index.md

title	Tools and samples for Windows app development
description	Explore tools, samples, and AI-powered resources for building Windows apps, including Visual Studio, agentic AI tools, code samples, and the winapp CLI.
ms.topic	overview
ms.date	03/27/2026

Tools and samples for Windows app development

Build Windows apps more efficiently with the right tools, samples, and AI-powered resources. Whether you're setting up your development environment, looking for sample code to learn from, or enhancing your AI coding agent with Windows-specific context, this section brings together everything you need to be productive as a Windows app developer.

Resource	Description
Agentic AI tools	Enhance your AI coding agent with Windows-specific context using the Microsoft Learn MCP Server and community plugins like the WinUI 3 Development plugin for GitHub Copilot.
Code samples	Browse sample apps that demonstrate Windows features, API usage patterns, and end-to-end scenarios — including the WinUI 3 Gallery and Windows App SDK samples.
Visual Studio	The recommended IDE for building Windows apps with WinUI and the Windows App SDK, featuring XAML Hot Reload, Live Visual Tree, and rich debugging.
Windows App Development CLI (winapp CLI)	A command-line interface for managing Windows SDKs, packaging, app identity, manifests, certificates, and build tools across any app framework.