Microsoft Windows version history

<a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Microsoft Windows</a> was announced by <a href="/facts/Bill_Gates/z16t4m7s">Bill Gates</a> on November 10, 1983, 2 years before it was first released. Microsoft introduced Windows as a <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">graphical user interface</a> for <a href="/facts/MS-DOS/fVrrz1uN">MS-DOS</a>, which had been introduced two years earlier, on August 12, 1981. The product line evolved in the 1990s from an <a href="/facts/Operating_environment/j5I5cnR5">operating environment</a> into a fully complete, modern <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating system</a> over two lines of development, each with their own separate codebase.
The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were <a href="/facts/Graphical_shell/Sa67elS7">graphical shells</a> that ran from MS-DOS. <a href="/facts/Windows_95/1E1L93qC">Windows 95</a>, though still being based on MS-DOS, was its own operating system. Windows 95 also had a significant amount of 16-bit code ported from Windows 3.1. Windows 95 introduced multiple features that have been part of the product ever since, including the <a href="/facts/Start_menu/ubDBJLDX">Start menu</a>, the <a href="/facts/Taskbar/uLQUAwz6">taskbar</a>, and <a href="/facts/Windows_Explorer/oQW5yNnJ">Windows Explorer</a> (renamed File Explorer in Windows 8). In 1997, Microsoft released <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_4/ztoV77jR">Internet Explorer 4</a> which included the (at the time controversial) <a href="/facts/Windows_Desktop_Update/llzATYpD">Windows Desktop Update</a>. It aimed to integrate Internet Explorer and the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">web</a> into the user interface and also brought new features into Windows, such as the ability to display <a href="/facts/JPEG/HQ8QS3uB">JPEG</a> images as the desktop wallpaper and single window navigation in Windows Explorer. In 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, which also included the Windows Desktop Update and Internet Explorer 4 by default. The inclusion of Internet Explorer 4 and the Desktop Update led to an <a href="/facts/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp._(2001)/wnUnBagb">antitrust case in the United States</a>. Windows 98 included USB support out of the box, and also <a href="/facts/Plug_and_play/LISny9tL">plug and play</a>, which allows devices to work when plugged in without requiring a system reboot or manual configuration. <a href="/facts/Windows_Me/fjENFRNa">Windows Me</a>, the last DOS-based version of Windows, was aimed at consumers and released in 2000. It introduced <a href="/facts/System_Restore/1Qmw0C0y">System Restore</a>, <a href="/facts/Help_and_Support_Center/DevuU3KN">Help and Support Center</a>, updated versions of the <a href="/facts/Disk_Defragmenter_(Windows)/5ajGXCM2">Disk Defragmenter</a> and other system tools.
In 1993, Microsoft released <a href="/facts/Windows_NT_3.1/2mdmR1cL">Windows NT 3.1</a>, the first version of the newly developed <a href="/facts/Windows_NT/EtccWvxQ">Windows NT</a> operating system, followed by <a href="/facts/Windows_NT_3.5/QJq52ukC">Windows NT 3.5</a> in 1994, and <a href="/facts/Windows_NT_3.51/pSnh50be">Windows NT 3.51</a> in 1995. "NT" is an initialism for "New Technology". Unlike the <a href="/facts/Windows_9x/f1zwlghw">Windows 9x</a> series of operating systems, it was a fully 32-bit operating system. NT 3.1 introduced <a href="/facts/NTFS/dryNM3BK">NTFS</a>, a file system designed to replace the older <a href="/facts/File_Allocation_Table/uFvpmWxa">File Allocation Table</a> (FAT) which was used by DOS and the DOS-based Windows operating systems. In 1996, <a href="/facts/Windows_NT_4.0/EcKYxrkx">Windows NT 4.0</a> was released, which included a fully 32-bit version of Windows Explorer written specifically for it, making the operating system work like Windows 95. Windows NT was originally designed to be used on high-end systems and servers, but with the release of <a href="/facts/Windows_2000/amJIt9gz">Windows 2000</a>, many consumer-oriented features from Windows 95 and Windows 98 were included, such as the <a href="/facts/Windows_Desktop_Update/llzATYpD">Windows Desktop Update</a>, <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_5/HaSYzQEg">Internet Explorer 5</a>, USB support and <a href="/facts/Windows_Media_Player/k6xxSATq">Windows Media Player</a>. These consumer-oriented features were further extended in <a href="/facts/Windows_XP/IozrkAYS">Windows XP</a> in 2001, which included a new visual style called <a href="/facts/Luna_(theme)/AFSWgQ53">Luna</a>, a more user-friendly interface, updated versions of Windows Media Player and <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer_6/MGfbdL4h">Internet Explorer 6</a> by default, and extended features from Windows Me, such as the Help and Support Center and System Restore. <a href="/facts/Windows_Vista/IASEUCTB">Windows Vista</a>, which was released in 2007, focused on securing the Windows operating system against <a href="/facts/Computer_virus/IyTC1usq">computer viruses</a> and other <a href="/facts/Malware/5ee7TLFR">malicious software</a> by introducing features such as <a href="/facts/User_Account_Control/BjUhEq9u">User Account Control</a>. New features include <a href="/facts/Windows_Aero/ef0FmLGu">Windows Aero</a>, updated versions of the standard games (e.g. <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Solitaire/7IQQdwSG">Solitaire</a>), Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail to replace <a href="/facts/Outlook_Express/80CrN0Yo">Outlook Express</a>. Despite this, Windows Vista was critically panned for its poor performance on older hardware and its at-the-time high system requirements. <a href="/facts/Windows_7/tldLdbnX">Windows 7</a> followed in 2009 nearly three years after its launch, and despite it technically having higher system requirements, reviewers noted that it ran better than Windows Vista. Windows 7 removed many applications, such as <a href="/facts/Windows_Movie_Maker/0SFKpMgD">Windows Movie Maker</a>, <a href="/facts/Windows_Photo_Gallery/kHM8zoKs">Windows Photo Gallery</a> and <a href="/facts/Windows_Mail/DSnnBDhT">Windows Mail</a>, instead requiring users to download separate <a href="/facts/Windows_Live_Essentials/tPJ6oqdG">Windows Live Essentials</a> to gain some of those features and other online services. <a href="/facts/Windows_8/eRtw96T3">Windows 8</a>, which was released in 2012, introduced many controversial changes, such as the replacement of the Start menu with the Start Screen, the removal of the Aero interface in favor of a flat, colored interface as well as the introduction of "Metro" apps (later renamed to <a href="/facts/Universal_Windows_Platform_apps/PCIgnSjM">Universal Windows Platform apps</a>), and the Charms Bar user interface element, all of which received considerable criticism from reviewers. Windows 8.1, a free upgrade to Windows 8, was released in 2013.
The following version of Windows, <a href="/facts/Windows_10/be9IHehJ">Windows 10</a>, which was released in 2015, reintroduced the Start menu and added the ability to run Universal Windows Platform apps in a window instead of always in full screen. Windows 10 was generally well-received, with many reviewers stating that Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been.
The latest version of Windows, <a href="/facts/Windows_11/J2ywV8r4">Windows 11</a>, was released to the general public on October 5, 2021. Windows 11 incorporates a redesigned user interface, including a new Start menu, a visual style featuring rounded corners, and a new layout for the Microsoft Store, and also included <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Edge/BGoJEFX9">Microsoft Edge</a> by default.

Microsoft Windows version history open-in-new

Microsoft Windows version history