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The term was created in the 1970s to distinguish graphical interfaces from text-based ones, such as command line interfaces. However, today nearly all digital interfaces are GUIs.","alternateName":"Graphical User Interface","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/gui"} </script> </head> <body> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" width="212" height="24" alt="TechTerms.com"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. gui, 5G, ISP, USB-C)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' aria-controls='autocomplete-results'> <button id="searchsubmit" class="searchsubmit"></button> </div> <ul id='autocomplete-results' class='autocomplete-results hidden' aria-label='Search'> </ul> </form> </div> <a href="/random" class="headerbutton random" id="random"><img src="/svg/random.svg" alt="random" width="16" height="16"></a> <button id="searchtoggle"><img src="/svg/search-white.svg" alt="search" width="18" height="18"></button> </div> <div class="siteheader-right"> <button id="menuopen"><img src="/svg/menu.svg" alt="open menu" width="18" height="16"></button> <nav id="sitemenu" class="collapsed"> <button id="menuclose"><img src="/svg/close.svg" alt="close menu" width="14" height="14"></button> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/">Terms</a></li> <li><a href="/quiz/">Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/help/">Help Center</a></li> <li class="mobile"><a href="/random">Random Term</a></li> <li class="settings"><button id="settings"><img src="/svg/settings.svg" alt="settings" width="22" height="22"></button> <div class="settingsmenu"> <fieldset> <legend>Theme</legend> <input id="theme-default" value="default" type="radio" name="theme" checked> <label for="theme-default">Light</label> <input id="theme-dark" value="dark" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-dark">Dark</label> <input id="theme-hc" value="hc" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-hc">High Contrast</label> </fieldset> <div class="fontsizewrapper"><label for="fontsize">Font Size<input type="range" id="fontsize" name="fontsize" min="14" max="26" step="2" value="20"></label><span class="currentsize">20</span></div> <button id="resetsettings">Reset</button> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main> <div class="adTopLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0'> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="def"> <div id="left"> <div class="card hasheader"> <div class="cardheader"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Home</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg><a href="/category/software">Software Terms</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg>GUI Definition</div> </div> <article> <h1>GUI</h1> <div class="adDefRect"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0'> </div> </div> <p>Stands for "Graphical User Interface" and is pronounced "gooey." It is a <a href="/definition/user_interface">user interface</a> that includes graphical elements, such as <a href="/definition/window">windows</a>, <a href="/definition/icon">icons</a> and buttons. The term was created in the 1970s to distinguish graphical interfaces from text-based ones, such as <a href="/definition/command_line_interface">command line interfaces</a>. However, today nearly all <a href="/definition/digital">digital</a> interfaces are GUIs.</p> <p>The first commercially available GUI, called "PARC," was developed by Xerox. It was used by the Xerox 8010 Information System, which was released in 1981. After Steve Jobs saw the <a href="/definition/interface">interface</a> during a tour at Xerox, he had his team at Apple develop an operating system with a similar design. Apple's GUI-based OS was included with the <a href="/definition/macintosh">Macintosh</a>, which was released in 1984. Microsoft released their first GUI-based OS, <a href="/definition/windows">Windows</a> 1.0, in 1985.</p> <p>For several decades, GUIs were controlled exclusively by a <a href="/definition/mouse">mouse</a> and a <a href="/definition/keyboard">keyboard</a>. While these types of <a href="/definition/inputdevice">input devices</a> are sufficient for <a href="/definition/desktop_computer">desktop computers</a>, they do not work as well for mobile devices, such as <a href="/definition/smartphone">smartphones</a> and <a href="/definition/tablet">tablets</a>. Therefore, mobile operating systems are designed to use a <a href="/definition/touchscreen">touchscreen</a> interface. Many mobile devices can now be controlled by spoken commands as well.</p> <p>Because there are now many types of digital devices available, GUIs must be designed for the appropriate type of <a href="/definition/input">input</a>. For example, a desktop operating system, such as <a href="/definition/os_x">OS X</a>, includes a <a href="/definition/menu_bar">menu bar</a> and windows with small icons that can be easily navigated using a mouse. A mobile OS, like <a href="/definition/ios">iOS</a>, includes larger icons and supports touch commands like <a href="/definition/swipe">swiping</a> and pinching to zoom in or zoom out. Automotive interfaces are often designed to be controlled with knobs and buttons, and TV interfaces are built to work with a remote control. Regardless of the type of input, each of these interfaces are considered GUIs since they include graphical elements.</p> <p><b>NOTE:</b> Specialized GUIs that operate using speech recognition and motion detection are called natural user interfaces, or <a href="/definition/nui">NUIs</a>.</p> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0'> </div> </div> <div class="cardfooter"> <div class="upDate"><div class="author">Updated <span class="pdate">April 3, 2015</span> by <a href="/authors/per_christensson">Per C.</a></div></div><div id="citations"> <div class="tabs"> <div role="tablist" aria-label="citations"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="apa" tabindex="-1">APA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="mla" tabindex="-1">MLA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="chicago" tabindex="-1">Chicago</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="html" tabindex="-1">HTML</button> <button 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17.3-38.6 38.6 0 7.5 6 13.5 13.5 13.5s13.5-6 13.5-13.5c0-6.4 5.2-11.6 11.6-11.6h227c6.4 0 11.6 5.2 11.6 11.6v325.7c0 6.4-5.2 11.6-11.6 11.6-7.5 0-13.5 6-13.5 13.5s6 13.5 13.5 13.5c21.3 0 38.6-17.3 38.6-38.6v-325.7c0-21.3-17.3-38.6-38.6-38.6z" stroke-width="15"/></svg></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div id="defquiz" class="card"> <h2 class="heading logoheading"><img src="/img/main/quiz.png" alt="quiz" style="width:45px">Test Your Knowledge</h2> <div class="quizBox"> <div class="quizBody"> <p class="quizQuestion">Which audio file format provides the highest compression ratio?</p> <div class="quizTable"> <div id="ansButtonA" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Anum" data-date="2021-10-29"><span class="ansLetter">A</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerA" class="quizAnswer">AIFF</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarA" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercA" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonB" 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class="quizResult"><div class="qmsg"> <b class="quizPass">Correct!</b> <b class="quizFail">Incorrect!</b>   <span class="customMessage"></span>  View the <a href="/definition/media_compression">Media Compression definition</a>.</div> <a href="/quiz/#morequizzes" class="quizNext btnprimary">More Quizzes →</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="right"> <div class="prevnext"> <a href="grid_computing"><span class="arrow">‹</span>  <span class="linktext">Grid Computing</span></a><span> | </span><a href="guid"><span class="linktext">GUID</span>  <span class="arrow">›</span></a></div> <div class="tf card"> <h2 class="heading">Tech Factor</h2> <a href="/help/tech_factor" class="info" title="What is the Tech Factor?">?</a> <a href="/techfactor/6"><span class="factor">6</span><span class="denom"> / 10</span></a></div> <div class="listBox card related"> <h2 class="heading">Related Terms</h2> <div class="rlists"> <ol> <li><a href="/definition/user_interface">User Interface</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/graphics">Graphics</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/icon">Icon</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/window">Window</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/mouse">Mouse</a></li> </ol> <ol start="6"><li><a href="/definition/cursor">Cursor</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/macos">Mac OS</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/os_x">OS X</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/windows">Windows</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/nui">NUI</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <div class="adRightSky"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589233879778-0'> </div> </div> </div> <div class="techterms card"> <h2 class="heading">The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary</h2> <p>The definition of GUI on this page is an original definition written by the <a href="/authors/">TechTerms.com team</a>. 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