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Universal Windows Platform” is universal application platform created and developed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Universal, Windows and Platform, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “universal application platform created and developed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q21600523. The first chronological checks are 2012, 2016, 2015 and 2017.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Universal Windows Platform”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Universal Windows Platform primary sources, Universal Windows Platform archive and Universal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Universal Windows Platform”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Universal Windows Platform” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.