Windows Forms是微软的.NET开发框架的图形用户界面的一部分，该组件通过将现有的Windows API（Win32 API）封装为托管代码提供了对Windows本地（native）组件的访问方式。虽然该组件看起来是为先前较复杂的基于C++的微软基础类库（Microsoft Foundation Classes，MFC）的替代品，但是它并没有提供与Model View Controller "Document/View"架构相应的特色。"Document/View"架构已经被「MDI（多文档接口）」所取代。

Windows Forms (WinForms) is a graphical (GUI) class library included as a part of Microsoft .NET Framework, providing a platform to write rich client applications for desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs. While it is seen as a replacement for the earlier and more complex C++ based Microsoft Foundation Class Library, it does not offer a comparable paradigm and only acts as a platform for the user interface tier in a multi-tier solution.