Each software is released under license type that can be found on program pages as well as on search or category pages. Here are the most common license types:
Freeware
Freeware programs can be downloaded used free of charge and without any time limitations. Freeware products can be used free of charge for both personal and professional (commercial use).
Open Source
Open Source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify or enhance. Programs released under this license can be used at no cost for both personal and commercial purposes. There are many different open source licenses but they all must comply with the Open Source Definition — in brief: the software can be freely used, modified and shared.
Free to Play
This license is commonly used for video games and it allows users to download and play the game for free. Basically, a product is offered Free to Play (Freemium) and the user can decide if he wants to pay the money (Premium) for additional features, services, virtual or physical goods that expand the functionality of the game. In some cases, ads may be show to the users.
Demo
Demo programs have a limited functionality for free, but charge for an advanced set of features or for the removal of advertisements from the program’s interfaces. In some cases, all the functionality is disabled until the license is purchased. Demos are usually not time-limited (like Trial software) but the functionality is limited.
Trial
Trial software allows the user to evaluate the software for a limited amount of time. After that trial period (usually 15 to 90 days) the user can decide whether to buy the software or not. Even though, most trial software products are only time-limited some also have feature limitations.
Paid
Usually commercial software or games are produced for sale or to serve a commercial purpose.
v1.3-experimental1
1.3 Experimental 1 (1.3.230202101-experimental1) 🧪
The 1.3 experimental release of Windows App SDK is now available! Releases in the experimental channel include features that are in the early stages of development. Experimental features may be removed from the next release, or may never be released. See Windows App SDK release channels for more information about the various release channels.
This release includes bug fixes from 1.2 and provides access to non-stable APIs and features for WinUI 3, Graphics, Content, Dispatching, and Windowing.
Check out the release notes for all of the new and updated features, limitations, and known issues.
Updating to this version
The 1.3.230202101-experimental1 package is available at: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK/1.3.230202101-experimental1
Additionally, for those testing deployment of unpackaged apps, download the Windows App SDK Installers and MSIX packages here.
v1.2.3
v1.2.2
v1.2.1
Windows App SDK 1.2.1 (1.2.221116.1) is now available
Windows App SDK 1.2.1 is a stable servicing release that fixes a critical bug for 1.2:
Fixed issue that caused a crash on startup in C++ WinUI 3 apps when adding a WebView2 or TextBox control. For more information see GitHub issues #7911 & #3117.
📝 Release notes
📦 1.2.221116.1 NuGet
-
If you’re building an app with the Windows App SDK for the first time, follow the installation instructions here.
-
If you are already using Windows App SDK 1.2 and would like to update to the latest release, you can do so by following the update instructions here.
v1.2.0
Windows App SDK 1.2.0 (1.2.221109.1)
WinAppSDK 1.2.0 is the latest stable version of WinAppSDK providing new features and improvements to the platform.
New features include:
- 3P developers can create widgets for Windows 11 devices
- WinUI 3 apps can play audio and video with media playback controls (MediaPlayerElement + MediaTransportControl)
- App support for Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) to automatically switch between 60hz and 120hz refresh rates
- WinUI 3 controls, styles, and behavior are up to date with WinUI 2.8 (InfoBadge)
- Simpler notification creation with AppNotificationBuilder
- HDR and Auto Color Management for desktop apps are now supported via DisplayInformation APIs
Additional updates include:
- 11% runtime size reduction in 1.2.0 from Windows App SDK 1.1.5 on x64
- Support for .NET 7
- Support for building native apps on Arm64 Visual Studio 17.4
- AppWindow title bar APIs available downlevel to Windows 10 1809.
- App size reduction for C# apps published with IL trimming
To see everything that’s new and changed, see the full Windows App SDK 1.2 release notes.
Try it out
- Download the 1.2.221109.1 NuGet package to use WinAppSDK 1.2 in your app.
- Build samples from the WinAppSDK-Samples repo to try out components across the platform.
- Download and update the WinUI Gallery to see the WinUI 3 updates firsthand.
Getting Started
To get started using Windows App SDK to develop Windows apps, check out the following documentation:
- Install developer tools .
- Create a WinUI 3 app.
- Continue your development journey.
v1.2.0-preview2
1.2 Preview 2 (1.2.220930.4-preview2) 🔃
The second preview of WinAppSDK 1.2 is now available. This preview includes new features and bug fixes, including:
- Third-party Widgets in Windows
- DisplayInformation APIs for HDR application support
- IL trimming for .NET applications to reduce your apps’ disk footprint size
To see everything that’s new and changed, check out the full release notes.
The WinUI Gallery is also available with a 1.2-preview2 branch.
Updating to this version
The 1.2-preview2 package is available at: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK/1.2.220930.4-preview2
Notes when updating to 1.2-preview2
- When you reference WinAppSDK 1.2 from a project you might see an error similar to: «Detected package downgrade: Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools from 10.0.22621.1 to 10.0.22000.194.» To resolve, you can update the project’s reference to a more recent and compatible version of Microsoft.Windows.SDK.BuildTools, or simply remove the reference from your project to implicitly reference a compatible version.
- Starting with WinAppSDK 1.2-preview2, .NET 5 is no longer supported and C# apps will require a minimum version of .NET 6.
Providing feedback
As we introduce new & upcoming features in our preview releases, we appreciate all of your feedback as we work towards a stable release:
- For WinUI 3 feedback, please open an issue on the WinUI repo.
- For feedback regarding all other Windows App SDK components, please open an issue here, on the Windows App SDK repo.
v1.1.5
v1.2.0-preview1
Windows App SDK 1.2 Preview 1
1.2 Preview 1 Release of Windows App SDK
The first preview of WinAppSDK 1.2 is now available! To see everything that’s new and changed, see the full release notes here.
Updating to this version
The 1.1-preview2 package is available here.
Providing feedback
As we introduce new & upcoming features in our preview releases, we appreciate all of your feedback as we work towards a stable release:
- For WinUI 3 feedback, please open an issue on the WinUI repo.
- For feedback regarding all other Windows App SDK components, please open an issue here, on the Windows App SDK repo.
v1.1.4
v1.2-experimental1
1.2 Experimental (1.2.220727.1-experimental1) 🧪
The 1.2 experimental release of Windows App SDK is now available! Releases in the experimental channel include features that are in the early stages of development. Experimental features may be removed from the next release, or may never be released. See Windows App SDK release channels for more information about the various release channels.
This release includes bug fixes from 1.1 and provides access to non-stable APIs and features for WinUI3, Input & Composition, Content, Dispatching, and Notifications.
Check out the release notes for all of the new and updated features, limitations, and known issues.
Updating to this version
The 1.2.220727.1-experimental1 package is available at: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK/1.2.220727.1-experimental1
Additionally, for those testing deployment of unpackaged apps, download the Windows App SDK Installers and MSIX packages here.
Join the Chocolatey Team on our regular monthly stream where we discuss all things Community, what we do, how you can get involved and answer your Chocolatey questions.
Join the Chocolatey Team on our regular monthly stream where we put a spotlight on the most recent Chocolatey product releases. You’ll have a chance to have your questions answered in a live Ask Me Anything format.
Livestream from
Thursday, 06 October 2022
We recently released our largest update to Chocolatey Central Management so far. Join Gary and Steph to find out more about Chocolatey Central Management and the new features and fixes we’ve added to this release.
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Webinar Replay from
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
At Chocolatey Software we strive for simple, and teaching others. Let us teach you just how simple it could be to keep your 3rd party applications updated across your devices, all with Intune!
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Livestream from
Thursday, 9 June 2022
Join James and Josh to show you how you can get the Chocolatey For Business recommended infrastructure and workflow, created, in Azure, in around 20 minutes.
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Livestream from
Thursday, 04 August 2022
Join Paul and Gary to hear more about the plans for the Chocolatey CLI in the not so distant future. We’ll talk about some cool new features, long term asks from Customers and Community and how you can get involved!
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Livestreams from
October 2022
For Hacktoberfest, Chocolatey ran a livestream every Tuesday! Re-watch Cory, James, Gary, and Rain as they share knowledge on how to contribute to open-source projects such as Chocolatey CLI.
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Livestream from
Thursday, 03 November 2022
Join Paul and Gary for this months Chocolatey product livestream where we look at the latest release of Chocolatey 1.2.0, Chocolatey Licensed Extension 5.0.0 and shine a spotlight on the new hook scripts functionality. This opens up so many possibilities for Chocolatey CLI users!
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Livestream from
Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Join Josh as he adds the ability to manage Chocolatey GUI config and features with the Chocolatey Ansible Collection.
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Webinar from
Tuesday, 13 December 2022
Join Gary, Paul, and Maurice as they introduce and demonstrate how to use Chocolatey! Questions will be answered live in an Ask Me Anything format.
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