Design basics for Windows apps

Windows design guidance is a resource to help you design and build beautiful, polished apps. It’s not a list of prescriptive rules - it’s a living document, designed to adapt to our evolving design language as well as the needs of our app-building community.

Overview

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App Silhouette

A high-level look at app patterns commonly used across our in-box applications.

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Windows 11 Signature Experiences

See what’s new for Windows 11 design elements.

Basics

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Navigation basics

Navigation in Windows apps is based on a flexible model of navigation structures, navigation elements, and system-level features. This article introduces you to these components and shows you how to use them together to create a good navigation experience.

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Command basics

Command elements are the interactive UI elements that enable the user to perform actions, such as sending an email, deleting an item, or submitting a form. This article describes the command elements, such as buttons and check boxes, the interactions they support, and the command surfaces (such as command bars and context menus) for hosting them.

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Content basics

This article provides some practical tips and examples to help you design the content of your app: Windows spacing rationale, using the type ramp to demonstrate hierarchy, lists and grids, and how to group controls.