A class of windows, called binary windows, for the frequency-domain implementation of the discrete Fourier transform is proposed. While the conventional time-domain windowing requires N/2 stored values of the data window and N multiplications, the binary windows do not require multiplications or stored constants; rather, they are replaced by shift and add operations. Typical hardware structures are presented for efficient implementation of the binary windows. Copyright © 1986 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Inc.