Build Windows hardware: get started

Wherever you are in your device or driver product lifecycle, with Microsoft Windows you can create amazing experiences for your customers, enjoy the benefits of a global partner community, and grow both your skills and your business. Get started using these resources, and gain access to more by becoming a Microsoft partner.

Give your customers a great experience and boost your market advantage by understanding new capabilities with Windows 8.1, the benefits of using certification requirements as foundations of design, how to get started designing Windows Store device apps, and the basic principles of Windows design.

Develop drivers

Build your first driver

Get started with a basic understanding of drivers and how to build your first. You’ll learn about different types of drivers and how to select the best model for the type you’re building. Hands-on exercises help you build a driver in the Microsoft Visual Studio development environment.

Get the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

The Windows Driver Kit (WDK) includes the tools and documentation you need to develop drivers. WDK 8.1 is integrated into Visual Studio Professional 2013 and Visual Studio Ultimate 2013 and provides most of the tools you need to develop, build, package, test, and debug drivers.

Test drivers and hardware

Test drivers

Run compile time testing by using code analysis and verification tools that can detect errors in your code that could be missed by the compiler and conventional testing. You can test your driver package and devices at runtime by using the integrated driver test and deployment framework in Visual Studio.

Test hardware

You can test specific features of your hardware by using the Windows Device Testing Framework (WDTF) to create, manage, reuse, and extend device-centric, scenario-based automated tests.

Debugging tools and downloads

Debugging environments and tools

Learn about debugging environments, tools, and techniques to help you select the right approach for your systems and code type. With Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, the driver development environment and the Windows debuggers are integrated into Visual Studio, which also includes debuggers.

Get the downloads

Choose from a comprehensive set of tools and test environments to support your development needs. Download Visual Studio, the Windows Driver Kit, standalone debugging tools, and symbol files.

Certify your hardware

See what’s new with Windows 8.1

Learn more about what Windows Hardware Certification can do for you and your business and how the program has evolved.

Start certification

Get the tools, guidance, and support to help you make sure that your hardware is reliable and compatible with Windows.

Creating seamless multi-device experiences for your customers means keeping firmware, drivers, and apps up-to-date and compatible within the Windows ecosystem. Take advantage of these programs and services to help you simplify the processes of certifying your device or app, monitoring its performance, and managing bugs or updates.