> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ocornut/imgui/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Examples

> Explore Dear ImGui example applications showcasing integration with various platforms and graphics APIs

## Overview

The `examples/` folder contains standalone, ready-to-build example applications for a variety of platforms and graphics APIs. These examples demonstrate how to integrate Dear ImGui with different backends and serve as starting points for your own projects.

<Note>
  Integration in a typical existing application takes fewer than 20 lines when using standard backends.
</Note>

## Getting Started

All examples use standard backends from the `backends/` folder. Here's the basic integration pattern:

```cpp theme={null}
// At initialization:
call ImGui::CreateContext()
call ImGui_ImplXXXX_Init() for each backend.

// At the beginning of your frame:
call ImGui_ImplXXXX_NewFrame() for each backend.
call ImGui::NewFrame()

// At the end of your frame:
call ImGui::Render()
call ImGui_ImplXXXX_RenderDrawData() for your Renderer backend.

// At shutdown:
call ImGui_ImplXXXX_Shutdown() for each backend.
call ImGui::DestroyContext()
```

## Demo Window

<Warning>
  Once Dear ImGui is running, **run and refer to `ImGui::ShowDemoWindow()`** in `imgui_demo.cpp` for usage of the end-user API. This is the best way to learn!
</Warning>

```cpp theme={null}
// In your render loop
ImGui::ShowDemoWindow();
```

## Available Examples

### Desktop - OpenGL

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GLFW + OpenGL3" icon="cube">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_glfw.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp`

    Modern programmable pipeline with shader support. Supports Emscripten/WebGL compilation.

    **Recommended for:** Modern OpenGL applications
  </Card>

  <Card title="GLFW + OpenGL2" icon="cube">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_glfw.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl2.cpp`

    Legacy fixed pipeline.

    **⚠️ Not recommended** for modern GL or WebGL applications
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL2 + OpenGL3" icon="cube">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp`

    Modern programmable pipeline. Supports Emscripten/WebGL.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL3 + OpenGL3" icon="cube">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl3.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp`

    Latest SDL3 with modern OpenGL.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Desktop - DirectX (Windows)

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Win32 + DirectX11" icon="windows">
    **Platform:** Windows only

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_win32.cpp` + `imgui_impl_dx11.cpp`

    DirectX 11 renderer with native Win32 window.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Win32 + DirectX12" icon="windows">
    **Platform:** Windows only

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_win32.cpp` + `imgui_impl_dx12.cpp`

    DirectX 12 renderer (long and tedious because: DirectX12).
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL2 + DirectX11" icon="gamepad">
    **Platform:** Windows only

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_dx11.cpp`

    Demonstrates DirectX usage with SDL2.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Win32 + DirectX9" icon="windows">
    **Platform:** Windows only

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_win32.cpp` + `imgui_impl_dx9.cpp`

    Legacy DirectX 9 support.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Desktop - Vulkan

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GLFW + Vulkan" icon="fire">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_glfw.cpp` + `imgui_impl_vulkan.cpp`

    Vulkan API example (quite long because: Vulkan). Uses helper functions from imgui\_impl\_vulkan.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL2 + Vulkan" icon="fire">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_vulkan.cpp`

    SDL2 with Vulkan renderer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Win32 + Vulkan" icon="fire">
    **Platform:** Windows

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_win32.cpp` + `imgui_impl_vulkan.cpp`

    Native Win32 window with Vulkan.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL3 + Vulkan" icon="fire">
    **Platform:** Windows, macOS, Linux

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl3.cpp` + `imgui_impl_vulkan.cpp`

    Latest SDL3 with Vulkan renderer.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Desktop - Metal (Apple)

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Apple Metal" icon="apple">
    **Platform:** macOS, iOS

    **Files:** `main.m` + `imgui_impl_osx.mm` + `imgui_impl_metal.mm`

    Based on Xcode 9+ "cross-platform" game template.
  </Card>

  <Card title="GLFW + Metal" icon="apple">
    **Platform:** macOS

    **Files:** `main.mm` + `imgui_impl_glfw.cpp` + `imgui_impl_metal.mm`

    GLFW with Metal renderer for macOS.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL2 + Metal" icon="apple">
    **Platform:** macOS

    **Files:** `main.mm` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_metal.mm`

    SDL2 with Metal renderer for macOS.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL3 + Metal" icon="apple">
    **Platform:** macOS

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl3.cpp` + `imgui_impl_metal.mm`

    Latest SDL3 with Metal renderer.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Desktop - WebGPU

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GLFW + WebGPU" icon="globe">
    **Platform:** Emscripten (web), Dawn (native), WGPU (native)

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_glfw.cpp` + `imgui_impl_wgpu.cpp`

    Modern WebGPU API support.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL2 + WebGPU" icon="globe">
    **Platform:** Emscripten (web), Dawn (native), WGPU (native)

    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_wgpu.cpp`

    SDL2 with WebGPU support.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Desktop - Other

<Accordion title="GLUT + OpenGL2">
  **Platform:** Linux/Windows (FreeGLUT), macOS (GLUT framework)

  **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_glut.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl2.cpp`

  <Warning>
    GLUT/FreeGLUT is largely obsolete software. Prefer using GLFW or SDL.
  </Warning>
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Allegro 5">
  **Platform:** Cross-platform

  **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_allegro5.cpp`

  Allegro 5 game programming library.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Null Backend">
  **Platform:** Any

  **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_null.cpp`

  Headless example with no graphics output. Used for testing compilation. The null backend is intentionally minimal.
</Accordion>

### Mobile

<Accordion title="Android + OpenGL3">
  **Platform:** Android

  **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_android.cpp` + `imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp`

  Android application with OpenGL ES support.
</Accordion>

### SDL Renderer

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="SDL2 + SDL_Renderer" icon="gamepad">
    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl2.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdlrenderer2.cpp`

    Uses SDL's built-in 2D renderer. Requires SDL 2.0.18+ (November 2021).
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL3 + SDL_Renderer" icon="gamepad">
    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl3.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdlrenderer3.cpp`

    Latest SDL3 with built-in renderer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDL3 + SDL_GPU" icon="gamepad">
    **Files:** `main.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdl3.cpp` + `imgui_impl_sdlgpu3.cpp`

    SDL3 with new GPU API.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Building Examples

Most examples provide:

* **Makefiles** for Linux/macOS
* **Batch files** for Visual Studio 2008+
* **Solution files** (.sln) for Visual Studio 2012+
* **Xcode projects** for Apple platforms

<Note>
  You can also import `imgui_impl_xxx.cpp/.h` files directly into your codebase or compile them with command-line tools.
</Note>

### CMake Support

While official examples don't use CMake, community CMake support is available:

* [https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/pull/1713](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/pull/1713)
* [https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/pull/3027](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/pull/3027)

## Binary Downloads

Windows binaries for some examples are available at:

* [https://www.dearimgui.com/binaries](https://www.dearimgui.com/binaries)

## Integration Resources

<Steps>
  1. Read the [Getting Started guide](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/wiki/Getting-Started) on the Wiki
  2. Read `docs/BACKENDS.md` or online at [https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/blob/master/docs/BACKENDS.md](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/blob/master/docs/BACKENDS.md)
  3. Read `PROGRAMMER GUIDE` section in `imgui.cpp`
  4. Read the comments at the top of each backend file
  5. Study the example code that matches your target platform
</Steps>

## Mouse Cursor Latency

Dear ImGui doesn't introduce significant extra lag for most behaviors. At 60 FPS, your experience should be pleasant.

<Accordion title="About Hardware vs Software Cursors">
  OS mouse cursors are typically rendered through hardware-accelerated paths, making them feel smoother than content rendered via regular graphics APIs. This disconnect may be noticeable to sensitive users.

  You can experiment with `io.MouseDrawCursor = true` to request Dear ImGui draw a cursor using the graphics API. However, rendering at 60 FPS will feel sluggish.

  Consider switching to a software cursor *only* during interactive drags.
</Accordion>

## Learning from Examples

### Example Structure

Most examples follow this pattern:

```cpp theme={null}
int main(int, char**)
{
    // Setup window and graphics context
    // ...
    
    // Setup Dear ImGui context
    IMGUI_CHECKVERSION();
    ImGui::CreateContext();
    ImGuiIO& io = ImGui::GetIO();
    
    // Setup Dear ImGui style
    ImGui::StyleColorsDark();
    
    // Setup Platform/Renderer backends
    ImGui_ImplGlfw_InitForOpenGL(window, true);
    ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Init(glsl_version);
    
    // Main loop
    while (!glfwWindowShouldClose(window))
    {
        // Poll and handle events
        glfwPollEvents();
        
        // Start the Dear ImGui frame
        ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_NewFrame();
        ImGui_ImplGlfw_NewFrame();
        ImGui::NewFrame();
        
        // Your UI code here
        ImGui::ShowDemoWindow();
        
        // Rendering
        ImGui::Render();
        int display_w, display_h;
        glfwGetFramebufferSize(window, &display_w, &display_h);
        glViewport(0, 0, display_w, display_h);
        glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
        ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_RenderDrawData(ImGui::GetDrawData());
        
        glfwSwapBuffers(window);
    }
    
    // Cleanup
    ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Shutdown();
    ImGui_ImplGlfw_Shutdown();
    ImGui::DestroyContext();
    
    return 0;
}
```

## Tips for Choosing an Example

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="For Modern Applications" icon="rocket">
    Choose OpenGL3, DirectX11/12, Vulkan, or Metal examples. These use modern programmable pipelines.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Web Applications" icon="globe">
    Use GLFW + OpenGL3 or SDL2 + OpenGL3 examples with Emscripten compilation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Quick Prototyping" icon="bolt">
    Start with GLFW + OpenGL3 or SDL2 + OpenGL3. They're well-documented and widely supported.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Game Engines" icon="gamepad">
    Choose the example matching your engine's rendering API (DirectX, Vulkan, Metal, etc.).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Next Steps

1. **Choose an example** matching your platform and graphics API
2. **Build and run** the example to see Dear ImGui in action
3. **Study the code** to understand the integration pattern
4. **Modify the example** to experiment with Dear ImGui features
5. **Integrate into your project** using the example as a template

## See Also

* [Troubleshooting](/guides/troubleshooting) - Common issues and solutions
* [Best Practices](/guides/best-practices) - Recommended patterns and practices
* [Fonts](/guides/fonts) - Loading and using custom fonts
* [BACKENDS.md](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui/blob/master/docs/BACKENDS.md) - Backend implementation details