A menu always is owned by another window, usually a frame window. When a user makes a choice from a menu, the menu posts a message containing the unique identifier for the menu item to its owner by way of the owner window's window procedure.

An application typically defines its menus using Resource Compiler, and then associates the menus with a frame window when the frame window is created. Applications also can create menus by filling in menu-template data structures and creating windows with the WC_MENU class. Either way, applications can add, delete, or change menu items dynamically by issuing messages to menu windows.