A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisan handicraft, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft, and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, mold able and rigid materials, paper, plant fibers, etc. Usually the term is applied to traditional techniques of creating items (whether for personal use or as products) that are both practical and aesthetic.

Collective terms for handicrafts include artistry, handcrafting, crafting, and craftsmanship. The term arts and crafts is also applied, especially in the United States and mostly to hobbyists' and children's output rather than items crafted for daily use, but this distinction is not formal, and the term is easily confused with the Arts and Crafts design movement, which is in fact as practical as it is aesthetic.

Handcrafting has its roots in the rural crafts—the material-goods necessities—of ancient civilizations, and many specific crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularization of crafts which were originally practiced in a limited geographic area.

Many handicrafts use natural, even entirely indigenous, materials while others may prefer modern, non-traditional materials, and even up cycle industrial materials. The individual artisan ship of a handcrafted item is the paramount criterion; those made by mass production or machines are not handicraft goods.