The methods used by the four LEP experiments to select W pair events are briefly reviewed, as well as the main methods for extracting the W mass and width. The currently relevant and in some cases still open systematic issues are illustrated. The preliminary results based on approximately 2500 pb−1collected from 1996 to 2000, have been combined to giveMW= 80.450 ± 0.039 GeV/c2and &Ggr;W= 2.150 ± 0.091 GeV/c2. © 2002 American Institute of Physics