Evolution of Windows operating system: How Microsoft created the world’s most popular OS

Microsoft turns 49 on April 4. The company that put a computer in every home and connected the world with its iconic OS is the second most valuable company in the world. And for good reason. 

Windows today powers billions of computers across the globe. From personal laptops and desktop machines to enterprise-grade computers in libraries, hospitals, schools and more. Even though Microsoft has since evolved into cloud, apps, and gaming, the company’s most recognisable product remains Windows. 

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To narrate the evolution of Windows is to narrate the evolution of modern computing itself. From its very first version in 1985, Windows has seen multiple iterations before it arrived at Windows 11, which several of us use today. 

Here’s looking at the evolution of Windows and what each version brought to the table… or shall we say, desks! 

Early Windows versions (1985 – 1995)

Microsoft built the first Windows version all the way back in 1985. With a focus on a graphical user interface (GUI) Windows was set to be program where users could interact much more easily with the hardware of a machine. 

At a time when DOS (Disk Operating System) was widely used to compute, using a set of commands instead of a pointing device and icons to click on, computing was in its very nascent stages. But after founder Bill Gates saw the possibilities opened up by adding a visual element to commands, Windows 1.01 was born. 

Released from 1985 in the US, early versions of Windows still used the MS-DOS operating system as its base, and thanks to its GUI, offered access to input devices like a mouse. This allowed users to open various graphical “windows” for particular sub-programs like Calculator, Paint and Notepad. 

Fun fact: Microsoft would create a mock version of Windows 1.0 as a Windows 10 app for the third season of popular Netflix show Stranger Things, which also takes place during 1985! 

Over the next ten years, the limited capabilities of this interface were improved upon and support for more programs was added, allowing users to use more programs for different use-cases. Support for non-US keyboard layouts was added too. 

Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 (1995 – 2000)

The last generation of Windows that powered computers in the 90s, Windows 95 (1995), Windows 98 (1998) and Windows 2000 (2000) were responsible for making the GUI on Windows even better, and capable of doing much more. 

With Windows 95, the actual windows (the square boxes that open up for every program) began looking a lot more like they did in later versions, while a number of iconic elements like the Taskbar and the Start button were first added for the first time. 

In similar fashion, Windows 98 added features like Disk Cleanup, as well as support for multiple monitors, taking the multitasking ability of these systems on a whole new level. Windows 98 also added support for DVD players, and improved its support for USB accessories. 

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Windows 2000, meanwhile, was a Windows NT operating system, specifically made for businesses. Special features that were a part of this release include File Encryption support, improved support for people with disabilities and dynamic disk storage. 

Windows XP (2001)

Where the love affair with Windows truly began for Millennials who were introduced to computers early was Windows XP. Microsoft’s 2001 update to its series of operating systems was almost universally acclaimed for all that it added. 

This included a major revamp on the design aspect, with all buttons, icons and windows now featuring a more 3D look and feel, complete with shadows that would ascend on the desktop or other windows layered behind the main Window. 

The ‘XP’ stood for eXPerience, and a huge nostalgic part of the Windows XP experience included the iconic games that were preinstalled on later versions of the OS. Perhaps the most iconic of these was Pinball 3D, but many may also remember Hearts, Spider Solitaire and Minesweeper. 

With numerous ‘Service Pack’ updates, Windows XP would be the default operating system on Windows-based machines for years, until Windows Vista would come into the picture. 

Windows Vista (2007)

Windows Vista was a major update for the aesthetics aspect of Microsoft’s operating system, and Vista set the foundation for multiple transparency themes and effects that still continue to be a part of newer Windows versions. 

With ‘Windows Aero’, users who had hardware resources to spare could turn many on-screen elements like the borders of program windows and the background of many programs transparent. This gave the OS a system-wide, futuristic look, which could be turned off if not required. 

That wasn’t all. Windows Vista also added a number of features like the baked-in Windows DVD Maker tool and an indexed system-wide search tool embedded directly into the Taskbar, the latter being a staple of Windows ever since. 

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However, despite all its new additions, Windows Vista was frowned upon by the tech community due to several optimisation issues, lack of compatibility for programs and things like slower boot times. Microsoft would, however, quickly fix these with its next entry just two years later. 

Windows 7 (2009)

Many consider Windows 7 to be the true successor to Windows XP, as the new operating system put together the best parts of Windows Vista, added several new features, doubled down on its stability, and now natively supported touch-panels. 

On the visual front, this meant many signature Windows elements now adopted a new design language to better support touchscreens – the Taskbar, for instance, was now taller and had wider square icons for running programs instead of the smaller and wider tabs.  With these additions, Windows 7 could also be shipped on tablets, in addition to laptops and desktops. 

While the Windows Aero theme was also improved, several new features also came to Windows 7. The ability to pin frequently-used apps to the Taskbar, HomeGroup sharing, and a much better implementation of the User Account Controls (UAC) section were just some of these. 

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 (2012)

Microsoft doubled down on support for touchscreen laptops and tablets with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, and as you probably guessed, this happened with another major visual overhaul. Windows’ iconic Start button no longer opened into a small corner on the left, but rather took up the entire screen, showing a bunch of large tiles for programs. 

Windows 8 and 8.1 also added a lot of performance improvements, along with features like NFC support, USB 3.0 and Secure Boot. For these reasons, the Windows 8 series did get good reviews, but it wasn’t perfect. 

Many users who were still using the now touch-friendly Windows versions on their regular laptops and desktops did not appreciate the new Start menu which would take up the entire screen and felt like an intrusion. Due to this, Microsoft would change the Start menu heavily again in the next version. 

Windows 10 (2015)

Windows 10 quickly became popular for a number of reasons. The operating system was the first version since Windows to bring back a non-fullscreen Start menu, along with other features and performance improvements. As a result, many who did not want to upgrade to Windows 8 and 8.1 felt more confident about updating to Windows 10. 

This was because the Windows 10 Start menu perfectly blended the tile-design of the Windows 8 Start menu and the smaller layout of previous Windows versions. This created a mid-way approach that allowed users with touchscreen tablets and conventional PCs to make the most of the design. 

Features like Xbox Live integration, the new Cortana AI assistant and a new, better default browser in Microsoft Edge were welcome changes and helped make the update popular quickly. 

Even today, Windows 10 is used on multiple devices, because of the very specific requirements of the next version of Windows, which is also Microsoft’s latest – Windows 11. 

Windows 11 (2021)

Windows 11 had a rather controversial release, despite all its new features and improvements, and that was because of a long list of hardware requirements. These included a processor of at least 1GHz, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage as well as support for TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module). 

This meant a lot of functional computers with older hardware would now no longer be eligible for a Windows 11 update. However, Microsoft did lower the bar a little after some major backlash. 

Windows 11 also came with a long list of features, including improved navigation, Snap Assist, which helped users quickly snap Windows in a split-screen view, and widget support. With subsequent updates like the Windows 11 23H2 update, Windows 11 even got more additions including built-in controls for RGB systems and integrated Microsoft Copilot. 

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That brings us to the present, where Windows 11 continues to be Microsoft’s latest version of the operating system, but a lot of machines still continue to use older versions. While there are rumours of a Windows 12 update floating around, nothing concrete has come from Microsoft just yet.