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.