Windows RT

Why Trust Techopedia

What Does Windows RT Mean?

Windows RT is the official name for the Windows 8 OS version that runs on low-powered ARM processors. ARM processors are increasingly popular because they power many tablets and phones, as well as embedded and portable devices that rely on battery life.

When it was still in development, Windows RT was referred to as Windows on ARM.

Techopedia Explains Windows RT

The "RT" stands for "runtime", for the Windows Runtime Library, the programming model for applications in the Metro design language. This is an intermediate level software library that allows developers to write an application once and be able to compile it in different ways, so that it runs on both Intel-type and ARM processors. This allows software programs and applications that are built using the WinRT APIs to be distributed for use on the 32-bit and 64-bit x86 Intel-based devices, like your office PC, as well as ARM devices like Windows Phone.

Related Terms

Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.