Windows API
Microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces available in Windows operating systems
The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is the foundational application programming interface (API) that allows a computer program to access the features of the Microsoft Windows operating system in which the program is running. Programs typically access this API using system libraries, which are shared libraries.
Each major version of the Windows API has a distinct name that identifies a compatibility aspect of that version. For example, Win32 is the major version of Windows API that runs on 32-bit systems. The name, Windows API, collectively refers to all versions of this capability of Windows.
Microsoft provides developer support via a software development kit, Microsoft Windows SDK, which includes documentation and tools for building software based on the Windows API.
Services
This section lists notable services provided by the Windows API.
Base Services
Base services include features such as the file system, devices, processes, threads, and error handling. These functions reside in kernel.exe, krnl286.exe or krnl386.exe files on 16-bit Windows, and kernel32.dll and KernelBase.dll on 32 and 64 bit Windows. These files reside in the folder \Windows\System32 on all versions of Windows.
Advanced Services
Advanced services include features beyond the kernel like the Windows registry, shutdown/restart the system (or abort), start/stop/create a Windows service, manage user accounts. These functions reside in advapi32.dll and advapires32.dll on 32-bit Windows.
The public source identifies “Windows API” as microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces available in Windows operating systems. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Windows, Microsoft's and core.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q828191. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Windows API” 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.