On Windows, I observe that if the output is redirected from the console to a file, then mixing calls to `printf` and Windows' `WriteFile` will result in the data being written to the file in a different order than the calls appeared in the code. Fair enough. That's understandable.

However, I've so far observed that when the output is directed to the console and I mix calls to `printf` and Windows' `WriteConsole` the data is always printed in the same order as the calls.

Is this latter behaviour guaranteed? Can I rely on it or are there situations where this order might change also?

Here's an example:

```
#include <stdio.h>
#include <windows.h>

int main() {
    DWORD lpMode;
    DWORD dwCount;
    HANDLE winout = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
    BOOL is_console = GetConsoleMode(winout, &lpMode);
    if (is_console) {
        printf("Line 1 to console using printf.\n");
        WriteConsoleA(winout, "Line 2 to console using WriteConsoleA.\n", 39, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 3 to console using printf.\n");
        WriteConsoleA(winout, "Line 4 to console using WriteConsoleA.\n", 39, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 5 to console using printf.\n");
        WriteConsoleA(winout, "Line 6 to console using WriteConsoleA.\n", 39, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 7 to console using printf.\n");
        WriteConsoleA(winout, "Line 8 to console using WriteConsoleA.\n", 39, &dwCount, NULL);
    } else {
        printf("Line 1 to file using printf.\n");
        WriteFile(winout, "Line 2 to file using WriteFile.\n", 32, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 3 to file using printf.\n");
        WriteFile(winout, "Line 4 to file using WriteFile.\n", 32, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 5 to file using printf.\n");
        WriteFile(winout, "Line 6 to file using WriteFile.\n", 32, &dwCount, NULL);
        printf("Line 7 to file using printf.\n");
        WriteFile(winout, "Line 8 to file using WriteFile.\n", 32, &dwCount, NULL);
    }
    return 0;
}

```

When the output is redirected to a file, the file contains:

```
Line 2 to file using WriteFile.
Line 4 to file using WriteFile.
Line 6 to file using WriteFile.
Line 8 to file using WriteFile.
Line 1 to file using printf.
Line 3 to file using printf.
Line 5 to file using printf.
Line 7 to file using printf.

```

When the output is directed to the console, the following is printed:

```
Line 1 to console using printf.
Line 2 to console using WriteConsoleA.
Line 3 to console using printf.
Line 4 to console using WriteConsoleA.
Line 5 to console using printf.
Line 6 to console using WriteConsoleA.
Line 7 to console using printf.
Line 8 to console using WriteConsoleA.

```

To be clear, I'm not asking about WriteFile here. My question is not about why the first set of output to the file is in the “incorrect” order, but rather why the second set of output to the console is in the “correct” order, and when (if ever) this behaviour cannot be assumed for WriteConsole.