ARM64EC (and ARM64X) Explained

Introduction

ARM64EC and ARM64X are two technologies critical for Windows on Arm. This document gathers useful links and articles about both.

  • Arm64X is a new type of binary that can contain both the classic Arm64 code and Arm64EC code together. This makes Arm64x compatible for both the classic Arm64 and Arm64EC processes on a Windows on Arm device and a particularly good fit for middleware or plugins that may be used by both ABIs. To build Arm64X binaries, see Build Arm64X Binaries.

  • Arm64EC (“Emulation Compatible”) enables you to build new native apps or incrementally. Arm64EC is a new application binary interface (ABI) for apps running on Arm devices with Windows 11. It is a Windows 11 feature that requires the use of the Windows 11 SDK and is not available on Windows 10 on Arm.

Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmI6ip4o9as