winapi

Where can I find the Windows header files?


Sometimes in my research into Microsoft functions, I'll see the name of a constant and perhaps a reference to a header file, like winuser.h.

I don't often need to refer to them, but when I do, I wind up spending some time googling to find out where those files are. With this question, I can hopefully come to the answer right away.

Assuming I've installed Visual Studio or the SDK, where in the file directory structure on a Windows machine can I find the basic windows header files, like windows.h and winuser.h?


Solution

  • First, you need to install Visual Studio or the Windows SDK. I'd give URLs here, but they change with every new version of Windows. The header files could be in

    On a new machine, with the Visual Studio 2019 and Windows SDK installed, here are the new locations:

    I do not see any includes in the 'Program Files' folders.