Tkinter: Building Desktop Applications with Python
When you think of Python, chances are you imagine scripts running in the terminal. But Python isn’t limited to command-line tools. It can also build desktop applications with windows, buttons, menus, and forms. One of the simplest ways to do this is with Tkinter, the standard GUI library that comes bundled with Python.
What is Tkinter?
Tkinter is a Python wrapper around the Tcl/Tk GUI toolkit, which has been around for decades. Despite being old, it remains reliable, easy to learn, and powerful enough for most small-to-medium applications.
The beauty of Tkinter is that you don’t need to install anything extra — if you have Python, you already have Tkinter. This makes it the most beginner-friendly way to start building desktop apps.
Why Choose Tkinter?
No extra setup → comes pre-installed with Python.
Cross-platform → works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Beginner-friendly → simple syntax and clear structure.
Decent widget set → includes everything from labels and buttons to text boxes and menus.
Community support → lots of tutorials, examples, and open-source projects to learn from.
Tkinter may not look as modern as frameworks like PyQt or Kivy, but for learning GUI programming and creating lightweight apps, it’s hard to beat.
Complete Tkinter Widgets List
Widgets
🔹 Basic Tkinter Widgets
Button → A clickable button that runs a command.
Canvas → A drawing area for shapes, lines, and images.
Checkbutton → A checkbox to toggle options on/off.
Entry → Single-line text input field.
Frame → A container for grouping other widgets.
Label → Displays text or images.
LabelFrame → A Frame with a border and title.
Listbox → A scrollable list of items.
Menu → A menubar with dropdowns (File, Edit, etc.).
Menubutton → A button that opens a dropdown menu.
Message → Like Label, but better for wrapping long text.
OptionMenu → A simple dropdown menu for one selection.
PanedWindow → A container with resizable sections.
Radiobutton → Circular button to select one choice from many.
Scale → A slider to select a numeric value.
Scrollbar → Adds vertical or horizontal scrolling.
Spinbox → An input box with up/down arrows.
Text → Multi-line text area (like a notepad).
Toplevel → Creates a new popup window.
Themed Tkinter Widgets (ttk)
Button → Modern version of Button.
Checkbutton → Themed checkbox.
Combobox → Dropdown menu with modern look.
Entry → Themed single-line input.
Frame → Themed container.
Label → Themed text/image display.
LabelFrame → Themed bordered frame with title.
Menubutton → Themed dropdown menu button.
Notebook → Tabbed interface (like browser tabs).
PanedWindow → Themed resizable sections.
Progressbar → Loading/progress indicator.
Radiobutton → Themed radio button.
Scale → Themed slider.
Scrollbar → Themed scrollbar.
Separator → A dividing line between widgets.
Sizegrip → Small handle to resize the window.
Treeview → Table/grid or hierarchical tree (like file explorer).
🔹 Dialogs & Special Widgets
messagebox → Pre-built dialogs (info, warning, error, yes/no).
colorchooser → A color picker dialog.
filedialog → Open/Save file dialogs.
simpledialog → Quick input prompts (string, integer, float).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Tkinter
1. Is Tkinter good for beginners?
Yes, Tkinter is the most beginner-friendly Python GUI framework because it comes pre-installed with Python and has simple, easy-to-understand syntax.
2. Is Tkinter free to use?
Absolutely. Tkinter is completely free and open-source since it is included with Python itself.
3. Can I build professional applications with Tkinter?
Yes, you can build many useful tools and utilities. However, for very modern-looking or highly complex apps, frameworks like PyQt or Kivy may offer more features.
4. Do I need to install Tkinter separately?
No. Tkinter comes bundled with the standard Python installation. Just install Python from python.org and you’re ready to go.
5. Does Tkinter work on Windows, macOS, and Linux?
Yes, Tkinter is fully cross-platform and works smoothly on all major operating systems without any additional setup.
6. Can Tkinter apps run without Python installed?
Yes, you can pack your Tkinter application into an EXE using tools like PyInstaller, py2exe, or cx_Freeze, so users don’t need Python installed.
7. Is Tkinter still used in 2025?
Yes. Even today, Tkinter is widely used for educational projects, internal company tools, form-based desktop apps, and utility software.
8. Can Tkinter create modern UI?
By default, Tkinter looks classic, but you can use ttk and themes like ttkbootstrap or customtkinter to create modern, attractive interfaces.
9. What are some real-world apps built with Tkinter?
Many file managers, text editors, calculators, database tools, and internal office utilities have been built using Tkinter.
10. Does Tkinter support images?
Yes, Tkinter supports displaying PNG, JPG, GIF, and even icons using the PhotoImage or PIL (Pillow library) for advanced image handling.
11. Can Tkinter create multi-window applications?
Yes. Using the Toplevel() widget, you can create additional windows such as settings dialogs, popups, or extra screens.
12. Is Tkinter fast?
For small to medium GUI apps, Tkinter is fast enough. For high-performance graphics or animations, other frameworks may be better.