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Microsoft Windows

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This article
Reading time
40 min
Topic
Computer Science
Quality
B-class
Introduced
1985
Views
28k in 14 days
Last edited
9 Nov 2026
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  1. Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Computer operating system
DeveloperMicrosoft
Source modelClosed-source
Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative)
Initial releaseNovember 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)
Latest releaseWindows 11 26H1 (10.0.28000.3501) (November 10, 2026 (2026-11-10)1) [±]
26H2 (10.0.26300.9974) (November 10, 2026 (2026-11-10)2) [±]
Latest previewRelease Preview: 26H2 (10.0.26300.9974) (November 10, 2026 (2026-11-10)3) [±]
Release Preview (26H1): (10.0.28000.3501) (November 10, 2026 (2026-11-10)4) [±]
Beta: 25H2 (10.0.26220.9836) (October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30)) : (10.0.28020.3382) (October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30)) : 26H2 (10.0.26340.9843) (October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30)) : (10.0.28120.3393) (October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30)) : (10.0.29698.1000) (October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30))
5
[±]

Beta (26H1)
6
[±]

Experimental
7
[±]

Experimental (26H1)
8
[±]

Experimental (Future Platforms)
9
[±]
Marketing targetPersonal computing
Available in110 languages
Update methodWindows Update
Microsoft Store
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
Package managerWindows Installer (.msi, .msp),10 App Installer (.msix.11 msixbundle1213), Microsoft Store (.appx, .appxbundle),14 Windows Package Manager
Supported platformsIA-32, x86-64, ARM, ARM64
Previously: 16-bit x86, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, Itanium
Kernel typeWindows NT family: Hybrid
Windows Embedded Compact/Windows CE: Hybrid or Monolithic
Windows 9x and earlier: Monolithic (MS-DOS and VMM32)
Default user interfaceWindows shell
LicenseProprietary commercial software
Official websitewindows.com

Windows is a proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft. Windows is grouped into families that cater to particular sectors of the computing industry – Windows for personal computers, Windows Server for servers, and Windows IoT for embedded systems. Windows itself is further grouped into editions that cater to different users – Home for home users, Professional for advanced users, Education for schools, and Enterprise for corporations. Windows is sold both as a consumer retail product and to computer manufacturers, who bundle and distribute it with their systems.

"Windows" redirects here. For the architectural element, see Window. For other uses, see Windows (disambiguation).

The first version of Windows, Windows 1.0, was released on November 20, 1985 as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).15 The name Windows is a reference to the windowing system in GUIs.16 The 1990 release of Windows 3.0 catapulted its market success and led to the launch of various other product families, including the (now-defunct) Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows CE/Embedded Compact.

Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 77% market share as of October 2026,17 and the second-most popular operating system overall, behind Android.18 As of October 2026, Windows 11 is the most used desktop version of Windows, with a market share of 74%.19

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General
  • Recent changes
  • Related articles
  • Random discovery
This article
Reading time
40 min
Topic
Computer Science
Quality
B-class
Introduced
1985
Views
28k in 14 days
Last edited
9 Nov 2026
Print/export
  • Printable version
In other projects
  • Wikidata item
Last edited
9 Nov 2026