Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows
DeveloperMicrosoft
Source model
Initial releaseNovember 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)
Latest release23H2 (10.0.22631.3374) (March 26, 2024 (2024-03-26)[1]) [±]
Latest preview
Release Preview Channel

23H2 (10.0.22631.3374) (March 26, 2024 (2024-03-26)[2][3]) [±]

Beta Channel

23H2 (10.0.22635.3350) (March 13, 2024 (2024-03-13)[4]) [±]

Dev Channel

24H2 (10.0.26085.1) (March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20)[5]) [±]

Canary Channel
24H2 (10.0.26085.1) (March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20)[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
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 Edit this at Wikidata

Microsoft Windows is a product line of proprietary graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and sub-families 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. Defunct families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded Compact.

The first version of Windows 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]

Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023, according to StatCounter.[12] However, Windows is not the most used operating system when including both mobile and desktop OSes, due to Android's massive growth.[13]

As of 2024, the most recent version of Windows is Windows 11 for consumer PCs and tablets, Windows 11 Enterprise for corporations, and Windows Server 2022 for servers. Still supported are some editions of Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 and later (and exceptionally with paid support down to Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded POSReady 7).

  1. ^ "March 26, 2024—KB5035942 (OS Builds 22621.3374 and 22631.3374) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
  2. ^ "Releasing Windows 11 Builds 22621.3371 and 22631.3371 to the Release Preview Channel". Windows Insider Blog. March 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "March 26, 2024—KB5035942 (OS Builds 22621.3374 and 22631.3374) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
  4. ^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3350 (Beta Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. March 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26085 (Canary and Dev Channels)". Windows Insider Blog. March 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Su, Christy; Xu, Simonx (November 25, 2021). "FAQ about the Windows Installer .msp files - Dynamics GP". Microsoft Learn. 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. 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. 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. 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. ^ "Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  13. ^ 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