---
title: "BackgroundWorker Component Overview"
ms.date: "03/30/2017"
dev_langs: 
  - "csharp"
  - "vb"
  - "cpp"
f1_keywords: 
  - "BackgroundWorker"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "BackgroundWorker component"
  - "background tasks"
  - "Asynchronous Pattern"
  - "forms [Windows Forms], multithreading"
  - "components [Windows Forms], asynchronous"
  - "forms [Windows Forms], background operations"
  - "threading [Windows Forms], background operations"
  - "background operations"
ms.assetid: 64e9b3ab-7443-4a77-ab17-b8b8c0cb3f62
---
# BackgroundWorker Component Overview

There are many commonly performed operations that can take a long time to execute. For example:  
  
- Image downloads  
  
- Web service invocations  
  
- File downloads and uploads (including for peer-to-peer applications)  
  
- Complex local computations  
  
- Database transactions  
  
- Local disk access, given its slow speed relative to memory access  
  
 Operations like these can cause your user interface to block while they are running. When you want a responsive UI and you are faced with long delays associated with such operations, the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> component provides a convenient solution.  
  
 The <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> component gives you the ability to execute time-consuming operations asynchronously ("in the background"), on a thread different from your application's main UI thread. To use a <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker>, you simply tell it what time-consuming worker method to execute in the background, and then you call the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync%2A> method. Your calling thread continues to run normally while the worker method runs asynchronously. When the method is finished, the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> alerts the calling thread by firing the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerCompleted> event, which optionally contains the results of the operation.  
  
 The <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> component is available from the **Toolbox**, in the **Components** tab. To add a <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> to your form, drag the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> component onto your form. It appears in the component tray, and its properties appear in the **Properties** window.  
  
 To start your asynchronous operation, use the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync%2A> method. <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync%2A> takes an optional `object` parameter, which can be used to pass arguments to your worker method. The <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> class exposes the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.DoWork> event, to which your worker thread is attached through a <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.DoWork> event handler.  
  
 The <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.DoWork> event handler takes a <xref:System.ComponentModel.DoWorkEventArgs> parameter, which has an <xref:System.ComponentModel.DoWorkEventArgs.Argument%2A> property. This property receives the parameter from <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync%2A> and can be passed to your worker method, which will be called in the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.DoWork> event handler. The following example shows how to assign a result from a worker method called `ComputeFibonacci`. It is part of a larger example, which you can find at [How to: Implement a Form That Uses a Background Operation](how-to-implement-a-form-that-uses-a-background-operation.md).  
  
 [!code-cpp[System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker#5](~/samples/snippets/cpp/VS_Snippets_Winforms/System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker/CPP/fibonacciform.cpp#5)]
 [!code-csharp[System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker#5](~/samples/snippets/csharp/VS_Snippets_Winforms/System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker/CS/fibonacciform.cs#5)]
 [!code-vb[System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker#5](~/samples/snippets/visualbasic/VS_Snippets_Winforms/System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker/VB/fibonacciform.vb#5)]  
  
 For more information on using event handlers, see [Events](/dotnet/standard/events/index).  
  
> [!CAUTION]
> When using multithreading of any sort, you potentially expose yourself to very serious and complex bugs. Consult the [Managed Threading Best Practices](/dotnet/standard/threading/managed-threading-best-practices) before implementing any solution that uses multithreading.  
  
 For more information on using the <xref:System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker> class, see [How to: Run an Operation in the Background](how-to-run-an-operation-in-the-background.md).  
  
## See also

- [Managed Threading](/dotnet/standard/threading/index)
- [Event-based Asynchronous Pattern Overview](/dotnet/standard/asynchronous-programming-patterns/event-based-asynchronous-pattern-overview)
- [How to: Implement a Form That Uses a Background Operation](how-to-implement-a-form-that-uses-a-background-operation.md)
