Contents

Get started
Download and install the Windows ADK
Install the ADK offline
Kits and tools overview
What's new in the Windows ADK and ADK tools
What's new in Windows 10, version 1809
 Get started with Windows 10
1/18/2019 • 2 minutes to read

Build innovative and differentiated devices with Windows 10. Windows 10 runs on a broad set of devices—from
desktops, notebooks, phones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The operating system's common core works
across platforms with 80-inch screens, 4-inch screens, or devices with no screens at all.
You can create devices to use touch/pen, mouse/keyboard, controller/gesture—or you can build them to switch
between input types.

Start building Windows 10 devices

BUILD A WINDOWS PC BUILD DRIVERS FOR A WINDOWS DEVICE

Download the Windows ADK to start building Windows PCs Download the WDK to start building drivers

What's new in Windows 10 What's new in driver development

Design your deployment Develop Universal Windows Drivers

Customize your Windows PC Sign drivers

Create an end-to-end deployment Test drivers

TIP
See Kits and tools overview to learn how our kits and tools enable you to work with Windows.

Design hardware with the latest features

Building a great Windows 10 device starts with selecting the right components. Understanding the difference
between minimum and optimal hardware requirements will ensure the best usability and performance. Our
guidelines explain the requirements to implement Windows features like Cortana, Windows Hello, Touch, Windows
Pen, and Continuum.
Hardware component guidelines

Customize Windows images to reflect your brand

For desktop PCs, you can use your existing settings file (Unattend.xml) to add settings during Windows installation.
Build a Windows Setup unattend file

Develop Universal Windows Drivers

Learn fundamental concepts about drivers.
Concepts for all driver developers
Create a single driver that runs across multiple device types, from embedded systems to tablets and desktop PCs.
UMDF and KMDF templates are included in Visual Studio to help you get started.
Get started with Universal Windows drivers

Test system components for compatibility and performance

Write and run test automations
with the Test Authoring and
Execution Framework (TAEF). Share
your tests across disciplines and
teams.
Get started with the Test Authoring
and Execution Framework (TAEF)
Test your hardware with the
Windows Hardware Lab Kit.
Get started with the Windows
Hardware Lab Kit
Analyze system and application
performance using the Windows
Performance Toolkit.
Get started with the Windows
Performance step-by-step guides

Manufacturing – putting it all together

For desktop PCs, learn
strategies to build a set
of images for specific
markets to meet
different customers'
needs.
Build and deploy
desktop devices
Learn about deploying
Windows 10 S, a
configuration of
Windows 10 Pro that
offers a familiar,
productive Windows
experience that’s
streamlined for security
and performance.
Windows 10 S
manufacturing overview
Build IoT Core devices, OEMs and ODMs can
applying apps, drivers, build and test mobile
and settings to new devices and drivers.
devices.
Build and deploy phones
Build and deploy IoT
Core devices
 Download and install the Windows ADK
6/14/2019 • 3 minutes to read

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) has the tools you need to customize Windows
images for large-scale deployment, and to test the quality and performance of your system, its added components,
and the applications running on it. The Windows ADK includes:
The Windows Assessment Toolkit and the Windows Performance Toolkit to assess the quality and
performance of systems or components.
Deployment tools such as WinPE, Sysprep, and other tools that you can use to customize and deploy
Windows 10 images.
Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE ) is released separately
from the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK). To add Windows PE to your ADK installation, download
the Windows PE Addon and run the included installer after installing the ADK. This change enables post-
RTM updates to tools in the ADK. After you run the installer, the WinPE files will be in the same location as
they were in previous ADK installs.
If you're installing the ADK on a device running a 64-bit version of Windows and plan to use the Windows
System Image Manager (WSIM ), see What's new in kits and tools.
Download the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1903
Download the Windows PE add-on for the ADK

Download the Windows System I mage Manager ( WSI M) 1903 update

What's new in ADK tools for Windows 10, version 1903.

For Windows 10 IoT Core, also download the IoT Core Add-Ins.

Other ADK downloads

ADK VERSION AND DOWNLOAD LINK DESCRIPTION

ADK for Windows 10 Insider Preview Windows Insiders can download preview versions of the ADK.
See what's new for Windows Insiders for Business.

ADK for Windows 10, version 1809 What's new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1809

Windows PE add-on for ADK, version 1809 New as of Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation
Environment (PE) is avalable seperatly form the Assessment
and Deployment Kit (ADK)

ADK for Windows 10, version 1803 What's new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1803

ADK for Windows 10, version 1709 What's new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1709.
For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1709, also download
the IoT Core Add-Ins v4.4.
 ADK VERSION AND DOWNLOAD LINK DESCRIPTION

ADK for Windows 10, version 1703 What's new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1703.
For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1703, also download
the IoT Core Add-Ins v3.2.

ADK for Windows 10, version 1607 What's new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1607.
For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1607, also download
the IoT Core Add-Ins v2.0 (14393_v1).

ADK for Windows 8 What's new in ADK for Windows 8

AIK for Windows 7 WAIK for Windows 7 Readme

Windows OEM HAL Extension Test Cert 2017 To use the Windows ADK to work with HAL Extensions,
download and install the updated Windows OEM HAL
Extension Test Cert 2017 (TEST ONLY) certificate. Learn more.

Install the ADK

Install the ADK based on what works best for your environment.
For computers that are connected to the internet, you can use any of the download links above.
For secure manufacturing environments, you can install the Windows ADK offline.
For automated installs, you can silently install the Windows ADK.

Windows ADK tools for IT pros

Windows ADK contains core assessment and deployment tools that IT Pros can use to deploy Windows 10
company-wide, including the User State Migration Tool (USMT) and Volume Activation Management Tool
(VAMT).
Learn more about VAMT
Learn more about USMT
Learn more about Application Virtualization (App-V )
Learn more about IT Pro scenarios

Related downloads
Download the Windows Driver Kit
Download the Windows HLK, HCK, or Logo Kit
Download the debugging tools for Windows (WinDbg)
Download the Windows Symbols Packages
Download Windows ADK Insider Preview builds
 Install the Windows ADK offline
1/18/2019 • 2 minutes to read

To install the Windows ADK on a PC that does not have Internet access, first download the installer files on a PC
that has internet access. Next, copy the installer files to a location that is accessible to the offline computer. Then run
ADKSetup.exe using either the GUI or the command line.

Using the GUI

1. On a PC that has Internet access, see Download and install the Windows ADK.
2. Click one of the links to download the ADK version you desire, and Save adksetup.exe to a location on your
computer.
3. Run ADKSetup.exe. After a few seconds, the Specify Location screen appears.

IMPORTANT
The success of this step requires that you run ADKSetup.exe on a computer with an Internet connection and without
a copy of Windows ADK installed. If you have Windows ADK installed and do not wish to uninstall it, consider
following the instructions in the "Using the command line" section below instead.

4. In the Specify Location screen, choose the second option that reads: "Download the Windows Assessment and
Deployment Toolkit for installation on a separate computer". (The exact wording might differ, depending on the
version of ADK.)
5. Follow the on-screen instruction to finish downloading Windows ADK.
6. Copy the downloaded files to a location that the offline computer can access. For example, copy the files to
removable media or to a file server that the target computer can access.
7. On the offline computer, change directory to the location of the copied files.
8. Run ADKSetup.exe, and then select the Windows ADK features that you want to install.

Using the command line

If you have a scenario where you need to silently install the Windows ADK, you can install using the command line.
1. On a PC that has Internet access, see Download and install the Windows ADK.
2. Click one of the links to download the ADK version you desire, and Save adksetup.exe to a location on your
computer.
3. Open a Command Prompt window as administrator.
4. Change to the directory that stores the Adksetup.exe file:

cd %userprofile%\downloads

5. Run adksetup.exe. Use /quiet to run the installer silently. Use /layout to specify where the offline install files
will be copied to.

adksetup /quiet /layout c:\temp\ADKoffline

6. Copy the downloaded files to a location that the offline computer can access. For example, copy the files to
removable media or to a file server that the offline computer can access.
7. On the offline computer, open a Command Prompt window as an administrator.
8. Change to the directory that contains adksetup.exe.
9. Run adksetup.exe. Use /quiet for a silent installation, /installpath to specify where to install the ADK, and
/features to specify features. For example, install Deployment Tools to c:\ADK silently:

adksetup.exe /quiet /installpath c:\ADK /features OptionId.DeploymentTools

Related topics
ADKSetup Command-Line Syntax.
 Kits and tools overview
1/24/2019 • 3 minutes to read

These kits and tools are available for use with Windows 10 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and
Education) and Windows 10 Mobile for development and manufacturing.
Learn about known issues and workarounds for this release in our WinHEC forums.

ADK for Windows 10

Download the ADK for Windows 10
Download the Windows ADK to install tools and documentation for OEMs and ODMs to customize Windows 10
images, assess the quality and performance of systems or components, and to deploy Windows operating systems
to new computers. The Windows ADK includes Windows Configuration Designer, the Windows Assessment
Toolkit, the Windows Performance Toolkit, and several new and improved deployment tools that can help you
automate a large-scale deployment of Windows 10. For more information, see What’s new in kits and tools.
Learn about the ADK tools
The topics below provide instructions on using the tools included in the Windows 10 ADK:
Windows Configuration Designer
Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE )
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM )
Windows System Image Manager (WSIM )
Windows Assessment Toolkit
Windows Performance Toolkit
User State Migration Toolkit (USMT)
Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)
User Experience Virtualization (UE -V )
Application Virtualization (App-V )

Microsoft Visual Studio 2017

Install Microsoft Visual Studio 2017
Start by downloading Visual Studio 2017 and Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Windows 10. Used together,
Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio Tools for Windows 10, standalone Windows Software Development Kit
(SDK) for Windows 10, and Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 10 provide an integrated development environment for
creating efficient, high-quality drivers for devices running Windows 10.

Standalone Windows SDK for Windows 10

Install the Standalone Windows SDK for Windows 10
Windows SDK for Windows 10 contains headers, libraries, and tools you can use when you create apps that run
on Windows operating systems. You can use the Windows SDK for Windows 10, along with your chosen
development environment, to write apps for Windows 10 for desktop editions and Windows 10 Mobile.

WDK 10
Install the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 10
Download Universal Windows driver samples
WDK 10 contains the tools to build, test, debug, and deploy drivers for Windows 10. WDK 10 unifies support for
mobile and desktop devices, Universal Windows drivers, and, with Visual Studio, provides a unified test experience
with reliable deployment and debug provisioning that includes WinDbg. You can run many basic certification tests
in the integrated environment. The WDK 10 includes templates for several technologies and driver models,
including Windows Driver Frameworks (WDF ), Universal Serial Bus (USB ), print, networking, and file system
filters. WDK 10 also supports Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 driver development.
For more information about driver development for Windows 10, see What's new in Universal Windows driver
development and What's new in kits and tools.

Enterprise WDK (EWDK)

The Enterprise WDK (EWDK) is a kit that large organizations can use as an alternative to downloading and
installing the SDK and WDK individually on each computer. The EWDK has a command-line build environment
that is based on files and is not computer-dependent, so after the environment file structure has been created, it
can be distributed for direct use, such as through version control software or by zipping the contents and
unzipping on other computers. It contains the necessary elements to build Windows Driver Model (WDM ) drivers,
WDF drivers, and classic Windows test applications.

Windows symbols
Symbol files make it easier to debug your code. The easiest way to get Windows symbols is to use the Microsoft
Symbol Server. If you prefer to download the entire set of symbols for a particular version of Windows, download
a symbol package.

Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows 10

Download the HLK for Windows 10
The Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) for Windows 10 is an all-purpose test and measurement kit to help you
determine how well your hardware interacts with Windows. The HLK provides a test infrastructure for PCs. For
more information on the using the HLK with Windows 10, see Windows Hardware Lab Kit User's Guide.

HLK supplemental test content

Some tests, like graphics and multimedia tests, require additional files for testing. You can find this content in the
Windows HLK supplemental media test content section on the Download the Windows HLK, HCK, or Logo
Kit page.

What else is new?

See What's new in kits and tools
 What's new in ADK kits and tools
6/14/2019 • 7 minutes to read

What's new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1903
Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA )
The latest WPA has two new features:
Right-Click Tooltips for Column Headers - Use this for “one click” changes to Column Aggregation,
Format, and Modes.
Utility Columns for CPU Tables (Sampled & Precise) - This augments the Weight or Usage columns
values by performance characteristics of the Processor Architecture.
Windows System Image Manager known issue
When using Window System Image Manager (SIM ), you might encounter errors if the ADK is installed on a
device running a 64-bit version of Windows. To create unattended Windows Setup answer files on a 64-bit
version of Windows, download the WSIM 1903 update, and follow the included installation instructions.
Hashes for the WSIM 1903 update download:
SHA1 - EB6F0DDE2CBEF44261174E23BFF844418E1CC428
SHA256 - D20D0F5AA5E4AECC2D8E344B2A88E65AA799598C89CF19229C82E27C4E961D83
Windows Assessment Toolkit known issue
The Fast Startup assessment may not automatically reboot some systems using an ACPI Time and Alarm device
after shutdown when the “use wake timers” option is selected in the assessment configuration. If this is blocking
test automation, clear the option and retry.

What's new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1809
Windows PE
Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE ) is released separately from
the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK). To add Windows PE to your ADK installation, download the Windows
PE Addon and run the included installer after installing the ADK. This change enables post-RTM updates to tools
in the ADK. After running the installer for the WinPE add-on, the WinPE files will be in the same location as they
were in previous installs of the ADK.
See Download and install the Windows ADK and ADK tools to get the ADK and WinPE add-on.
WPT
With the latest version of Windows Performance Recorder (WPR ), WPR Profiles (WPRP ) with Custom Events in
TraceMergeProperties now work as intended. Due to this change, if a custom WPRP contains an
TraceMergeProperties XML element with an empty set of Custom Events, this will no longer include the default
set of Custom Events (ImageIDs, WinSat, etc). To keep the same behavior with previous versions, make sure to
include the following attribute as part of the TraceMergeProperties element: Base=”TraceMerge_Default”
With the latest version of Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA), .NET 4.5.2 framework is required for certain
components when running on Windows 8 installations. To ensure proper use of WPA, download the latest version
of .NET.
Retail Demo Experience (RDX)
RDX 3.0 is available in Windows 10, version 1809, and will be automatically updated on Windows 10, version
1803 for connected devices. Updates include a new webpage-style layout, a new API to allow you to manage your
own assets, and a digital fact tag that can be updated locally from the sales floor.
Answer file setting changes
For an overview of Unattend settings that are new, deprecated, and removed, see Changed answer file settings for
Windows 10, version 1809 for desktop editions.
To learn more, see Unattended Windows Setup Reference.

What's new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1803
PowerView
PowerView is a new tool used to visualize data from Energy Estimation Engine logs produced by powercfg
/srumutil, and Windows Assessment Toolkit battery life tests.
New in Windows Assessment Toolkit
Standby (S3) and Hibernate (S4) battery life workloads
Productivity Workload (prerequisite: install Microsoft Office 2016 before executing the test)
Modern Standby Performance
See Windows Assessment Toolkit for guidance.
Answer file setting changes
For an overview of Unattend settings that are new, deprecated, and removed, see Changed answer file settings for
Windows 10, version 1803 for desktop editions.
To learn more, see Unattended Windows Setup Reference.
MDM: Enhanced device and PC management
Check out the new CSPs settings.
See Mobile Device Management for more information.
More changes
See What's new in Windows 10 for the latest features and changes in design, customization, manufacturing, and
drivers.

What’s new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1709
Support for ARM64 platforms
Answer file setting changes
For an overview of Unattend settings that are new, deprecated, and removed, see Changed answer file settings for
Windows 10 version 1709 for desktop editions.
To learn more about Unattend settings, see the Unattended Windows Setup Reference.
MDM: Enhanced device and PC management
Check out the new CSPs settings.
See Mobile Device Management for more information.
More changes
See What's new in Windows 10 for the latest features and changes in design, customization, manufacturing, and
drivers.

TIP
Watch our video on ADK, HLK, HDK and EWDK updates for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to learn more.

Learn about the ADK tools

The topics below provide instructions on using the tools included in the Windows 10 ADK:
Windows Configuration Designer
Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE )
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM )
Windows System Image Manager (WSIM )
Windows Assessment Toolkit
Windows Performance Toolkit
User State Migration Toolkit (USMT)
Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)
User Experience Virtualization (UE -V )
Application Virtualization (App-V )

TIP
You can find ADK tools located in the following directory:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit

What’s new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1703
Windows Configuration Designer
Previously known as Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD ), the tool for creating provisioning
packages is renamed Windows Configuration Designer. Windows Configuration Designer in Windows 10,
version 1703, includes several new wizards to make it easier to create provisioning packages.
New answer file settings added
To see the newest unattend settings, go to Changed answer file settings for Windows 10 version 1703 for desktop
editions.
MDM: Enhanced device and PC management
Check out the new CSPs settings.

What’s new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1607
Pick and choose desktop applications
With siloed provisioning packages, you can now pick and choose which desktop applications to add to your
images during deployment. You no longer need to recapture the entire set of applications into your recovery
image, they’re added in automatically. These packages support space-saving features like Compact OS and single-
instancing.
Build IoT Core images for large -scale deployment
Capture your apps, drivers, and settings, and deploy them securely to new devices. Learn how with the IoT Core
manufacturing guides.
The Chinese (Hong Kong SAR ) language pack (zh-HK ) is no longer used.
The Chinese (Taiwan) language pack (zh-TW ) supports both Taiwan and Hong Kong locales. For more
information, see Available Language Packs for Windows.
You can limit access to a single Windows app (assigned access)
Configure Assigned Access
New answer file settings added
Add more tiles to the Start Menu: SquareOrDesktopTile7 through SquareOrDesktopTile12
Add an advanced pen settings app
Allow a chat window in a remote access session
Set auto-brightness controls
See more new answer file settings
MDM: Enhanced device and PC management
Check out the new CSPs settings.

What’s new in the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1511
The Windows ADK now includes Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer, the Windows Assessment
Toolkit, the Windows Performance Toolkit, and several new and improved deployment tools that can help you
automate a large-scale deployment of Windows 10.
Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD)
Quickly create a provisioning package that you can use to customize devices without re-imaging.
Build a customized Windows 10 image for specific market segments and regions.
See Getting started with Windows ICD for more information.
Push-button reset incorporates system updates by default
Users can now refresh or restore their PCs to the updated version of the system files, instead of having to reinstall
each update individually.
Partial language packs now available
Want to add more languages for users when they turn on their device? Instead of adding full language packs, save
space by adding just the base user interface files for a language. Later, if your user needs handwriting or voice
recognition capabilities, Windows can download them as needed.
For more information, see Language Packs (lp.cab).
New package type: Capabilities
This new Windows package type lets you request services like Microsoft .NET or languages without specifying the
version. Use the DISM tool to search multiple sources like Windows Update or your corporate servers to find and
install the latest version.
Save space by running Windows from compressed OS files
You can now run Windows directly from compressed files. This is similar to WIMBoot, introduced in Windows 8.1
Update 1. This new process uses individual files instead of a static WIM file. When updating system files,
Windows now replaces the old files instead of keeping both copies.

Related topics
Kits and tools overview
What's new in driver development
What's new in the Windows Performance Toolkit
What's new in the Hardware Lab Kit
 What's new in Windows 10, version 1809
3/25/2019 • 2 minutes to read

Welcome to Windows 10, version 1809! Here are some resources to get you acquainted with the new features
and changes introduced for Windows device and driver creators in this version of Windows 10.

New in design
TOPIC DESCRIPTION

Compatibility specifications The Windows Hardware Compatibility Program is designed to

help your company deliver systems, software, and hardware
products that are compatible with Windows and run reliably
on Windows 10 and Windows Server. Windows 10 and
Windows Server have updated specifications and policies
available for download.

New in driver development

TOPIC DESCRIPTION

Windows Hardware Dev Center dashboard We added new and improved functionality in the way of
Hardware APIs for developers, IHVs, and OEMs to track and
submit driver packages to the Windows hardware dashboard.

Open publishing On many pages of the Windows driver documentation, you

can suggest changes directly. Look for the Contribute button
in the upper right corner of a page.

Debugging tools for Windows New Debugger Data Model API and support for IPV6.

Device and driver installation Driver verifier includes new driver validation rules.

Windows Driver Frameworks (WDF) The Windows Driver Framework (WDF) includes Kernel-Mode
Driver Framework (KMDF) version 1.27 and User-Mode Driver
Framework version 2.27

WPP Software Tracing Introducing new feature: Inflight Trace Recorder. If the driver
enables WPP tracing and WPP Recorder, trace logging is
turned on automatically and you can easily view messages
without starting or stopping trace sessions.

TIP
See What's new in Driver development for an in-depth look.

New in manufacturing
 TOPIC DESCRIPTION

Deploy Push-button reset using Auto-apply folders Auto-apply folders make configuring Push-button reset easier.

Windows PE (WinPE) WinPE is no longer part of the ADK installer, and is now
available as an add-on to the ADK

Add languages to Windows Language interface pack (LIP) languages are now distributed
as .appx files. Note, the DISM /set-uilang and /set-allintl
options are no longer supported for LIP languages.

Available features on demand Several new Features on Demand are available

Windows 10 IoT Core manufacturing You can now create Windows IoT Core images using
PowerShell.

Recovery WinPE is no longer part of the ADK installer, and is now

available as an add-on to the ADK

New customization options

TOPIC DESCRIPTION

Retail Demo Mode RDX 3.0 will be available soon. Connected devices will receive
the update automatically.

Unified Write Filter On devices with a disk overlay, you can use freespace
passthrough to access your drive's additional free space. You
can use a persistent overlay to allow data saved in the virtual
overlay to remain even after a reboot.

Adaptive Brightness New settings for adaptive brightness: ALRCurveVersion,

DefaultSliderPosition, and IsAutobrightnessEnabledByDefault.
Adaptive brightness changes the brightness of a monitor or
display based on the ambient light.

Related topics
What's new in Windows 10, version 1809 for IT Pros