diff --git a/include/zim/archive.h b/include/zim/archive.h
index e14ae7aff..1c6f0f94d 100644
--- a/include/zim/archive.h
+++ b/include/zim/archive.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ namespace zim
    *
    * All methods of archive may throw an `ZimFileFormatError` if the file is invalid.
    */
-  class Archive
+  class LIBZIM_API Archive
   {
     public:
       template<EntryOrder order> class EntryRange;
diff --git a/include/zim/blob.h b/include/zim/blob.h
index 2b0662dd7..23f2fdcad 100644
--- a/include/zim/blob.h
+++ b/include/zim/blob.h
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ namespace zim
    *
    * All `Blob`'s methods are threadsafe.
    */
-  class Blob
+  class LIBZIM_API Blob
   {
     public: // types
       using DataPtr = std::shared_ptr<const char>;
diff --git a/include/zim/entry.h b/include/zim/entry.h
index 6944aa6a3..cbcea78d4 100644
--- a/include/zim/entry.h
+++ b/include/zim/entry.h
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ namespace zim
    *
    * All `Entry`'s methods are threadsafe.
    */
-  class Entry
+  class LIBZIM_API Entry
   {
     public:
       explicit Entry(std::shared_ptr<FileImpl> file_, entry_index_type idx_);
diff --git a/include/zim/error.h b/include/zim/error.h
index fb9a4afd2..25f2b74b3 100644
--- a/include/zim/error.h
+++ b/include/zim/error.h
@@ -20,13 +20,15 @@
 #ifndef ZIM_ERROR_H
 #define ZIM_ERROR_H
 
+#include "zim.h"
+
 #include <stdexcept>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <typeinfo>
 
 namespace zim
 {
-  class ZimFileFormatError : public std::runtime_error
+  class LIBZIM_API ZimFileFormatError : public std::runtime_error
   {
     public:
       explicit ZimFileFormatError(const std::string& msg)
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ namespace zim
         { }
   };
 
-  class InvalidType: public std::logic_error
+  class LIBZIM_API InvalidType: public std::logic_error
   {
     public:
       explicit InvalidType(const std::string& msg)
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ namespace zim
       {}
   };
 
-  class EntryNotFound : public std::runtime_error
+  class LIBZIM_API EntryNotFound : public std::runtime_error
   {
     public:
       explicit EntryNotFound(const std::string& msg)
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ namespace zim
    *
    * Most exceptions actually thrown are inheriting this exception.
    */
-  class CreatorError : public std::runtime_error
+  class LIBZIM_API CreatorError : public std::runtime_error
   {
     public:
       explicit CreatorError(const std::string& message)
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ namespace zim
   };
 
    /* Exception thrown when a entry cannot be added to the Creator.*/
-  class InvalidEntry : public CreatorError
+  class LIBZIM_API InvalidEntry : public CreatorError
   {
     public:
       explicit InvalidEntry(const std::string& message)
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@ namespace zim
    * If a incoherence has been detected in those implementations a
    * `IncoherentImplementationError` will be thrown.
    */
-  class IncoherentImplementationError : public CreatorError
+  class LIBZIM_API IncoherentImplementationError : public CreatorError
   {
     public:
       explicit IncoherentImplementationError(const std::string& message)
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ namespace zim
    * }
    * ```
    */
-  class AsyncError : public CreatorError
+  class LIBZIM_API AsyncError : public CreatorError
   {
     public:
       explicit AsyncError(const std::exception_ptr exception)
@@ -149,7 +151,7 @@ namespace zim
    * If the creator is in error state (mostly because a AsyncError has already
    * being thrown), any call to any method on it will thrown a `CreatorStateError`.
    */
-  class CreatorStateError : public CreatorError
+  class LIBZIM_API CreatorStateError : public CreatorError
   {
     public:
       explicit CreatorStateError()
diff --git a/include/zim/item.h b/include/zim/item.h
index 765b78a41..07ec0607a 100644
--- a/include/zim/item.h
+++ b/include/zim/item.h
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ namespace zim
    *
    * All `Item`'s methods are threadsafe.
    */
-  class Item
+  class LIBZIM_API Item
   {
     public: // types
       typedef std::pair<std::string, offset_type> DirectAccessInfo;
diff --git a/include/zim/search.h b/include/zim/search.h
index 2b4cb667f..5f0a84d53 100644
--- a/include/zim/search.h
+++ b/include/zim/search.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class SearchResultSet;
  * However, Searcher (and subsequent classes) do not maintain a global/share state.
  * You can create several Searchers and use them in different threads.
  */
-class Searcher
+class LIBZIM_API Searcher
 {
   public:
     /** Searcher constructor.
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ class Searcher
  * It describe what have to be searched and how.
  * A Query is "database" independent.
  */
-class Query
+class LIBZIM_API Query
 {
   public:
     /** Query constructor.
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class Query
  * This is somehow the reunification of a `Searcher` (what to search on)
  * and a `Query` (what to search for).
  */
-class Search
+class LIBZIM_API Search
 {
     public:
         Search(Search&& s);
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ class Search
  *
  * It mainly allows to get a iterator.
  */
-class SearchResultSet
+class LIBZIM_API SearchResultSet
 {
   public:
     typedef SearchIterator iterator;
diff --git a/include/zim/search_iterator.h b/include/zim/search_iterator.h
index 5b60ebec1..35ce206ca 100644
--- a/include/zim/search_iterator.h
+++ b/include/zim/search_iterator.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace zim
 {
 class SearchResultSet;
 
-class SearchIterator : public std::iterator<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag, Entry>
+class LIBZIM_API SearchIterator : public std::iterator<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag, Entry>
 {
     friend class zim::SearchResultSet;
     public:
diff --git a/include/zim/suggestion.h b/include/zim/suggestion.h
index c8020ad76..3f534898d 100644
--- a/include/zim/suggestion.h
+++ b/include/zim/suggestion.h
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class SuggestionDataBase;
  * However, SuggestionSearcher (and subsequent classes) do not maintain a global/
  * share state You can create several Searchers and use them in different threads.
  */
-class SuggestionSearcher
+class LIBZIM_API SuggestionSearcher
 {
   public:
     /** SuggestionSearcher constructor.
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class SuggestionSearcher
 /**
  * A SuggestionSearch represent a particular suggestion search, based on a `SuggestionSearcher`.
  */
-class SuggestionSearch
+class LIBZIM_API SuggestionSearch
 {
     public:
         SuggestionSearch(SuggestionSearch&& s);
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ class SuggestionSearch
  *
  * It mainly allows to get a iterator either based on an MSetIterator or a RangeIterator.
  */
-class SuggestionResultSet
+class LIBZIM_API SuggestionResultSet
 {
   public:
     typedef SuggestionIterator iterator;
diff --git a/include/zim/suggestion_iterator.h b/include/zim/suggestion_iterator.h
index 9a39750e2..30ac9563a 100644
--- a/include/zim/suggestion_iterator.h
+++ b/include/zim/suggestion_iterator.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class SuggestionResultSet;
 class SuggestionItem;
 class SearchIterator;
 
-class SuggestionIterator : public std::iterator<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag, SuggestionItem>
+class LIBZIM_API SuggestionIterator : public std::iterator<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag, SuggestionItem>
 {
     typedef Archive::iterator<EntryOrder::titleOrder> RangeIterator;
     friend class SuggestionResultSet;
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ class SuggestionIterator : public std::iterator<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag,
 #endif  // LIBZIM_WITH_XAPIAN
 };
 
-class SuggestionItem
+class LIBZIM_API SuggestionItem
 {
     public: // methods
         SuggestionItem(std::string title, std::string path, std::string snippet = "")
diff --git a/include/zim/tools.h b/include/zim/tools.h
index f85db90e2..bbbb19912 100644
--- a/include/zim/tools.h
+++ b/include/zim/tools.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #define ZIM_TOOLS_H
 
 #include <zim/zim_config.h>
-
+#include "zim.h"
 
 namespace zim {
 #if defined(LIBZIM_WITH_XAPIAN)
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace zim {
    * in the library. So android application needs to set
    * the data directory where ICU can find its data.
    */
-  void setICUDataDirectory(const std::string& path);
+  LIBZIM_API void setICUDataDirectory(const std::string& path);
 
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/include/zim/uuid.h b/include/zim/uuid.h
index 6544eca47..4349b0fbc 100644
--- a/include/zim/uuid.h
+++ b/include/zim/uuid.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <string>
-
+#include "zim.h"
 namespace zim
 {
   struct Uuid
diff --git a/include/zim/writer/contentProvider.h b/include/zim/writer/contentProvider.h
index b7ef00629..19cd18cb1 100644
--- a/include/zim/writer/contentProvider.h
+++ b/include/zim/writer/contentProvider.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ namespace zim
      * `ContentProvider` is an abstract class in charge of providing the content to
      * add in the archive to the creator.
      */
-    class ContentProvider {
+    class LIBZIM_API ContentProvider {
       public:
         virtual ~ContentProvider() = default;
         /**
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ namespace zim
     /**
      * StringProvider provide the content stored in a string.
      */
-    class StringProvider : public ContentProvider {
+    class LIBZIM_API StringProvider : public ContentProvider {
       public:
         /**
          * Create a provider using a string as content.
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ namespace zim
      * It is mostly the same thing that `StringProvider` but use a shared_ptr
      * to avoid copy.
      */
-    class SharedStringProvider : public ContentProvider {
+    class LIBZIM_API SharedStringProvider : public ContentProvider {
       public:
         /**
          * Create a provider using a string as content.
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ namespace zim
     /**
      * FileProvider provide the content stored in file.
      */
-    class FileProvider : public ContentProvider {
+    class LIBZIM_API FileProvider : public ContentProvider {
       public:
         /**
          * Create a provider using file as content.
diff --git a/include/zim/writer/creator.h b/include/zim/writer/creator.h
index 15256a06d..b2cad01dd 100644
--- a/include/zim/writer/creator.h
+++ b/include/zim/writer/creator.h
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ namespace zim
      * - Any other exception thrown for unknown reason.
      * By default, creator status is not changed by thrown exception and creation should stop.
      */
-    class Creator
+    class LIBZIM_API Creator
     {
       public:
         /**
diff --git a/include/zim/writer/item.h b/include/zim/writer/item.h
index b2db5366b..8d916719b 100644
--- a/include/zim/writer/item.h
+++ b/include/zim/writer/item.h
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ namespace zim
      * (But default `Item::getIndexData` returns a default implementation
      * for IndexData which works for html content.)
      */
-    class IndexData {
+    class LIBZIM_API IndexData {
       public:
         using GeoPosition = std::tuple<bool, double, double>;
         virtual ~IndexData() = default;
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ namespace zim
      * libzim provides `BasicItem`, `StringItem` and `FileItem`
      * to simplify (or avoid) this reimplementation.
      */
-    class Item
+    class LIBZIM_API Item
     {
       public:
         /**
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ namespace zim
      * `BasicItem` provides a basic implementation for everything about an `Item`
      * but the actual content of the item.
      */
-    class BasicItem : public Item
+    class LIBZIM_API BasicItem : public Item
     {
       public:
         /**
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ namespace zim
     /**
      * A `StringItem` is a full implemented item where the content is stored in a string.
      */
-    class StringItem : public BasicItem, public std::enable_shared_from_this<StringItem>
+    class LIBZIM_API StringItem : public BasicItem, public std::enable_shared_from_this<StringItem>
     {
       public:
         /**
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ namespace zim
     /**
      * A `FileItem` is a full implemented item where the content is file.
      */
-    class FileItem : public BasicItem
+    class LIBZIM_API FileItem : public BasicItem
     {
       public:
         /**
diff --git a/include/zim/zim.h b/include/zim/zim.h
index 7cd8984e7..94866c902 100644
--- a/include/zim/zim.h
+++ b/include/zim/zim.h
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@
 #define DEPRECATED
 #endif
 
+#if (defined _WIN32 || defined __CYGWIN__) && defined ENABLE_EXPORT_DLL
+    #define LIBZIM_API __declspec(dllexport)
+#else
+    #define LIBZIM_API
+#endif
 
 #include <zim/zim_config.h>
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 851958d81..6dda1c916 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ static_linkage = static_linkage or get_option('default_library')=='static'
 lzma_dep = dependency('liblzma', static:static_linkage)
 if static_linkage
   add_project_arguments('-DLZMA_API_STATIC', language: 'cpp')
+else
+  private_conf.set('ENABLE_EXPORT_DLL', true)
 endif
 
 zstd_dep = dependency('libzstd', static:static_linkage)