---
title: Virtual HID Driver
subtitle: User-mode virtual gamepads for Windows
layout: page
full-width: true
after-content:
  - donate.html
  - support.html
cover-img:
  - /assets/img/banners/libvirtualhid.jpeg
---

<!-- About section -->
<section class="py-5" id="About">
    <div class="container px-auto">
        <p class="lead text-center mx-auto mt-0 mb-4">
            Virtual HID Driver is the Windows gamepad backend for libvirtualhid. It installs the user-mode driver
            component that compatible applications use to create virtual HID gamepads discoverable by Windows apps.
            The driver package is separate from the portable C++ library and is currently packaged for AMD64 systems.
        </p>
        <div class="card-custom shadow border-0 rounded-0 mx-auto mb-4">
            <div class="card-body p-4 p-lg-5 text-center">
                <span class="badge rounded-pill bg-primary mb-3">Windows only</span>
                <h2 class="fw-bolder mb-3">Get your Virtual HID Driver license</h2>
                <p class="lead mx-auto mb-4">
                    A license is required to create virtual gamepads with this Windows driver. Non-Windows backends
                    do not currently require a license. Choose a yearly or lifetime license at checkout.
                </p>
                <a class="btn btn-primary btn-lg" href="{{ site.windows_license_purchase_url }}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                    <img class="icon-sm invert" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap-icons@1.13.1/icons/windows.svg" alt="Windows"/>
                    Buy a Windows license
                </a>
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="text-center">
            <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="https://github.com/LizardByte/libvirtualhid/releases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                <img class="icon-sm invert" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/simple-icons@16/icons/github.svg" alt="GitHub"/>
                View releases
            </a>
            <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="https://docs.lizardbyte.dev/projects/libvirtualhid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                <img class="icon-sm invert" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/simple-icons@16/icons/readthedocs.svg" alt="Read the Docs"/>
                Driver documentation
            </a>
            <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="/libvirtualhid/">
                <i class="fa-fw fa-lg fas fa-arrow-left"></i>
                libvirtualhid overview
            </a>
        </div>
    </div>
</section>

<!-- Features section -->
<section class="py-5" id="Features">
    <div class="container px-auto">
        <h2 class="text-center fw-bolder my-5">Driver features</h2>
        <div class="row gx-5">
            {% include feature-cards.html features=site.data.driver_features %}
        </div>
    </div>
</section>

<!-- Product details -->
<div class="container py-5 px-auto">
    <div class="container col-md-10">
        <section class="py-4" id="Applications">
            <div class="card-custom shadow border-0 rounded-0">
                <div class="card-body p-4">
                    <div class="d-flex align-items-start">
                        <i class="fa-fw fa-2x fas fa-code mt-1"></i>
                        <div class="ms-3">
                            <h2 class="fw-bolder mb-2">For compatible applications</h2>
                            <p>
                                Applications create and update gamepads through libvirtualhid's platform-neutral C++
                                API. The Windows backend communicates with the installed driver, while platform-specific
                                HID details stay out of consumer code. The library and driver must use matching control
                                protocol versions.
                            </p>
                            <p class="mb-0">
                                The installed package also includes the <code>virtualhid_control</code> diagnostic UI
                                and the <code>gamepad_adapter</code> example for local validation.
                            </p>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="card-footer p-3 px-4">
                    <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="https://github.com/LizardByte/libvirtualhid/tree/master/examples" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                        <i class="fa-fw fa-lg fas fa-puzzle-piece"></i>
                        Integration examples
                    </a>
                    <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="https://github.com/LizardByte/libvirtualhid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                        <img class="icon-sm invert" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/simple-icons@16/icons/github.svg" alt="GitHub"/>
                        Browse source
                    </a>
                </div>
            </div>
        </section>

        <section class="py-4" id="Compatibility">
            <div class="card-custom shadow border-0 rounded-0">
                <div class="card-body p-4">
                    <div class="d-flex align-items-start">
                        <i class="fa-fw fa-2x fas fa-circle-info mt-1"></i>
                        <div class="ms-3">
                            <h2 class="fw-bolder mb-2">Compatibility notes</h2>
                            <ul class="mb-0">
                                <li>
                                    The driver is for virtual gamepads. libvirtualhid's Windows keyboard and mouse
                                    support does not require this package.
                                </li>
                                <li>
                                    Xbox 360 is not available through this UMDF/VHF backend because a real Xbox 360
                                    controller uses XUSB rather than standard HID.
                                </li>
                                <li>
                                    Xbox-style HID profiles do not guarantee an XInput slot. Applications that require
                                    XInput-specific behavior should review the profile compatibility documentation.
                                </li>
                            </ul>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                </div>
            </div>
        </section>

        <section class="py-4" id="License">
            <div class="card-custom shadow border-0 rounded-0">
                <div class="card-body p-4">
                    <div class="d-flex align-items-center">
                        <i class="fa-fw fa-2x fas fa-file-contract"></i>
                        <div class="ms-3">
                            <h2 class="fw-bolder mb-0">License</h2>
                            <p class="mb-0">
                                The Windows UMDF driver source and generated driver package artifacts use the
                                LizardByte Source-Available License 1.0. Packaged helper components may use the MIT
                                License as documented in the repository license map.
                            </p>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="card-footer p-3 px-4">
                    <a class="btn btn-outline-theme me-3 mb-3" href="https://github.com/LizardByte/libvirtualhid/blob/master/LICENSES/README.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
                        <i class="fa-fw fa-lg fas fa-scale-balanced"></i>
                        View license map
                    </a>
                </div>
            </div>
        </section>
    </div>
</div>