# microsoft/Win2D

Win2D is an easy-to-use Windows Runtime API for immediate mode 2D graphics rendering with GPU acceleration. It is available to C#, C++ and VB developers writing apps for the Windows Universal Platform (UWP). It utilizes the power of Direct2D, and integrates seamlessly with XAML and CoreWindow.

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/Win2D
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/win2d
Homepage: http://microsoft.github.io/Win2D
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-03-16T20:47:31+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 65/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 72, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4429, "days_push": 170, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1898, forks 306 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:51.146893+00:00)

## What it is
Win2D is a Windows Runtime API for immediate mode 2D graphics rendering with GPU acceleration, built on Direct2D. It supports C#, C++, and VB developers building WinUI3/Windows App SDK (and formerly UWP) apps, integrating seamlessly with XAML.

## Use cases
- draw 2D shapes and text in a XAML app with GPU acceleration
- render custom graphics in a Windows App SDK / WinUI3 application
- build animated 2D visuals in a UWP app
- wrap Direct2D drawing in an easy-to-use API from C# or C++
- create a drawing or painting canvas control in a Windows app
- render charts or custom visualizations in a Windows desktop app

## When to choose
- you are building a Windows UWP or WinUI3 app and need fast 2D rendering
- you want Direct2D power without writing raw DirectX code
- you need a XAML-integrated canvas control for custom drawing

## When to avoid
- you target cross-platform (macOS, Linux, mobile) rather than Windows-only
- you need 3D rendering instead of 2D
- you rely on features like CanvasAnimatedControl that have partial or no support in the Windows App SDK transition

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: graphics, ui-components, sdk
- domain: graphics, windows, web-development, developer-tools
- platform: windows, cpp, dotnet
- tags: direct2d, gpu-accelerated, 2d-graphics, uwp, winui3, windows-app-sdk, xaml, immediate-mode-rendering

## Member repositories
- microsoft/Win2D (main) score 65

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:51.146893+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:12:46.818820+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/microsoft/Win2D (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:51.146893+00:00, sha c500aa6791e5)
  - homepage: http://microsoft.github.io/Win2D (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:25.619915+00:00, sha 5906a8dc275d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.