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

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

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 363.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

winrt-Windows.Foundation is a Python projection of the Windows Runtime Foundation namespace, part of the larger PyWinRT ecosystem. It exposes core WinRT types and interfaces as Python classes and functions, allowing developers to interact with Windows system APIs directly from Python without C++ interop boilerplate.

The package is one of several modular bindings generated from the Windows SDK; you install only the namespaces you need. It depends on winrt-runtime, which provides the underlying WinRT projection infrastructure. Installation is platform-specific (Windows only, with separate wheels for Python 3.9 through 3.14 and multiple CPU architectures), and it requires Python 3.9 or later.

Use it for:

- Build cross-namespace WinRT applications by importing Foundation types alongside other winrt-* packages.
- Access core WinRT abstractions needed by higher-level Windows APIs in Python.
- Develop Windows desktop applications in Python that rely on async/await patterns and WinRT event callbacks.
- Prototype or script Windows system integration tasks that require Foundation-level types as prerequisites.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides Python bindings to Windows Runtime (WinRT) Foundation APIs, enabling direct access to core WinRT functionality from Python code running on Windows.

Yes, if you are building a Python application on Windows that needs WinRT API access and are willing to accept platform-specific installation and aging maintenance status. The MIT license and lack of known vulnerabilities are positive signals. Install only if you are targeting Windows; this package is not cross-platform.

## Install

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

## Installing winrt-Windows.Foundation

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels for Windows only across multiple CPU architectures. Aging maintenance status with last commit 2025-12-11, though no reported vulnerabilities and the repository remains active.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making this suitable for most projects that can run on Windows.

Quickstart:

pip install winrt-Windows.Foundation winrt-runtime

from winrt.windows.foundation import Uri
uri = Uri("https://example.com")

Windows-only; requires Python 3.9 or later and a compatible CPU architecture.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package is actively maintained or in maintenance-only mode given the aging status.
- Real-world stability and completeness of Foundation API coverage compared to the full Windows SDK.
- Performance characteristics and overhead of the Python projection layer.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 363.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

windows runtime python bindings, winrt api access from python, windows foundation apis python, access winrt from python, python windows runtime projection, windows-only, winrt-binding, async-io

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/winrt-windows-foundation) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/winrt-windows-foundation/)