What is TAPI?

TAPI, which stands for Telephony Application Programming Interface, is a standard programming interface for Microsoft Windows that allows computers and telephone systems to communicate with each other. In simple terms, it is the bridge that enables your PC-based applications to interact with and control your telephony hardware.

The primary goal of TAPI is to integrate telephone functions directly into a user's desktop workflow, a practice known as Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). By using a TAPI-compliant application, you can control your desk phone directly from your computer, enabling powerful features that optimize efficiency, such as:

• Click-to-Dial: Clicking a phone number in a CRM or on a website to make your desk phone automatically dial it.
• Screen Pops: Automatically displaying a customer's record on your screen when they call in.
• Call Control: Answering, hanging up, transferring, or placing calls on hold using your mouse and keyboard instead of the physical phone.

Originally developed by Microsoft and Intel, TAPI became the industry standard for CTI on the Windows platform. Over the years, it has been updated and expanded to support not only traditional phone lines but also modern IP telephony and audio/video conferencing streams, making it a foundational technology for integrating communications into business software.