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If you want to try Microsoft’s Windows UI samples immediately, install WinUI 3 Gallery from the Microsoft Store. If you need to inspect or change the implementation, clone Microsoft’s WinUI Gallery repository and build it in Visual Studio. Microsoft’s official materials use “WinUI 3 Gallery” or “WinUI Gallery”; they do not verify a separately numbered Gallery release called “3.0.” The “3.0” wording refers to the WinUI 3 technology demonstrated by the app.
The Store route is an interactive, no-code setup. The source route requires developer tooling but lets you inspect the XAML and code behind every sample, change the project, and run your own build.
Choose the installation route that matches your goal
| Route | Setup effort | Best for | What you can change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Store | Open the official listing, install, and launch | Exploring controls, styles, guidance, and working samples | Use the published app; you do not edit its source |
| Microsoft GitHub source | Visual Studio 2022 or later, the Windows application development component, and a Windows 10-or-later machine for execution | Reading implementation details, debugging, modifying samples, or contributing changes | Build and alter the project, including its XAML and code-behind |
Both routes lead to the same Gallery concept: an interactive catalog of WinUI controls and features. Select the Store path when your priority is learning by trying controls. Select the source path when seeing exactly how a sample is implemented matters as much as seeing its output.
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Microsoft describes the Gallery as an interactive app for exploring WinUI controls, features, styles, design guidance, and code examples. The project README summarizes its purpose as demonstrating the WinUI 3 controls and styles available for building a modern Windows app with the Windows App SDK.
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Interactive control and feature samples
Each control or feature page presents a working example that you can interact with rather than a static screenshot. Change selections, open menus, enter text, resize windows, and otherwise exercise the control to see its behavior. This makes the Gallery useful for answering practical questions such as which visual state appears after a user action or how a control responds to different content.
Markup and code-behind examples
Sample pages expose the markup and code-behind used for the example. Use that material to connect what you see on screen with the implementation: identify the XAML element, inspect its properties and event handlers, and then compare those pieces with the running result. When you move to the source-build route, you can open the same implementation directly in Visual Studio.
Adaptive UI, design, and accessibility guidance
The Gallery is broader than a control catalog. It includes adaptive UI examples and material about design and accessibility. Pay attention to these areas when evaluating a sample for a real application: a control that looks correct at one window size may need a different layout at another, and an attractive interaction still has to be usable with assistive technologies and keyboard input.
Install WinUI 3 Gallery from the Microsoft Store
This is the shortest path to running the Windows app samples. It does not require cloning code or configuring a Visual Studio solution.
- Open Microsoft’s official Samples and tools page. Find the WinUI 3 Gallery entry and follow its Microsoft Store link. The Store listing is the authoritative place to check whether the app is currently available for your region and what version is offered.
- Review the listing before installing. Confirm that the listing is available in your Microsoft Store region and note any requirements or version information shown there. The reviewed official material does not establish a universal Store version number, so do not assume that “3.0” is the app’s release label.
- Select Install. Let Microsoft Store download and register the app. If Windows asks you to sign in, complete the Store sign-in required by your installation.
- Launch the Gallery. Use the Store’s Open button or find WinUI 3 Gallery in the Start menu. The first launch may take a moment while Windows initializes the packaged app.
- Open a control or feature page. Start with a control you recognize, then try less familiar controls and the feature sections. Interact with the sample before reading the code so you have a concrete behavior to explain.
- Read the displayed example. Examine the XAML or other markup and the accompanying code-behind. Use the sample as a focused reference rather than copying an entire page without understanding which property, event, or layout element produces the behavior you need.
- Continue into adaptive UI, design, and accessibility sections. These sections show how a sample fits into a complete Windows interface, not just how an individual control renders.
What the Store route does not tell you
The Windows App SDK framework supports Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) and later, including Windows 11. That is a framework compatibility statement, not a guaranteed requirement for the current Store package. For the installed Gallery app’s actual availability, package version, and Store-specific requirements, rely on the listing shown to you in Microsoft Store.
Build WinUI Gallery from Microsoft’s source
Building from source is the route for developers who want the project files, want to modify a sample, or need to understand how the Gallery is assembled. The repository’s quick-start instructions are project-specific: use Visual Studio 2022 or later, include the Windows application development component, and run the built app on Windows 10 or later.
Prepare the machine
- Install Visual Studio 2022 or a later release.
- In the Visual Studio Installer, select the Windows application development component listed by the repository guidance.
- Use Windows 10 or later to execute the Gallery after it is built.
- Make sure Git is available so you can clone the repository.
These are the Gallery repository’s stated build and execution requirements. They are not requirements for simply installing the packaged app from Microsoft Store.
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Clone the repository
- Open a terminal in the folder where you keep development projects.
- Run:
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/WinUI-Gallery.gitGit creates a local WinUI-Gallery directory containing the solution and project files.
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Open the solution and select the project
- Start Visual Studio.
- Open
WinUIGallery.slnxfrom the cloned directory. - In Solution Explorer or the startup-project selector, choose
WinUIGalleryas the startup project.
Choosing the Gallery project explicitly matters when a solution contains more than one project. It tells Visual Studio which executable to launch when you run the solution.
Build and run
- Select the normal Debug or Release configuration. The repository README does not require a special configuration for the quick start.
- Build the solution in Visual Studio and wait for package restore and compilation to finish.
- Run the selected project with Visual Studio’s normal run command (for example, F5).
- When the Gallery opens, navigate through the same control, feature, adaptive UI, design, and accessibility sections available in the packaged experience.
A successful source build gives you the running app plus the local files behind each sample. Set breakpoints in code-behind, change XAML, rebuild, and run again to see how an implementation change affects the sample.
Understand the repository’s experimental Windows App SDK setup
The Gallery repository is not simply a consumer of one fixed, stable Windows App SDK package. Its README says that the project uses an experimental Windows App SDK to demonstrate upcoming features, pins the SDK version in standalone.props, and bundles the runtime with the app instead of referencing a shared Windows App SDK framework package.
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- An API shown in the Gallery may be experimental even if it is useful for learning the direction of the platform.
- Experimental APIs can change or be removed before a stable release, so avoid treating every sample as a promise of permanent API names or behavior.
- The Windowing APIs page combines stable and experimental examples. Experimental examples are individually labeled and carry a warning; read that label before copying an API into production code.
- The SDK version used by the repository is controlled by the project’s pinned configuration. Updating unrelated packages or replacing the pinned setup can produce a build that no longer matches the repository’s documented environment.
For a production application, verify the API’s status and current Windows App SDK documentation before depending on it. The Gallery’s value is demonstration and experimentation; it is not a guarantee that every showcased API is stable.
Troubleshoot a source build that cannot restore NuGet assets
The repository documents one specific failure mode: a missing NuGet assets error associated with a broken repository build. If that is the error you see, follow the repository’s workaround rather than applying a generic Windows repair.
- Close the solution in Visual Studio.
- In the cloned repository directory, delete
nuget.configas directed by the project’s README. - Reopen
WinUIGallery.slnx. - Build again using the normal Debug or Release configuration.
This workaround is repository-specific. If your message is different, first confirm that the Windows application development component is installed, that you opened the solution file from the clone, and that WinUIGallery remains the startup project. Do not infer from this one workaround that every Visual Studio or NuGet failure should be fixed by deleting configuration files.
Use the Gallery as a practical learning workflow
Installing the app is only the first step. A repeatable workflow helps you turn a visual sample into code you can maintain.
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1. Observe the default behavior
Open a sample and use it without changing anything. Record what happens when content is long, when a selection changes, when focus moves with the keyboard, and when the window is resized. These observations give you test cases for your own implementation.
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2. Identify the smallest relevant snippet
Read the displayed markup and code-behind and isolate the element or handler responsible for the behavior you care about. For example, if you are studying layout adaptation, focus on the containers and visual-state logic rather than copying unrelated controls from the page.
3. Compare stable and experimental examples
Look for the experimental label, especially in Windowing APIs. Treat stable examples as safer references for a production design and experimental examples as demonstrations whose API surface may change.
4. Check accessibility and resizing
Use keyboard navigation and resize the window while testing. Then consult the Gallery’s accessibility and adaptive UI guidance. This catches problems that are invisible when a sample is viewed only at its initial size with a mouse.
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If you cloned the repository, make one small XAML or code-behind change, rebuild, and run. Small iterations make it clear which property or handler caused the result and reduce the chance of carrying unrelated sample code into your application.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do not confuse Gallery installation with creating a new WinUI app
Microsoft documents a separate “Build your first WinUI app” path for readers who want to start their own application. That setup has different requirements and should not be treated as a prerequisite for installing the Gallery from Microsoft Store or for following the Gallery repository’s quick start.
Visual Studio path for a new app
The current Microsoft quickstart specifies Visual Studio 2026, the WinUI application development workload, Developer Mode, the WinUI Blank App (Packaged) C# template, and F5 to run. This creates a new project; it does not install the Gallery.
Terminal path for a new app
The documented command-line path specifies .NET SDK 10 or later, winapp CLI 0.6 or later, and Developer Mode. The commands shown are:
winapp new --name MyWinUIApp --template winui --use-defaults
cd MyWinUIApp
winapp runUse this path when your objective is a new WinUI application rather than browsing Microsoft’s existing samples. The CLI and Visual Studio requirements above belong to that app-creation workflow, not to the Store installation decision.
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Common decisions and failure points
“I only want to browse controls.”
Use Microsoft Store. It avoids source checkout, Visual Studio configuration, and build troubleshooting while still providing interactive samples and displayed code.
“I need to change a sample or set a breakpoint.”
Clone the repository and build it in Visual Studio. The packaged app cannot provide the same access to project files and local debugging.
“The listing calls it something different.”
Search for WinUI 3 Gallery or WinUI Gallery in Microsoft’s official materials. “WinUI Gallery” is the repository name, while “WinUI 3 Gallery” is the product name used in Microsoft documentation. Neither reviewed source verifies a separate Gallery release named 3.0.
“A sample uses an API I cannot find in stable documentation.”
Check whether the sample is marked experimental, particularly on the Windowing APIs page. The repository intentionally demonstrates upcoming Windows App SDK features, so an experimental API may change or disappear before release.
“The source build reports missing NuGet assets.”
Apply the repository’s documented workaround: close Visual Studio, delete nuget.config, reopen WinUIGallery.slnx, and build again. Keep this remedy limited to the documented repository error.
Which route should you use?
Choose the Store installation when you need the fastest way to explore Windows controls and see samples behave. Choose the source build when implementation details, modification, or debugging are part of the goal. In either case, use the Gallery’s code examples alongside its adaptive UI, design, and accessibility material; the combination is more useful than treating the app as a visual catalog alone.
The Bottom Line
Install WinUI 3 Gallery from Microsoft Store for immediate exploration, or clone https://github.com/microsoft/WinUI-Gallery.git and build WinUIGallery.slnx in Visual Studio 2022 or later when you need the source. Treat the repository’s experimental Windows App SDK samples as learning material whose APIs may change.
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