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It is the sixth-largest freshwater lake in Canada, exceeding even Lake Ontario in size, but it is relatively shallow (maximum depth 18m). It is elongated in shape, 416 km from north to south.

The lake's watershed measures about 984 200 km², and covers much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Some of its tributaries include:

• the Saskatchewan River (through Cedar Lake),
• the Red River (draining the Assiniboine RiverThe Assiniboine River is a river in the prairies of western Canada. It is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley. It flows south-east from Saskatchewan to "the Forks" in Winnipeg, Manitoba into the Red),
• the Winnipeg RiverThe Winnipeg River is a Canadian river which flows from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba and eventually empties into Hudson Bay via the Nelson River. This river is 813 km long and drains an area of (draining Lake of the WoodsLake of the Woods ( French: lac des Bois is a lake occupying parts of the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the state of Minnesota. It separates some land in Minnesota, the Northwest Angle, from the rest of the United States so it can be reached from, Rainy RiverThe Rainy River is a river, approximately 85 mi (140 km), that forms part of the U. Canada border separating northern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario. It issues from the west side of Rainy Lake and flows generally WNW, between International Falls, Minn and Rainy Lake ); and
• Lake ManitobaLake Manitoba is a large (4 624 sq. lake in central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located about 75 km northwest of the province's capital, Winnipeg, at 51°N 98°45'W. The irregularly shaped lake, about 200 km long, is the small (draining Lake WinnipegosisLake Winnipegosis (52°30'N 100°W) is a large (5370 sq²) lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada, some 300 km northwest of Winnipeg. It is Canada's eleventh-largest lake. The elongated (195 km from north to south) lake is the second-largest of t).

Lake Winnipeg drains northward into the Nelson RiverThe Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river, 664 km long, drains Lake Winnipeg and its watershed into Hudson Bay. The river flows through the Canadian Shield out of Playgreen Lake at the nort at an average annual rate of 2066 m³/s, and forms part of the Hudson BayHudson Bay is a large body of water in northeastern Canada. It drains a large portion of the northern areas of Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba and the southeastern area of Nunavut. A smaller offshoot of the bay, James Bay, lies to the south. The placename us watershed.

Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winnipegosis are found at the floor of the prehistoric Glacial Lake Agassiz. The area between Lake Winnipeg and Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba is called the Interlake Region, and the whole region is called the Manitoba Lowlands.

The first European to have seen the lake is believed to have been Henry Kelsey in 1690. He adopted the Cree language name for the lake: winipek (ᐐᓂᐯᐠ), meaning "muddy waters". Later, the Red River Colony to its south would take the lake's name and become Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba.

Due to its long, narrow shape, the lake exhibits a variety of interesting wind and wave effects, including waves of up to one metre in height at its southern shore, a process called wind tide . This occurs when prevailing northerly winds blow along the length of Lake Winnipeg, they exert a horizontal stress on its surface. Surface waters move in the direction of the wind and pile up along the windward south shores. Setups greater than 1 m above normal lake levels have been recorded along many of southern Lake Winnipeg's recreational beaches, and the associated high waves with their uprush effects have caused considerable storm damage, backshore flood and shoreline erosion. The highest setups occur in the fall, when the northerly winds are strongest. If the winds die down suddenly, the waters rush northward, then slosh back and forth in a process called seiching .

Communities on the lake include Riverton , Gimli, Winnipeg Beach , Victoria Beach , Pine Falls , Manigotagan , Berens River , and Grand Rapids . A number of pleasure beaches are found on the southern end of the lake.

Lake Winnipeg serves as an important commercial fisheries, shipping route and the southern shore is a popular summer resort area. On long and relatively narrow lakes such as Lake Winnipeg, interesting wind and wave effects occasionally take place.