编辑“︁Windows RT”︁（章节）

== 同Windows 8的差异 ==
{{further|Windows 8#功能差異|Windows 8新功能}}

尽管Windows RT的各项功能都近似于Windows 8，不过它们之间还是存在有一些显著的差别，特别体现在软件和硬件兼容性上。时任微软工作室工程部执行副总裁[[茱莉·拉森-葛林]]表示，微软旨在于Windows RT中提供“[[封闭平台|封闭]]且[[Turnkey|到手即用]]”的用户体验。她解释称：“尽管它在灵活性上较为逊色，但它集成有Office的强大功能，还具备新式应用程序。如此一来，你就可以放心把设备交给你的孩子使用，而无需担心他意外的在[[Internet Explorer]]当中打开一堆工具栏，然后又跑来说‘为啥会突然出现这么多弹窗？’，因为Windows RT从设计上就杜绝了这类情况的发生<ref name="guardian-killingrt" /><ref name="verge-threewindows" />。”

===预装软件===
{{Main|Office 2013#Office RT}}微软在Windows 8当中引入[[微软电影与电视|Xbox视频]]和[[Xbox音乐]]两款[[通用Windows平台应用|Metro风格应用]]作为新式的[[媒体播放器]]，它们在Windows 8下与旧的[[Windows Media Player]]共存，微软自此开始也不再更新Windows Media Player。而Windows RT则只预装有Xbox视频和Xbox音乐，其不预装也不支持Windows Media Player<ref name=anand-winrt/>。

所有的Windows RT设备都附带有[[Microsoft Office]]的ARM版本[[Office 2013#Office RT|Office RT]]，其是基于[[Microsoft Office 2013|Office 2013]]的家庭与学生版本移植而来<ref name="PC Pro">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/376276/windows-rt-wont-get-full-office-2013|title=Windows RT won't get full Office 2013|publisher=PC Pro|date=2012-08-08|access-date=2012-10-05|archive-date=2012-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104181415/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/376276/windows-rt-wont-get-full-office-2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>，而根据此版本许可证的规定，其不能被用于“商业、非营利或创收活动”，除非用户是拥有Office 2013批量许可证的组织，或是拥有带商业许可的[[Office 365]]订阅<ref name=cnet-outlookrt/><ref name=zdnet-officert-commercial>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Office for Windows RT: How to move to a commercial-use license|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-office-for-windows-rt-how-to-move-to-a-commercial-use-license/|publisher=ZDNet|access-date=2012-10-27|archive-date=2025-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823122948/https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-office-for-windows-rt-how-to-move-to-a-commercial-use-license/|dead-url=no}}</ref>。出于对兼容性和安全性的考虑，Office RT不支持部分高级功能，如[[Visual Basic for Applications|Visual Basic宏]]<ref name="PC Pro"/>。

Windows RT还带有一个基于[[BitLocker Drive Encryption|BitLocker]]的[[磁盘加密|设备加密]]系统，一旦用户在系统中登录了[[微软帐户|微软账户]]，该加密系统就会随之自动加密用户的数据<ref name=ars-deviceencryption>{{cite web|title=Windows 8.1 includes seamless, automatic disk encryption—if your PC supports it|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/windows-8-1-includes-seamless-automatic-disk-encryption-if-your-pc-supports-it/|work=Ars Technica|date=2013-10-17|access-date=2013-10-18|archive-date=2014-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705171318/http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/windows-8-1-includes-seamless-automatic-disk-encryption-if-your-pc-supports-it/|dead-url=no}}</ref>，且无法关闭<ref>{{Cite web |title=What's New in BitLocker |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/dn306081(v=ws.11) |website=Microsoft Learn |language=en-us |last= |access-date=2025-09-05 |archive-date=2025-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250919145718/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/dn306081(v=ws.11) |dead-url=no }}</ref>。

===软件兼容性===
[[File:Windows 8 - Xbox Music and Photos together.png|thumb|在Windows 8上同屏运行的两款Metro应用]]
由于ARM设备和x86设备之间存在[[微架構|架构]]上的根本差异，为ARM设备所打造的Windows RT也无法运行任何x86 Windows软件，这使其面临着严峻的软件兼容性问题。尽管Windows RT和Windows 8一样同时提供新式触控界面和传统桌面环境，但能在Windows RT的桌面环境下运行的就只有部分系统预装软件，如[[Office 2013#Office RT|Office RT]]、[[文件资源管理器]]和[[Internet Explorer]]。提供用户自行安装的就只有仅可在触控界面下运行的Metro风格应用，这些软件也只能从Windows Store获取，侧载通道则仅于企业环境下开放。微软明确表示不会为Windows RT提供任何对x86软件的[[虛擬化|虚拟化]]兼容方式，也不允许开发者直接将现有的x86桌面应用跨架构移植到Windows RT，因为这些“未针对该平台进行优化”的软件可能会影响用户体验<ref name="cnet-mozilla">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-bans-firefox-on-arm-based-windows-mozilla-says/|title=Microsoft bans Firefox on ARM-based Windows, Mozilla says|last=Shankland|first=Stephen|date=2012-05-09|publisher=CNET|access-date=2012-10-22|archive-date=2014-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526005109/http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-bans-firefox-on-arm-based-windows-mozilla-says/|dead-url=no}}</ref><ref name="bw8-buildingarm" />。Windows 8允许第三方开发者制作“支持新体验的桌面浏览器”，也就是如同[[Internet Explorer 10]]一样同时拥有传统桌面和Metro全屏两种界面的[[网页浏览器]]，这些应用可以使用与桌面浏览器相同的代码，也不必透过Windows Store获取，[[Mozilla]]和[[Google]]都曾为Windows 8开发过这种新式网页浏览器，但出于微软的限制，这类应用在Windows RT上也是不被允许的<ref name="winrt-browsers">{{cite web|title=Windows 8 browsers: the only Metro apps to get desktop power|date=2012-03-27|url=http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-browsers-the-only-metro-apps-to-get-desktop-power-1073930|publisher=TechRadar|access-date=2012-11-13|archive-date=2012-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113232709/http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-browsers-the-only-metro-apps-to-get-desktop-power-1073930|dead-url=no}}</ref><ref name="ms-developbrowser">{{cite web|title=Developing a new experience enabled desktop browser|url=http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=243079|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=2012-11-15|date=2012-10-22}}</ref>。

===硬件兼容性===
史蒂文·辛诺夫斯基在举行于纽约的Windows 8发布会上宣称Windows RT能够支持4.2亿款现有硬件设备和外设，然而，同Windows 8相比，并不是所有的硬件设备都能获得Windows RT的完整支持，有些设备甚至还完全不受支持<ref name=zdnet-whichwork>{{cite web|title=Which peripherals work with Windows RT, Surface RT?|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/which-peripherals-work-with-windows-rt-surface-rt/|publisher=ZDNet|access-date=2013-05-04|archive-date=2024-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226043308/https://www.zdnet.com/article/which-peripherals-work-with-windows-rt-surface-rt/|dead-url=no}}</ref>。微软在之后提供了一个“兼容性中心”门户网站，供用户查询Windows RT的硬件兼容性信息，在Windows RT最初发布时，该网站共列出了3万多款可兼容设备<ref name=tr-hcl>{{cite web|title=Windows RT hardware compatibility list released by Microsoft|date=November 2012|url=http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/windows-rt-hardware-compatibility-list-released-by-microsoft-1109143|publisher=TechRadar|access-date=2013-05-04|archive-date=2025-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902070837/https://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/windows-rt-hardware-compatibility-list-released-by-microsoft-1109143|dead-url=no}}</ref>。

===网络与设备管理===
尽管Windows RT支持[[Windows 7新功能|家庭组]]功能，但其只支持访问组内其它设备的共享文件夹和库中存储的文件，无法向其它设备共享文件<ref name=zdnet-whydoesit>{{cite web|title=If you're asking, 'why does Windows RT do it like that?' The answer's battery life|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/if-youre-asking-why-does-windows-rt-do-it-like-that-the-answers-battery-life/|work=ZDNet|access-date=2013-12-31|archive-date=2025-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213033905/https://www.zdnet.com/article/if-youre-asking-why-does-windows-rt-do-it-like-that-the-answers-battery-life/|dead-url=no}}</ref>。此外，Windows RT不支持连接到域[[Windows域]]进行网络登录，也不支持使用[[组策略]]进行设备管理。只能透过{{tsl|en|Exchange ActiveSync|Exchange ActiveSync}}、[[微软系统中心配置管理器]]2012 SP1或{{tsl|en|Microsoft Intune|Microsoft Intune|Windows Intune}}服务在企业环境下对Windows RT设备进行一些控制，例如应用安全策略，或提供一个可在Windows Store之外侧载应用的门户<ref name=winrt-npgp>{{cite web|title=Windows RT vs Windows 8: On the Surface, there's still a lot of confusion|date=2012-10-24|url=http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/microsoft-surface-and-group-policy-dont-mix-now-what-205435|publisher=ZDNet|access-date=2012-11-19|archive-date=2013-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018015745/http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/microsoft-surface-and-group-policy-dont-mix-now-what-205435|dead-url=no}}</ref>。

===用户界面===
Windows RT 8.1在KB3033055更新中引入了一个新的桌面[[开始菜单]]来作为开始屏幕的替代方案。这个新桌面开始菜单分为两列区域，一列是最近使用过的应用和已固定应用的列表，另一边则是动态磁贴<ref name="ars-rtupdate3">{{cite web |title=Windows RT gets a Start menu of its own in Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/09/windows-rt-gets-a-start-menu-of-its-own-in-windows-rt-8-1-update-3/ |website=Ars Technica |date=2015-09-16 |access-date=2015-09-16 |publisher=Conde Nast |archive-date=2015-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917021626/http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/09/windows-rt-gets-a-start-menu-of-its-own-in-windows-rt-8-1-update-3/ |dead-url=no }}</ref><ref name="ms-3033055">{{cite web |title=Update for Windows RT 8.1 feature improvement |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3033055 |access-date=2015-09-20 |publisher=Microsoft |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180814/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3033055 |dead-url=no }}</ref>。其样式类似于[[Windows 10]]的开始菜单，但二者之间并不完全相同<ref name=ars-rtupdate3/>。

===生命周期===
Windows RT遵从着与Windows 8及8.1相同的生命周期政策，微软也在他们的消费级硬件支持政策中承诺为会为包含[[Surface (2012)|初代Surface]]在内的硬件提供至少四年的主流支持<ref name="zdnet-rtlifecycle">{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-commits-to-surface-with-windows-rt-for-at-least-four-years/|title=Microsoft commits to Surface with Windows RT for at least four years|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|work=[[ZDNet]]|date=2012-11-24|access-date=2013-05-20|first=Ed|last=Bott}}</ref>。对Windows RT（8.0）的支持终止于2016年1月12日，用户需升级至Windows RT 8.1以继续接获支持。对Windows RT 8.1的主流支持则终止于2018年1月9日。最终，Windows RT 8.1的扩展支持也随[[Windows 8.1]]一起于2023年1月10日终止<ref name="support" /><ref name="EOS" />。