GLFW

Introduction

GLFW is an Open Source, multi-platform library for OpenGL, OpenGL ES and Vulkan application development. It provides a simple, platform-independent API for creating windows, contexts and surfaces, reading input, handling events, etc.

GLFW natively supports Windows, macOS and Linux and other Unix-like systems. On Linux both X11 and Wayland are supported.

GLFW is licensed under the zlib/libpng license.

You can download the latest stable release as source or Windows binaries, or fetch the latest branch from GitHub. Each release starting with 3.0 also has a corresponding annotated tag with source and binary archives.

The documentation is available online and is included in all source and binary archives. See the release notes for new features, caveats and deprecations in the latest release. For more details see the version history.

The master branch is the stable integration branch and should always compile and run on all supported platforms, although details of newly added features may change until they have been included in a release. New features and many bug fixes live in other branches until they are stable enough to merge.

If you are new to GLFW, you may find the tutorial for GLFW 3 useful. If you have used GLFW 2 in the past, there is a transition guide for moving to the GLFW 3 API.

Compiling GLFW

GLFW itself requires only the headers and libraries for your OS and window system. It does not need the headers for any context creation API (WGL, GLX, EGL, NSGL, OSMesa) or rendering API (OpenGL, OpenGL ES, Vulkan) to enable support for them.

GLFW supports compilation on Windows with Visual C++ 2010 and later, MinGW and MinGW-w64, on macOS with Clang and on Linux and other Unix-like systems with GCC and Clang. It will likely compile in other environments as well, but this is not regularly tested.

There are pre-compiled Windows binaries available for all supported compilers.

See the compilation guide for more information about how to compile GLFW yourself.

Using GLFW

See the documentation for tutorials, guides and the API reference.

Contributing to GLFW

See the contribution guide for more information.

System requirements

GLFW supports Windows XP and later and macOS 10.8 and later. Linux and other Unix-like systems running the X Window System are supported even without a desktop environment or modern extensions, although some features require a running window or clipboard manager. The OSMesa backend requires Mesa 6.3.

See the compatibility guide in the documentation for more information.

Dependencies

GLFW itself needs only CMake 3.1 or later and the headers and libraries for your OS and window system.

The examples and test programs depend on a number of tiny libraries. These are located in the deps/ directory.

getopt_port for examples with command-line options
TinyCThread for threaded examples
glad2 for loading OpenGL and Vulkan functions
linmath.h for linear algebra in examples
Nuklear for test and example UI
stb_image_write for writing images to disk

The documentation is generated with Doxygen if CMake can find that tool.

Reporting bugs

Bugs are reported to our issue tracker. Please check the contribution guide for information on what to include when reporting a bug.

Changelog

Added glfwInitAllocator for setting a custom memory allocator (#544,#1628,#1947)
Added GLFWallocator struct and GLFWallocatefun, GLFWreallocatefun and GLFWdeallocatefun types (#544,#1628,#1947)
Added GLFW_RESIZE_NWSE_CURSOR, GLFW_RESIZE_NESW_CURSOR, GLFW_RESIZE_ALL_CURSOR and GLFW_NOT_ALLOWED_CURSOR cursor shapes (#427)
Added GLFW_RESIZE_EW_CURSOR alias for GLFW_HRESIZE_CURSOR (#427)
Added GLFW_RESIZE_NS_CURSOR alias for GLFW_VRESIZE_CURSOR (#427)
Added GLFW_POINTING_HAND_CURSOR alias for GLFW_HAND_CURSOR (#427)
Added GLFW_MOUSE_PASSTHROUGH window hint for letting mouse input pass through the window (#1236,#1568)
Added GLFW_FEATURE_UNAVAILABLE error for platform limitations (#1692)
Added GLFW_FEATURE_UNIMPLEMENTED error for incomplete backends (#1692)
Added GLFW_ANGLE_PLATFORM_TYPE init hint and GLFW_ANGLE_PLATFORM_TYPE_* values to select ANGLE backend (#1380)
Added GLFW_X11_XCB_VULKAN_SURFACE init hint for selecting X11 Vulkan surface extension (#1793)
Added GLFW_LIBRARY_TYPE CMake variable for overriding the library type (#279,#1307,#1497,#1574,#1928)
Added GLFW_PKG_CONFIG_REQUIRES_PRIVATE and GLFW_PKG_CONFIG_LIBS_PRIVATE CMake variables exposing pkg-config dependencies (#1307)
Made joystick subsystem initialize at first use (#1284,#1646)
Made GLFW_DOUBLEBUFFER a read-only window attribute
Updated the minimum required CMake version to 3.1
Disabled tests and examples by default when built as a CMake subdirectory
Bugfix: The CMake config-file package used an absolute path and was not relocatable (#1470)
Bugfix: Video modes with a duplicate screen area were discarded (#1555,#1556)
Bugfix: Compiling with -Wextra-semi caused warnings (#1440)
Bugfix: Built-in mappings failed because some OEMs re-used VID/PID (#1583)
Bugfix: Some extension loader headers did not prevent default OpenGL header inclusion (#1695)
Bugfix: Buffers were swapped at creation on single-buffered windows (#1873)
Bugfix: Gamepad mapping updates could spam GLFW_INVALID_VALUE due to incompatible controllers sharing hardware ID (#1763)
[Win32] Added the GLFW_WIN32_KEYBOARD_MENU window hint for enabling access to the window menu
[Win32] Added a version info resource to the GLFW DLL
[Win32] Disabled framebuffer transparency on Windows 7 when DWM windows are opaque (#1512)
[Win32] Bugfix: GLFW_INCLUDE_VULKAN plus VK_USE_PLATFORM_WIN32_KHR caused symbol redefinition (#1524)
[Win32] Bugfix: The cursor position event was emitted before its cursor enter event (#1490)
[Win32] Bugfix: The window hint GLFW_MAXIMIZED did not move or resize the window (#1499)
[Win32] Bugfix: Disabled cursor mode interfered with some non-client actions
[Win32] Bugfix: Super key was not released after Win+V hotkey (#1622)
[Win32] Bugfix: glfwGetKeyName could access out of bounds and return an invalid pointer
[Win32] Bugfix: Some synthetic key events were reported as GLFW_KEY_UNKNOWN (#1623)
[Win32] Bugfix: Non-BMP Unicode codepoint input was reported as UTF-16
[Win32] Bugfix: Monitor functions could return invalid values after configuration change (#1761)
[Win32] Bugfix: Initialization would segfault on Windows 8 (not 8.1) (#1775)
[Win32] Bugfix: Duplicate size events were not filtered (#1610)
[Win32] Bugfix: Full screen windows were incorrectly resized by DPI changes (#1582)
[Win32] Bugfix: GLFW_SCALE_TO_MONITOR had no effect on systems older than Windows 10 version 1703 (#1511)
[Win32] Bugfix: USE_MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY_DLL had no effect on CMake 3.15 or later (#1783,#1796)
[Win32] Bugfix: Compilation with LLVM for Windows failed (#1807,#1824,#1874)
[Win32] Bugfix: The foreground lock timeout was overridden, ignoring the user
[Cocoa] Added support for VK_EXT_metal_surface (#1619)
[Cocoa] Added locating the Vulkan loader at runtime in an application bundle
[Cocoa] Moved main menu creation to GLFW initialization time (#1649)
[Cocoa] Changed EGLNativeWindowType from NSView to CALayer (#1169)
[Cocoa] Changed F13 key to report Print Screen for cross-platform consistency (#1786)
[Cocoa] Removed dependency on the CoreVideo framework
[Cocoa] Bugfix: glfwSetWindowSize used a bottom-left anchor point (#1553)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Window remained on screen after destruction until event poll (#1412)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Event processing before window creation would assert (#1543)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Undecorated windows could not be iconified on recent macOS
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Touching event queue from secondary thread before main thread would abort (#1649)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Non-BMP Unicode codepoint input was reported as UTF-16 (#1635)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Failing to retrieve the refresh rate of built-in displays could leak memory
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Objective-C files were compiled as C with CMake 3.19 (#1787)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Duplicate video modes were not filtered out (#1830)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Menubar was not clickable on macOS 10.15+ until it lost and regained focus (#1648,#1802)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Monitor name query could segfault on macOS 11 (#1809,#1833)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: The install name of the installed dylib was relative (#1504)
[Cocoa] Bugfix: The MoltenVK layer contents scale was updated only after related events were emitted
[Cocoa] Bugfix: Moving the cursor programmatically would freeze it for a fraction of a second (#1962)
[X11] Bugfix: The CMake files did not check for the XInput headers (#1480)
[X11] Bugfix: Key names were not updated when the keyboard layout changed (#1462,#1528)
[X11] Bugfix: Decorations could not be enabled after window creation (#1566)
[X11] Bugfix: Content scale fallback value could be inconsistent (#1578)
[X11] Bugfix: glfwMaximizeWindow had no effect on hidden windows
[X11] Bugfix: Clearing GLFW_FLOATING on a hidden window caused invalid read
[X11] Bugfix: Changing GLFW_FLOATING on a hidden window could silently fail
[X11] Bugfix: Disabled cursor mode was interrupted by indicator windows
[X11] Bugfix: Monitor physical dimensions could be reported as zero mm
[X11] Bugfix: Window position events were not emitted during resizing (#1613)
[X11] Bugfix: glfwFocusWindow could terminate on older WMs or without a WM
[X11] Bugfix: Querying a disconnected monitor could segfault (#1602)
[X11] Bugfix: IME input of CJK was broken for "C" locale (#1587,#1636)
[X11] Bugfix: Termination would segfault if the IM had been destroyed
[X11] Bugfix: Any IM started after initialization would not be detected
[X11] Bugfix: Xlib errors caused by other parts of the application could be reported as GLFW errors
[X11] Bugfix: A handle race condition could cause a BadWindow error (#1633)
[X11] Bugfix: XKB path used keysyms instead of physical locations for non-printable keys (#1598)
[X11] Bugfix: Function keys were mapped to GLFW_KEY_UNKNOWN for some layout combinaitons (#1598)
[X11] Bugfix: Keys pressed simultaneously with others were not always reported (#1112,#1415,#1472,#1616)
[X11] Bugfix: Some window attributes were not applied on leaving fullscreen (#1863)
[X11] Bugfix: Changing GLFW_FLOATING could leak memory
[Wayland] Added dynamic loading of all Wayland libraries
[Wayland] Removed support for wl_shell (#1443)
[Wayland] Bugfix: The GLFW_HAND_CURSOR shape used the wrong image (#1432)
[Wayland] Bugfix: CLOCK_MONOTONIC was not correctly enabled
[Wayland] Bugfix: Repeated keys could be reported with NULL window (#1704)
[Wayland] Bugfix: Retrieving partial framebuffer size would segfault
[Wayland] Bugfix: Scrolling offsets were inverted compared to other platforms (#1463)
[Wayland] Bugfix: Client-Side Decorations were destroyed in the wrong worder (#1798)
[Wayland] Bugfix: Monitors physical size could report zero (#1784,#1792)
[Wayland] Bugfix: Some keys were not repeating in Wayland (#1908)
[Wayland] Bugfix: Non-arrow cursors are offset from the hotspot (#1706,#1899)
[POSIX] Removed use of deprecated function gettimeofday
[POSIX] Bugfix: CLOCK_MONOTONIC was not correctly tested for or enabled
[NSGL] Removed enforcement of forward-compatible flag for core contexts
[NSGL] Bugfix: GLFW_COCOA_RETINA_FRAMEBUFFER had no effect on newer macOS versions (#1442)
[NSGL] Bugfix: Workaround for swap interval on 10.14 broke on 10.12 (#1483)
[NSGL] Bugfix: Defining GL_SILENCE_DEPRECATION externally caused a duplicate definition warning (#1840)
[EGL] Added platform selection via the EGL_EXT_platform_base extension (#442)
[EGL] Added ANGLE backend selection via EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle extension (#1380)
[EGL] Bugfix: The GLFW_DOUBLEBUFFER context attribute was ignored (#1843)

Contact

On glfw.org you can find the latest version of GLFW, as well as news, documentation and other information about the project.

If you have questions related to the use of GLFW, we have a forum, and the #glfw IRC channel on Libera.Chat.

If you have a bug to report, a patch to submit or a feature you'd like to request, please file it in the issue tracker on GitHub.

Finally, if you're interested in helping out with the development of GLFW or porting it to your favorite platform, join us on the forum, GitHub or IRC.

Acknowledgements

GLFW exists because people around the world donated their time and lent their skills.

Bobyshev Alexander
Laurent Aphecetche
Matt Arsenault
ashishgamedev
David Avedissian
Keith Bauer
John Bartholomew
Coşku Baş
Niklas Behrens
Andrew Belt
Nevyn Bengtsson
Niklas Bergström
Denis Bernard
Doug Binks
blanco
Waris Boonyasiriwat
Kyle Brenneman
Rok Breulj
Kai Burjack
Martin Capitanio
Nicolas Caramelli
David Carlier
Arturo Castro
Chi-kwan Chan
Joseph Chua
Ian Clarkson
Michał Cichoń
Lambert Clara
Anna Clarke
Yaron Cohen-Tal
Omar Cornut
Andrew Corrigan
Bailey Cosier
Noel Cower
CuriouserThing
Jason Daly
Jarrod Davis
Olivier Delannoy
Paul R. Deppe
Michael Dickens
Роман Донченко
Mario Dorn
Wolfgang Draxinger
Jonathan Dummer
Ralph Eastwood
Fredrik Ehnbom
Robin Eklind
Siavash Eliasi
Ahmad Fatoum
Felipe Ferreira
Michael Fogleman
Gerald Franz
Mário Freitas
GeO4d
Marcus Geelnard
Charles Giessen
Ryan C. Gordon
Stephen Gowen
Kovid Goyal
Eloi Marín Gratacós
Stefan Gustavson
Jonathan Hale
hdf89shfdfs
Sylvain Hellegouarch
Matthew Henry
heromyth
Lucas Hinderberger
Paul Holden
Warren Hu
Charles Huber
IntellectualKitty
Aaron Jacobs
Erik S. V. Jansson
Toni Jovanoski
Arseny Kapoulkine
Cem Karan
Osman Keskin
Koray Kilinc
Josh Kilmer
Byunghoon Kim
Cameron King
Peter Knut
Christoph Kubisch
Yuri Kunde Schlesner
Rokas Kupstys
Konstantin Käfer
Eric Larson
Francis Lecavalier
Jong Won Lee
Robin Leffmann
Glenn Lewis
Shane Liesegang
Anders Lindqvist
Leon Linhart
Marco Lizza
Eyal Lotem
Aaron Loucks
Luflosi
lukect
Tristam MacDonald
Hans Mackowiak
Дмитри Малышев
Zbigniew Mandziejewicz
Adam Marcus
Célestin Marot
Kyle McDonald
David V. McKay
David Medlock
Bryce Mehring
Jonathan Mercier
Marcel Metz
Liam Middlebrook
Ave Milia
Jonathan Miller
Kenneth Miller
Bruce Mitchener
Jack Moffitt
Jeff Molofee
Alexander Monakov
Pierre Morel
Jon Morton
Pierre Moulon
Martins Mozeiko
Julian Møller
ndogxj
n3rdopolis
Kristian Nielsen
Kamil Nowakowski
onox
Denis Ovod
Ozzy
Andri Pálsson
Peoro
Braden Pellett
Christopher Pelloux
Arturo J. Pérez
Vladimir Perminov
Anthony Pesch
Orson Peters
Emmanuel Gil Peyrot
Cyril Pichard
Keith Pitt
Stanislav Podgorskiy
Konstantin Podsvirov
Nathan Poirier
Alexandre Pretyman
Pablo Prietz
przemekmirek
pthom
Guillaume Racicot
Philip Rideout
Eddie Ringle
Max Risuhin
Jorge Rodriguez
Luca Rood
Ed Ropple
Aleksey Rybalkin
Mikko Rytkönen
Riku Salminen
Brandon Schaefer
Sebastian Schuberth
Christian Sdunek
Matt Sealey
Steve Sexton
Arkady Shapkin
Ali Sherief
Yoshiki Shibukawa
Dmitri Shuralyov
Daniel Skorupski
Anthony Smith
Bradley Smith
Cliff Smolinsky
Patrick Snape
Erlend Sogge Heggen
Julian Squires
Johannes Stein
Pontus Stenetorp
Michael Stocker
Justin Stoecker
Elviss Strazdins
Paul Sultana
Nathan Sweet
TTK-Bandit
Jared Tiala
Sergey Tikhomirov
Arthur Tombs
Ioannis Tsakpinis
Samuli Tuomola
Matthew Turner
urraka
Elias Vanderstuyft
Stef Velzel
Jari Vetoniemi
Ricardo Vieira
Nicholas Vitovitch
Simon Voordouw
Corentin Wallez
Torsten Walluhn
Patrick Walton
Xo Wang
Jay Weisskopf
Frank Wille
Andy Williams
Joel Winarske
Richard A. Wilkes
Tatsuya Yatagawa
Ryogo Yoshimura
Lukas Zanner
Andrey Zholos
Aihui Zhu
Santi Zupancic
Jonas Ådahl
Lasse Öörni
Leonard König
All the unmentioned and anonymous contributors in the GLFW community, for bug reports, patches, feedback, testing and encouragement

martbelko/glfw