| title | DirectWrite to DWriteCore migration |
|---|---|
| description | DWriteCore is the [Windows App SDK](../../index.md) implementation of [DirectWrite](/windows/win32/directwrite/direct-write-portal). |
| ms.topic | article |
| ms.date | 07/14/2025 |
| keywords | Windows, App, SDK, migrate, migrating, migration, port, porting, DirectWrite, DWriteCore |
| ms.localizationpriority | medium |
DWriteCore is the Windows App SDK implementation of DirectWrite. For more info, see DWriteCore overview.
Nearly all DirectWrite APIs remain unchanged in DWriteCore. There are a few differences, as described in APIs that are new, or different, for DWriteCore.
As you'll see in that topic, DWriteCore has a more locked-down factory type, and has the ability to retrieve pixel data without using GDI.
The only change necessary when moving from DirectWrite to DWriteCore is to include the dwrite_core.h header file. For more info, and code examples, see Programming with DWriteCore.
Warning
DWriteCore does not currently support hardware-accelerated text rendering with Direct2D (D2D). It supports software text rendering only. This prevents apps that require D2D support from adopting DWriteCore at this time.
Also see the DWriteCoreGallery sample app project, which demonstrates the DWriteCore API surface.