---
title: "Windows Desktop SDK setup"
description: "Install and initialize Gleap in your application with the Gleap Windows Desktop SDK. Follow the integration code examples."
url: https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/616-windows-desktop-sdk-setup
collection: "Windows Desktop (Beta)"
updated: 2026-11-01
language: en
---

# Windows Desktop SDK setup

Install and initialize Gleap in your application with the Gleap Windows Desktop SDK. Follow the integration code examples.

The Gleap SDK for Windows Desktop is the easiest way to integrate Gleap into your **WPF** apps. Communicate with your users directly and build better software by discovering their everyday pain points. Gleap is your all-in-one customer feedback tool for apps and websites.

For the SDK to work, you need an API key, which you can get for free at [app.gleap.ai](https://app.gleap.ai).

#### Supported platforms

<table style="min-width: 25px;"><colgroup><col style="min-width: 25px;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><th colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>✅ Windows 10/11 (WPF via WebView2)</p></th></tr></tbody></table>

> **Info:** **Beta.** The Gleap C# SDK is published as a pre-release (`0.1.0-beta.1`). Expect the odd change before the stable `1.0` release.

## 🏗 Installation

The Windows binding ships as the `Gleap.WebView2` package (it references the shared `Gleap.Core` engine). It renders the same web widget used by every Gleap SDK inside a native [WebView2](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/) control.

### Requirements

-   **Windows 10/11**
    
-   **.NET 8 SDK** or newer (the repo also builds on .NET 10) + the **.NET Desktop Runtime**
    
-   **WebView2 Runtime** — preinstalled on current Windows; otherwise install the [Evergreen Runtime](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/).
    

### Add the package

```bash
dotnet add package Gleap.WebView2 --prerelease
```

The `--prerelease` flag is required while the SDK is in beta. This pulls in the shared `Gleap.Core` engine automatically.

### Configure the SDK

The simplest integration is the drop-in `GleapMessenger` control. It floats a launcher button (styled from your project configuration) that slides the messenger in as an overlay — just like the web SDK. Session and configuration load lazily; set the `SdkKey` and you are done.

```csharp
using GleapSDK;
using GleapSDK.WebView2;

// Drop the launcher control into your window.
var messenger = new GleapMessenger { SdkKey = "YOUR_SDK_KEY" };
rootGrid.Children.Add(messenger);
```

Once it is in the visual tree you can drive Gleap from anywhere via the stable static facade:

```csharp
Gleap.StartBot("");                  // or StartConversation / OpenHelpCenter / OpenNews / ShowSurvey
Gleap.TrackEvent("checkout_completed");
```

For full control you can host a `WebView2` yourself and attach Gleap to it instead of using the control:

```csharp
await GleapWebView2Host.AttachAsync(webView2, "YOUR_SDK_KEY");
```

Congratulations 🎉 You are all set 👋

## Platform notes

-   The messenger — AI chat, bot, help center, news, surveys and classic forms — renders **natively** in your WPF window via WebView2.
    
-   **Console logs** and **network logs** are captured opt-in (see the respective pages); managed .NET has no global interception, so app traffic is routed through a Gleap handler.
    

> **Note:** [Data regions](https://gleap-developer-docs.gleap.help/en/articles/711-data-regions) are not supported by this SDK yet. It always connects to the EU region.

## 🤝 Need help?

We are here to help! [hello@gleap.ai](mailto:hello@gleap.ai)

## Related

- [Windows Desktop SDK: User identity](https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/617-windows-desktop-sdk-user-identity.md)
- [Windows Desktop SDK: Track events](https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/618-windows-desktop-sdk-track-events.md)
- [Windows Desktop SDK: Track pages](https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/619-windows-desktop-sdk-track-pages.md)
- [Windows Desktop SDK: Forms](https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/620-windows-desktop-sdk-forms.md)
- [Windows Desktop SDK: Frontend tools](https://docs.gleap.ai/en/articles/621-windows-desktop-sdk-frontend-tools.md)