diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 531414aba1..807ee52887 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@ value is the desired roughness between 0 and 1.
 ### Native Linux, macOS and Windows
 
 You must create an `Engine`, a `Renderer` and a `SwapChain`. The `SwapChain` is created from a
-native window pointer (an `NSView` on macOS or a `HDC` on Windows for instance):
+native window pointer (an `NSView` on macOS or a `HWND` on Windows for instance):
 
 ```c++
 Engine* engine = Engine::create();
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/nativewindow/Win32.cpp b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/nativewindow/Win32.cpp
index 8b32b5b84d..65a16174e8 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/nativewindow/Win32.cpp
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/nativewindow/Win32.cpp
@@ -27,46 +27,20 @@
 
 extern "C" {
 
-void chooseAndSetPixelFormat(HDC dc) {
-    PIXELFORMATDESCRIPTOR pfd = {
-            sizeof(PIXELFORMATDESCRIPTOR),
-            1,
-            PFD_DRAW_TO_WINDOW | PFD_SUPPORT_OPENGL  | PFD_DOUBLEBUFFER,
-            PFD_TYPE_RGBA,
-            32,                   // Colordepth of the framebuffer.
-            0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0,
-            0, 0, 0, 0,
-            24,                   // Number of bits for the depthbuffer
-            0,                    // Number of bits for the stencilbuffer
-            0,                    // Number of aux buffers in the framebuffer.
-            PFD_MAIN_PLANE,
-            0,
-            0, 0, 0
-    };
-    int pixelFormat = ChoosePixelFormat(dc, &pfd);
-    SetPixelFormat(dc, pixelFormat, &pfd);
-}
-
 void* getNativeWindow(JNIEnv* env, jclass, jobject surface) {
-    void* win = nullptr;
     JAWT_DrawingSurface* ds = nullptr;
     JAWT_DrawingSurfaceInfo* dsi = nullptr;
 
     if (!acquireDrawingSurface(env, surface, &ds, &dsi)) {
-        return win;
+        return nullptr;
     }
 
     JAWT_Win32DrawingSurfaceInfo* dsi_win32 = (JAWT_Win32DrawingSurfaceInfo*) dsi->platformInfo;
-    HDC dc = dsi_win32->hdc;
-    chooseAndSetPixelFormat(dsi_win32->hdc);
+    HWND hWnd = dsi_win32->hwnd;
 
-    win = (void*) dsi_win32->hdc;
     releaseDrawingSurface(ds, dsi);
 
-    return win;
+    return (void*) hWnd;
 }
 
 
@@ -82,16 +56,11 @@ jlong createNativeSurface(jint width, jint height) {
     HWND window = CreateWindowA("STATIC", "dummy", 0, 0, 0, width, height, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
     SetWindowLong(window, GWL_STYLE, 0); //remove all window styles
 
-    HDC dc = GetDC(window);
-    chooseAndSetPixelFormat(dc);
-
-    return (jlong) dc;
+    return (jlong) window;
 }
 
 void destroyNativeSurface(jlong surface) {
-    HDC dc = (HDC) surface;
-    HWND window = WindowFromDC(dc);
-    ReleaseDC(window, dc);
+    HWND window = (HWND) surface;
     DestroyWindow(window);
 }
 
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/opengl/PlatformWGL.cpp b/filament/backend/src/opengl/PlatformWGL.cpp
index 6ab35ca5e5..00768697dc 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/opengl/PlatformWGL.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/opengl/PlatformWGL.cpp
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ void PlatformWGL::terminate() noexcept {
 }
 
 Platform::SwapChain* PlatformWGL::createSwapChain(void* nativeWindow, uint64_t& flags) noexcept {
-    // on Windows, the nativeWindow maps directly to a HDC
-    HDC hdc = (HDC) nativeWindow;
+    // on Windows, the nativeWindow maps to a HWND
+    HDC hdc = GetDC((HWND) nativeWindow);
     if (!ASSERT_POSTCONDITION_NON_FATAL(hdc,
             "Unable to create the SwapChain (nativeWindow = %p)", nativeWindow)) {
         reportLastWindowsError();
@@ -169,11 +169,14 @@ Platform::SwapChain* PlatformWGL::createSwapChain(void* nativeWindow, uint64_t&
     int pixelFormat = ChoosePixelFormat(hdc, &mPfd);
     SetPixelFormat(hdc, pixelFormat, &mPfd);
 
-    SwapChain* swapChain = (SwapChain *)hdc;
+    SwapChain* swapChain = (SwapChain*) hdc;
     return swapChain;
 }
 
 void PlatformWGL::destroySwapChain(Platform::SwapChain* swapChain) noexcept {
+    HDC dc = (HDC) swapChain;
+    HWND window = WindowFromDC(dc);
+    ReleaseDC(window, dc);
     // make this swapChain not current (by making a dummy one current)
     wglMakeCurrent(mWhdc, mContext);
 }
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/PlatformVkWindows.cpp b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/PlatformVkWindows.cpp
index e7a418ba8c..7c5ea259fb 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/vulkan/PlatformVkWindows.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/vulkan/PlatformVkWindows.cpp
@@ -43,8 +43,7 @@ void* PlatformVkWindows::createVkSurfaceKHR(void* nativeWindow, void* instance,
         uint32_t* width, uint32_t* height) noexcept {
     VkSurfaceKHR surface = nullptr;
 
-    HDC deviceContext = (HDC) nativeWindow;
-    HWND window = WindowFromDC(deviceContext);
+    HWND window = (HWND) nativeWindow;
 
     VkWin32SurfaceCreateInfoKHR createInfo = {};
     createInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_WIN32_SURFACE_CREATE_INFO_KHR;
diff --git a/java/filament/src/java/com/google/android/filament/FilamentCanvas.java b/java/filament/src/java/com/google/android/filament/FilamentCanvas.java
index 4c740e5dd2..fc15a9fa92 100644
--- a/java/filament/src/java/com/google/android/filament/FilamentCanvas.java
+++ b/java/filament/src/java/com/google/android/filament/FilamentCanvas.java
@@ -63,5 +63,10 @@ public class FilamentCanvas extends Canvas implements FilamentTarget  {
     }
 
     public void destroy(@NonNull Engine engine) {
+        if (mSwapChain == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        engine.destroySwapChain(mSwapChain);
+        mSwapChain = null;
     }
 }
diff --git a/samples/app/NativeWindowHelperWindows.cpp b/samples/app/NativeWindowHelperWindows.cpp
index 335ac32073..8d0219d7c1 100644
--- a/samples/app/NativeWindowHelperWindows.cpp
+++ b/samples/app/NativeWindowHelperWindows.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,6 @@ void* getNativeWindow(SDL_Window* sdlWindow) {
     SDL_SysWMinfo wmi;
     SDL_VERSION(&wmi.version);
     ASSERT_POSTCONDITION(SDL_GetWindowWMInfo(sdlWindow, &wmi), "SDL version unsupported!");
-    HDC win = (HDC) wmi.info.win.hdc;
+    HWND win = (HWND) wmi.info.win.window;
     return (void*) win;
 }