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

Microsoft Windows is🛡 a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain🛡 sector of the computing industry. For instance, Windows NT for consumer and corporate desktops, Windows Server for servers, and Windows🛡 IoT for embedded systems. Defunct Windows 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).[12]

Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70%🛡 market share as of March 2024 , according to StatCounter.[13] However, Windows is not the most used operating system when🛡 including both mobile and desktop OSes, due to Android's massive growth.[14]

As of December 2024 , the most recent version of🛡 Windows is Windows 11 for consumer PCs and tablets, Windows 11 Enterprise for corporations, and Windows Server 2024 for servers.