###### (This is the legacy documentation for SDL2, the previous stable version; [SDL3](https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL3/) is the current stable version.)
# SDL_Init

Initialize the SDL library.

## Header File

Defined in [SDL.h](https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/blob/SDL2/include/SDL.h)

## Syntax

```c
int SDL_Init(Uint32 flags);
```

## Function Parameters

|                  |           |                                 |
| ---------------- | --------- | ------------------------------- |
| [Uint32](Uint32) | **flags** | subsystem initialization flags. |

## Return Value

(int) Returns 0 on success or a negative error code on failure; call
[SDL_GetError](SDL_GetError)() for more information.

## Remarks

[SDL_Init](SDL_Init)() simply forwards to calling
[SDL_InitSubSystem](SDL_InitSubSystem)(). Therefore, the two may be used
interchangeably. Though for readability of your code
[SDL_InitSubSystem](SDL_InitSubSystem)() might be preferred.

The file I/O (for example: [SDL_RWFromFile](SDL_RWFromFile)) and threading
([SDL_CreateThread](SDL_CreateThread)) subsystems are initialized by
default. Message boxes
([SDL_ShowSimpleMessageBox](SDL_ShowSimpleMessageBox)) also attempt to work
without initializing the video subsystem, in hopes of being useful in
showing an error dialog when [SDL_Init](SDL_Init) fails. You must
specifically initialize other subsystems if you use them in your
application.

Logging (such as [SDL_Log](SDL_Log)) works without initialization, too.

`flags` may be any of the following OR'd together:

- [`SDL_INIT_TIMER`](SDL_INIT_TIMER): timer subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_AUDIO`](SDL_INIT_AUDIO): audio subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_VIDEO`](SDL_INIT_VIDEO): video subsystem; automatically
  initializes the events subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_JOYSTICK`](SDL_INIT_JOYSTICK): joystick subsystem;
  automatically initializes the events subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_HAPTIC`](SDL_INIT_HAPTIC): haptic (force feedback) subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_GAMECONTROLLER`](SDL_INIT_GAMECONTROLLER): controller
  subsystem; automatically initializes the joystick subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_EVENTS`](SDL_INIT_EVENTS): events subsystem
- [`SDL_INIT_EVERYTHING`](SDL_INIT_EVERYTHING): all of the above subsystems
- [`SDL_INIT_NOPARACHUTE`](SDL_INIT_NOPARACHUTE): compatibility; this flag
  is ignored

Subsystem initialization is ref-counted, you must call
[SDL_QuitSubSystem](SDL_QuitSubSystem)() for each
[SDL_InitSubSystem](SDL_InitSubSystem)() to correctly shutdown a subsystem
manually (or call [SDL_Quit](SDL_Quit)() to force shutdown). If a subsystem
is already loaded then this call will increase the ref-count and return.

## Version

This function is available since SDL 2.0.0.

## See Also

- [SDL_InitSubSystem](SDL_InitSubSystem)
- [SDL_Quit](SDL_Quit)
- [SDL_SetMainReady](SDL_SetMainReady)
- [SDL_WasInit](SDL_WasInit)

----
[CategoryAPI](CategoryAPI), [CategoryAPIFunction](CategoryAPIFunction), [CategoryInit](CategoryInit)