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Original Windows logo from 1985Timeline showing releases of Windows for personal computers and servers
Windows is a computer operating system developed by Microsoft. It was first launched in 1985 as a graphical operating system built on MS-DOS. The initial version was followed by several subsequent releases, and by the early 1990s, the Windows line had split into two separate lines of releases: Windows 9x for consumers and Windows NT for businesses and enterprises. In the following years, several further variants of Windows would be released: Windows CE in 1996 for embedded systems; Pocket PC in 2000 (renamed to Windows Mobile in 2003 and Windows Phone in 2010) for personal digital assistants and, later, smartphones; Windows Holographic in 2016 for AR/VR headsets; and several other editions.
Personal computer versions
A "personal computer" version of Windows is considered to be a version that end-users or OEMs can install on personal computers, including desktop computers, laptops, and workstations.
The first five versions of Windows–Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 2.1, Windows 3.0, and Windows 3.1–were all based on MS-DOS, and were aimed at both consumers and businesses. However, Windows 3.1 had two separate successors, splitting the Windows line in two: the consumer-focused "Windows 9x" line, consisting of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me; and the professional Windows NT line, comprising Windows NT 3.1, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000. These two lines were reunited into a single line with the NT-based Windows XP; this Windows release succeeded both Windows Me and Windows 2000 and had separate editions for consumer and professional use. Since Windows XP, multiple further versions of Windows have been released, the most recent of which is Windows 11. Since Windows 10, Microsoft has effectively turned to the "Windows as a service" servicing model, most likely to ensure it competes with mobile operating systems.
List of Microsoft Windows versions for personal computers
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Education Windows 10 Enterprise Windows 10 Pro for Workstations Windows 10 Pro Education Windows 10 S Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC Windows 10 IoT Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Windows 10 PE (Preinstallation Environment)
Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro Windows 11 Pro for Workstations Windows 11 Pro Education Windows 11 Education Windows 11 Enterprise Windows 11 SE Windows 11 Pro N Windows 11 IoT Enterprise Windows 11 PE (Preinstallation Environment)
Windows Server Web Windows Server Standard Windows Server Enterprise Windows Server Datacenter Windows Storage Server Windows Unified Data Storage Server
Windows Server Foundation Windows Server Standard Windows Server Enterprise Windows Server Datacenter Windows Server for Itanium-based Systems Windows Storage Server Windows Web Server
Windows MultiPoint Server was an operating system based on Windows Server. It was succeeded by the MultiPoint Services role in Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server version 1709. It was no longer being developed in Windows Server version 1803 and later versions.
Name
Codename
Release date
End-of-support date
Version number
Build number
Based on
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010
Solution Server
February 24, 2010
July 14, 2020
NT 6.1
537
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows MultiPoint Server 2011
WMS 2
May 12, 2011
July 13, 2021
1600
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Windows MultiPoint Server 2012
WMS 3
October 30, 2012
October 10, 2023
NT 6.2
2506
Windows Server 2012
Windows Small Business Server
Name
Codename
Release date
End-of-support date
Build number
Based on
Small Business Server 2000
—N/a
February 21, 2001
July 13, 2010
1343
Windows 2000 Server
Windows Small Business Server 2003
Bobcat
October 9, 2003
July 14, 2015
2893
Windows Server 2003
Windows Small Business Server 2008
Cougar
August 21, 2008
January 14, 2020
5601
Windows Server 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard
Windows Small Business Server 7
December 13, 2010
January 14, 2020
7900
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials
Colorado
June 28, 2011
January 5, 2013
8800
Device versions
ARM-based tablets
Windows RT logo
In 2012 and 2013, Microsoft released versions of Windows specially designed to run on ARM-based tablets; these versions of Windows, named "Windows RT" and "Windows RT 8.1," were based on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, respectively. Upon the release of Windows 10 in 2015, the ARM-specific version for large tablets was discontinued; large tablets (such as the Surface Pro 4) were only released with x86 processors and could run the full version of Windows 10. Windows 10 Mobile had the ability to be installed on smaller tablets (up to nine inches); however, very few such tablets were released, and Windows 10 Mobile primarily ended up only running on smartphones until its discontinuation. In 2017, the full version of Windows 10 gained the ability to run on ARM, thus rendering a specific version of Windows for ARM-based tablets unnecessary.
Microsoft originally announced the Surface Hub, an interactive whiteboard, in January 2015. The Surface Hub family of devices runs a custom variant of Windows 10 known as Windows 10 Team.
Tablet computer running a "Tablet PC Edition" of Windows XP
Two versions of Windows XP were released that were optimized for tablets. Beginning with Windows Vista, all tablet-specific components were included in the main version of the operating system.
Originally announced at the 1991 Microsoft Professional Developers Conference, Cairo was the codename of a project whose charter was to build technologies for a next-generation operating system that would fulfill Bill Gates's vision of "information at your fingertips". Cairo never shipped, although portions of its technologies have since appeared in other products.
Neptune, based on the Windows 2000 codebase, was planned to be the first version of Microsoft Windows NT to have a consumer edition variant. A version was sent out to testers but was never released. The teams working on Neptune and Odyssey eventually combined to work on Windows XP.
Blackcomb was originally planned to be a release of Windows following Windows XP. However, due to the large feature scope planned for Blackcomb, a smaller release codenamed "Longhorn" was planned first, and Blackcomb was delayed to 2003/2004. Both projects faced delays; Longhorn would go on to be released to consumers as "Windows Vista" in January 2007, while development on Blackcomb continued until the Blackcomb project was renamed "Vienna" in early 2006.
Vienna replaced Blackcomb and was intended as Windows Vista's successor. Vienna was eventually cancelled in favor of a new project codenamed "Windows 7" (which went on to be released in 2009 with the same name).
Microsoft had been reported as working on a new "lite" version of Windows as early as December 2018. Such a version was officially announced under the name "Windows 10X" at an event in October 2019; the operating system was intended to first launch on dual-screen devices. In May 2020, Microsoft announced that Windows 10X would instead be launching on single-screen PCs, such as laptops and 2-in-1 devices, first. However, on May 18, 2021, Microsoft announced that Windows 10X would not be launching (at least not in 2021); many of its features were instead rolled into Windows 11.
Cancelled mobile versions
Codename
Intended name
Discontinuation
Notes
Photon
Windows Mobile 7
September 2008
Originally a successor of Windows Mobile, it had been scrapped for Windows Phone 7
Phoenix
—N/a
Early 2017
Cancelled when Microsoft "wound down" its phone efforts.
Andromeda
—N/a
Mid-2018
Much of the work that was put into Andromeda was migrated into Santorini. The Surface Duo, a dual-screen Android-powered smartphone launched by Microsoft in 2020, was loosely based on the prototype hardware that had been used to test Andromeda.
