Microsoft Windows

"Windows" redirects here. For the part of a building, see Window. For other uses, see Windows (disambiguation).

Windows
DeveloperMicrosoft
Source model
Initial releaseNovember 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)
Latest release24H2 (10.0.26100.6584) (September 9, 2025 (2025-09-09)[1]) [±]
Latest preview
  • Release Preview Channel: 25H2 (10.0.26200.6718) (September 17, 2025 (2025-09-17)[2]) [±]
  • Beta Channel: 24H2 (10.0.26120.6682) (September 12, 2025 (2025-09-12)[3]) [±]
  • Dev Channel: 25H2 (10.0.26220.6682) (September 12, 2025 (2025-09-12)[4]) [±]
  • Canary Channel: 10.0.27943.1 (September 11, 2025 (2025-09-11)[5]) [±]
Marketing targetPersonal computing
Available in110 languages
Update method
Package managerWindows Installer (.msi, .msp),[6] App Installer (.msix,.[7] msixbundle[8][9]), Microsoft Store (.appx, .appxbundle),[10] Windows Package Manager
Supported platformsIA-32, x86-64, ARM, ARM64
Previously: 16-bit x86, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, Itanium
Kernel type
Default
user interface		Windows shell
LicenseProprietary commercial software
Official websitewindows.com

Windows is a product line of proprietary graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sectors of the computing industry – Windows (unqualified) for a consumer or corporate workstation, Windows Server for a server and Windows IoT for an embedded system. Windows is sold as either a consumer retail product or licensed to third-party hardware manufacturers who sell products bundled with Windows.

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 the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).[11] The name "Windows" is a reference to the windowing system in GUIs.[12] The 1990 release of Windows 3.0 catapulted its market success and led to various other product families, including the now-defunct Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows CE/Embedded Compact. Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023, according to StatCounter;[13] however when including mobile operating systems, it is in second place, behind Android.[14]

The most recent version of Windows is Windows 11 for consumer PCs and tablets, Windows 11 Enterprise for corporations, and Windows Server 2025 for servers. Still supported are some editions of Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 or later (and exceptionally with paid support down to Windows Server 2008).[15][16] As of August 2025, Windows 11 is the most commonly installed desktop version of Windows, with a market share of 53%.[17] Windows has overall 72% share (of traditional PCs).

  1. ^ "September 9, 2025—KB5065426 (OS Build 26100.6584)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
  2. ^ "Releasing Windows 11 Builds 26100.6713 and 26200.6713 to the Release Preview Channel". Windows Insider Blog. September 12, 2025.
  3. ^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.6682 (Beta Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. September 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.6682 (Dev Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. September 12, 2025.
  5. ^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27943 (Canary Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. September 11, 2025.
  6. ^ Su, Christy; Xu, Simonx (November 25, 2021). "FAQ about the Windows Installer .msp files - Dynamics GP". Microsoft Learn. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  7. ^ dianmsft; Jenks, Alma; Coulter, David; Schofield, McLean; Vintzel, John; Satran, Michael; Donthini, Chaitanya; Kinsman, Mike (December 30, 2021). "What is MSIX?". Microsoft Learn. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Jahiu, Dhurata; Jenks, Alma; v-chmccl; Power, Cory; Coulter, David; Schofield, McLean; Donthini, Chaitanya; Satran, Michael (April 13, 2022). "How to bundle MSIX packages". Microsoft Learn. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Vera (June 26, 2023) [April 14, 2023]. "How to Install MSIXBundle on Windows 10/11? 2 Ways to Try!". MiniTool. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "App packages and deployment (Windows Store apps) (Windows)". Microsoft Learn. October 19, 2021 [October 6, 2015]. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  11. ^ Bellis, Mary (October 4, 2019). "The Unusual History of Microsoft Windows". Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Keizer, Gregg (July 14, 2014). "Microsoft gets real, admits its device share is just 14%". Computerworld. IDG. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. [Microsoft's chief operating officer] Turner's 14% came from a new forecast released last week by Gartner, which estimated Windows' share of the shipped device market last year was 14%, and would decrease slightly to 13.7% in 2014. Android will dominate, Gartner said, with a 48% share this year
  15. ^ "Windows Server Premium Assurance SQL Server Premium Assurance" (PDF). Licensing School. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  16. ^ Mackie, Kurt (July 13, 2018). "Microsoft Replacing 'Premiere Assurance' Support with New Security Plan". Redmond Channel Partner. 1105 Media. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  17. ^ "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
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