# Telerik.Windows.Documents.\* vs Telerik.Documents.\*

## Environment

| Version    | Product                     | Author                                                                          |
| ---------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 2026.1.210 | Telerik Document Processing | [Desislava Yordanova](https://www.telerik.com/blogs/author/desislava-yordanova) |

## Description

This article explains the difference between the `Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` and `Telerik.Documents.*` assemblies/NuGet packages, when to use each, and how they relate to the supported frameworks.

## Solution

The `Telerik.Documents.*` assemblies/NuGet packages are designed to work across different operating systems and .NET versions. The `Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` packages target Windows environments and may include dependencies or features specific to Windows. This distinction is reflected in package references and compatibility. For .NET Framework (.NET Target OS: Windows) projects, you typically use `Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` assemblies/NuGet packages. For .NET Standard or .NET (Target OS: None) projects, you use `Telerik.Documents.*` packages. The features are consistent, but the underlying assemblies are tailored for their respective platforms and frameworks. This ensures best compatibility and support for modern .NET development scenarios.

### Telerik.Documents.\*

This namespace contains Telerik’s pure document processing libraries, independent of any UI framework.

Use `Telerik.Documents.*` when:

* You need server-side document generation
* You are building APIs that export PDF/Word/Excel documents in cross-platform environments
* You do not need on-screen editing or viewing
* You want maximum portability

Recommended for new development, especially non-UI workloads.

### Telerik.Windows.Documents.\*

`Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` assemblies/NuGet packages require Windows because they are built on WPF, which is a Windows-only UI framework. They cannot run on Linux, macOS, or any non-Windows runtime. All `Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` assemblies/NuGet packages reference WPF assemblies, such as `PresentationCore` and `WindowsBase`. WPF itself uses Windows-specific graphics subsystems (DirectX, GDI, font services).

Use `Telerik.Windows.Documents.*` when:

* You are building a WPF/WinForms desktop application
* You need on-screen document editing
* You are using `RadPdfViewer`, `RadSpreadsheet`, and similar controls
* You need print preview, selection, scrolling, zoom, or UI formatting

## See Also

* [Available NuGet Packages](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/getting-started/installation/nuget-packages)
* [What Versions of Document Processing Libraries Are Distributed with the Telerik Products](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/knowledge-base/distribute-telerik-document-processing-libraries-net-versions)
* [Migrating to Platform-Agnostic Namespaces](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/knowledge-base/platform-agnostic-namespaces-migration)