Overview of developing Windows applications for USB devices

Summary:

• Guidelines for choosing the right programming model
• UWP app and desktop app developer experience

Important APIs:

• Windows.Devices.Usb
• WinUSB Functions

This article provides guidelines for deciding whether you should write a UWP app or a Windows desktop app to communicate with a USB device.

Windows provides API sets that you can use to write apps that talk to custom USB devices. The API performs common USB-related tasks such as, finding the device, data transfers.

Custom device in this context means, a device for which Microsoft doesn't provide an in-box class driver. Instead, you can install WinUSB (Winusb.sys) as the device driver.

Choosing a programming model

If you install Winusb.sys, here are the programming model options:

• UWP app for a USB device

  Windows 8.1 provides the Windows.Devices.Usb namespace, which can't be used in earlier versions of Windows. For other Microsoft Store resources, see the Universal Windows Platform documentation.

• Windows desktop app for a USB device

  Before Windows 8.1, apps that were communicating through Winusb.sys, were desktop apps written by using WinUSB Functions. In Windows 8.1, the API set was extended. For more information on Windows app development, see Develop for Windows.

The strategy for choosing the best programming model depends on various factors.

• Will your app communicate with an internal USB device?

  The APIs are primarily designed for accessing peripheral devices. The API can also access PC internal USB devices. However access to PC internal USB devices from a UWP app is limited to a privileged app that is explicitly declared in device metadata by the OEM for that PC.

• Will your app communicate with USB isochronous endpoints?

  If your app transmits data to or from isochronous endpoints of the device, you must write a Windows desktop app. In Windows 8.1, new WinUSB Functions have been added to the API set that allows a desktop app to send data to and receive data from isochronous endpoints.

• Is your app a "control panel" type of app?

  UWP apps are per-user apps and don't have the ability to make changes outside the scope of each app. For these types of apps, you must write a Windows desktop app.

• Is the USB device class supported classes by UWP apps?

  Write a UWP app if your device belongs to one these device classes.

  • name:cdcControl, classId:02 * *
  • name:physical, classId:05 * *
  • name:personalHealthcare, classId:0f 00 00
  • name:activeSync, classId:ef 01 01
  • name:palmSync, classId:ef 01 02
  • name:deviceFirmwareUpdate, classId:fe 01 01
  • name:irda, classId:fe 02 00
  • name:measurement, classId:fe 03 *
  • name:vendorSpecific, classId:ff * *

  Note

  If your device belongs to DeviceFirmwareUpdate class, your app must be a privileged app.

If your device doesn't belong to one the preceding device classes, write a Windows desktop app.

Driver requirement

Code samples

Development tools

Feature implementation

Documentation

Related topics

• Universal Serial Bus (USB)