diff --git a/docs/src/loop.rst b/docs/src/loop.rst
index 1f504cb3..400d8c05 100644
--- a/docs/src/loop.rst
+++ b/docs/src/loop.rst
@@ -121,10 +121,10 @@ API
     Returns the size of the `uv_loop_t` structure. Useful for FFI binding
     writers who don't want to know the structure layout.
 
-.. c:function:: int uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop)
+.. c:function:: uv_os_fd_t uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop)
 
-    Get backend file descriptor. Only kqueue, epoll and event ports are
-    supported.
+    Get backend file descriptor. Returns the epoll / kqueue / event ports file
+    descriptor on Unix and the IOCP `HANDLE` on Windows.
 
     This can be used in conjunction with `uv_run(loop, UV_RUN_NOWAIT)` to
     poll in one thread and run the event loop's callbacks in another see
@@ -134,6 +134,9 @@ API
         Embedding a kqueue fd in another kqueue pollset doesn't work on all platforms. It's not
         an error to add the fd but it never generates events.
 
+    .. versionchanged:: 2.0.0: added support for Windows and changed return type
+        to ``uv_os_fd_t``.
+
 .. c:function:: int uv_backend_timeout(const uv_loop_t* loop)
 
     Get the poll timeout. The return value is in milliseconds, or -1 for no
diff --git a/include/uv.h b/include/uv.h
index cc385d01..99ed9771 100644
--- a/include/uv.h
+++ b/include/uv.h
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ UV_EXTERN int uv_has_ref(const uv_handle_t*);
 UV_EXTERN void uv_update_time(uv_loop_t*);
 UV_EXTERN uint64_t uv_now(const uv_loop_t*);
 
-UV_EXTERN int uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t*);
+UV_EXTERN uv_os_fd_t uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t*);
 UV_EXTERN int uv_backend_timeout(const uv_loop_t*);
 
 typedef void (*uv_alloc_cb)(uv_handle_t* handle,
diff --git a/src/unix/core.c b/src/unix/core.c
index 965aae79..5be878dd 100644
--- a/src/unix/core.c
+++ b/src/unix/core.c
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ int uv_is_closing(const uv_handle_t* handle) {
 }
 
 
-int uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop) {
+uv_os_fd_t uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop) {
   return loop->backend_fd;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/win/core.c b/src/win/core.c
index 26ad3929..ca9f2cc5 100644
--- a/src/win/core.c
+++ b/src/win/core.c
@@ -264,8 +264,8 @@ int uv__loop_configure(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_loop_option option, va_list ap) {
 }
 
 
-int uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop) {
-  return -1;
+uv_os_fd_t uv_backend_fd(const uv_loop_t* loop) {
+  return loop->iocp;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/test/test-embed.c b/test/test-embed.c
index 06137456..145819a6 100644
--- a/test/test-embed.c
+++ b/test/test-embed.c
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 # endif
 #endif
 
-#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE) || defined(HAVE_EPOLL)
+#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE) || defined(HAVE_EPOLL) || defined(_WIN32)
 
 #if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE)
 # include <sys/types.h>
@@ -62,28 +62,59 @@ static volatile int embed_closed;
 static int embed_timer_called;
 
 
-static void embed_thread_runner(void* arg) {
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+static void embed_thread_poll_win(HANDLE iocp, int timeout) {
+  DWORD bytes;
+  ULONG_PTR key;
+  OVERLAPPED* overlapped;
+
+  GetQueuedCompletionStatus(iocp,
+                            &bytes,
+                            &key,
+                            &overlapped,
+                            timeout);
+
+  /* Give the event back so the loop can deal with it. */
+  if (overlapped != NULL)
+    PostQueuedCompletionStatus(iocp,
+                               bytes,
+                               key,
+                               overlapped);
+}
+#else
+static void embed_thread_poll_unix(int fd, int timeout) {
   int r;
-  int fd;
+  do {
+#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE)
+    struct timespec ts;
+    ts.tv_sec = timeout / 1000;
+    ts.tv_nsec = (timeout % 1000) * 1000000;
+    r = kevent(fd, NULL, 0, NULL, 0, &ts);
+#elif defined(HAVE_EPOLL)
+    {
+      struct epoll_event ev;
+      r = epoll_wait(fd, &ev, 1, timeout);
+    }
+#endif
+  } while (r == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+}
+#endif /* !_WIN32 */
+
+
+static void embed_thread_runner(void* arg) {
+  uv_os_fd_t fd;
   int timeout;
 
   while (!embed_closed) {
     fd = uv_backend_fd(uv_default_loop());
     timeout = uv_backend_timeout(uv_default_loop());
 
-    do {
-#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE)
-      struct timespec ts;
-      ts.tv_sec = timeout / 1000;
-      ts.tv_nsec = (timeout % 1000) * 1000000;
-      r = kevent(fd, NULL, 0, NULL, 0, &ts);
-#elif defined(HAVE_EPOLL)
-      {
-        struct epoll_event ev;
-        r = epoll_wait(fd, &ev, 1, timeout);
-      }
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+    embed_thread_poll_win(fd, timeout);
+#else
+    embed_thread_poll_unix(fd, timeout);
 #endif
-    } while (r == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+
     uv_async_send(&embed_async);
     uv_sem_wait(&embed_sem);
   }
@@ -107,7 +138,7 @@ static void embed_timer_cb(uv_timer_t* timer) {
 
 
 TEST_IMPL(embed) {
-#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE) || defined(HAVE_EPOLL)
+#if defined(HAVE_KQUEUE) || defined(HAVE_EPOLL) || defined(_WIN32)
   uv_loop_t external;
 
   ASSERT(0 == uv_loop_init(&external));
@@ -132,7 +163,9 @@ TEST_IMPL(embed) {
   uv_loop_close(&external);
 
   ASSERT(embed_timer_called == 1);
-#endif
 
   return 0;
+#else
+  RETURN_SKIP("Not supported in the current platform.");
+#endif
 }