---
id: winrt-windows-foundation-collections
version: "3.2.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# winrt-Windows.Foundation.Collections — Python projection of Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 342.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package is a Python projection of the Windows Runtime (WinRT) Windows.Foundation.Collections namespace, part of the modular PyWinRT bindings generated from the Windows SDK. It exposes collection types and utilities that are part of the WinRT type system, allowing Python code running on Windows to work with WinRT collection abstractions directly.

The package is one of many modular namespace packages in the PyWinRT ecosystem, each providing bindings for a specific Windows SDK namespace. It depends on winrt-runtime and is typically used as a dependency when other WinRT packages need collection types, or when developers need direct access to foundation collection APIs from Python. Installation is limited to Windows platforms and requires Python 3.9 or later.

Use it for:

- Building WinUI 2 or WinUI 3 applications in Python that rely on collection types from the Windows SDK
- Accessing hardware or OS features through higher-level WinRT packages that depend on foundation collections
- Developing Windows system utilities in Python that need to work with WinRT collection abstractions
- Integrating Python code with Windows Runtime components that expose collection-based APIs

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides Python bindings for Windows Runtime (WinRT) APIs in the Windows.Foundation.Collections namespace, enabling access to collection types and utilities from the Windows SDK.

Yes, if you are developing on Windows and need access to WinRT collection types as part of a larger WinRT-based project. The MIT license and active (though aging) maintenance make it safe to use. However, this is primarily a dependency package rather than a standalone tool—install it only if another WinRT package or your own Windows SDK integration requires it. Not applicable on non-Windows platforms.

## Install

pip install winrt-windows-foundation-collections
uv add winrt-windows-foundation-collections
poetry add winrt-windows-foundation-collections

## Installing winrt-Windows.Foundation.Collections

Before you install: Medium install friction: platform-specific wheels only for Windows (win32, win_amd64, win_arm64) across Python 3.9–3.14. Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2025-12-11 and the package has not been updated since 2025-06-06, though the repository remains active and not archived.

License in practice: MIT license permits use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.

Quickstart:

pip install winrt-windows-foundation-collections

from winrt.windows.foundation.collections import IVector
# Use WinRT collection types from Python

Windows operating system required; wheels are only available for Windows platforms (win32, win_amd64, win_arm64). Python 3.9 or later required.

Verify before relying:

- Specific collection types and APIs exposed by this namespace beyond the generic Windows.Foundation.Collections interface
- Whether this package is typically used standalone or as a dependency of higher-level WinRT namespace packages
- Performance characteristics or known limitations when working with large collections through the Python projection

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 342.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

windows runtime collections python, winrt foundation collections bindings, python windows sdk collections, winrt python namespace, windows api python access, winrt collections types, windows-runtime, winrt-bindings, windows-sdk

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