Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions

Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of computer software operating systems created by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

All versions of Microsoft Windows are commercial proprietary software.

General information

Basic general information about Windows.

DOS shells

Name	Release date	Latest version	Status support	Codename	OS required	Architecture	Editions	Target market
Windows 1.0	1985-11-20	1.04 (1987-04-08)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Interface Manager	DOS 2.0 or higher	16-bit		Desktops
Windows 2.0	1987-09-08	2.03 (1987-12-09)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)		?	16-bit		Desktops
Windows 2.1x	1988-05-27	2.11 (1989-03-13)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)		?	16-bit		Desktops
Windows 3.0	1990-05-22	3.0a with Multimedia Extensions (1991-10-20)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)		DOS 3.1 or higher	16-bit	Windows 3.0 Windows 3.0a Windows 3.0a with Multimedia Extensions	Desktops
Windows 3.1x	1992-04-06	3.11 (1993-12-31)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	3.1: Janus 3.1 for Workgroups: Kato 3.11: Snowball (LB) 3.11 for Workgroups: Sparta	DOS 3.3 or higher	16-bit*	Windows 3.1 (build 040) Windows for Workgroups 3.1 Windows 3.11 Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Windows 3.2 (Simplified Chinese only)	Desktops

* Has partial 32-bit compatibility with Win32s

Windows 9x

Name	Release date	RTM build	Latest version	Status support	Codename	MS-DOS version	Kernel type	Architecture	Editions	Target market
Windows 95	1995-08-15	950	4.00.950C OSR2.5 (1997-11-26)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Chicago	MS-DOS 7.0, MS-DOS 7.1 (OSR2.x)	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit	Retail, OSR1, OSR2, OSR2.1, OSR2.5	Desktops
Windows 98	1998-05-15	1998	4.10.1998	Unsupported (2006-07-11)	Memphis	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit		Desktops
Windows 98 SE	1999-05-05	2222	4.10.2222A (2000-02-25)	Unsupported (2006-07-11)		MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit		Desktops
Windows Me	2000-06-19	3000	4.90.3000 (2000-09-14)	Unsupported (2006-07-11)	Millennium	MS-DOS 8.0	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit		Desktops

Windows NT

Name	Release date	Version	RTM build	Latest build	Status support	Codename, working name	Supported architectures	Editions	OS type
Windows NT 3.1	1993-07-27	3.1	528	528 SP3 (1994-11-10)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	New Technology OS/2	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	Workstation, Advanced Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 3.5	1994-09-21	3.5	807	807 SP3 (1995-06-21)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Daytona	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	Workstation, Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 3.51	1995-05-30	3.51	1057	1057 SP5 (1996-09-19)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	?	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	Workstation, Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 4.0	1996-07-31	4.0	1381	1381 SP6a (1999-11-30)	Unsupported (2004-06-30)	Cairo/Shell Update Release Hydra (Terminal Server) Impala (Embedded)	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	Workstation, Server, Server Enterprise Edition, Terminal Server, Embedded	Workstation, Server, Embedded PCs
Windows 2000	1999-12-15	5.0	2195	SP4 Rollup 1 v2 (2005-09-13)	Unsupported (2010-07-13)	Memphis NT	IA-32, IA-64, x86	Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server, Powered (Embedded)	Desktop, Workstation, Server, Embedded PCs
Windows XP	2001-08-24	5.1	2600	2600 SP3 (2008-04-21)	Unsupported (2014-04-08)	Whistler	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Starter Edition, Home ^N ^K ^KN, Professional ^N ^K ^KN ^x64, Media Center, Tablet PC, Starter, Embedded	Desktop, Workstation, Embedded PCs
Windows Server 2003	2003-04-24	5.2	3790	3790 SP2 (2007-03-13)	Unsupported (2015-07-14)	Whistler Server, Windows .NET Server	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, Storage, Small Business Server, Compute Cluster	Server, Network Appliance, Embedded PCs, HPC
Windows Server 2003 R2	2005	5.2	3790	?	Unsupported (2015-07-14)	?	IA-32, x86-64		Server, Network Appliance, Embedded PCs, HPC
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	2006-07-08	5.1	2600	N/A	Unsupported (2014-04-08)	Eiger, Monch	IA-32	Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	Desktop
Windows Vista	2006-11-30	6.0	6000	6.0.6002 SP2 (2009-04-28)	Unsupported (2017-04-11)	Longhorn	IA-32, x86-64	Starter, Home Basic ^N ^K ^KN, Home Premium ^K ^KN, Business ^N ^K ^KN, Enterprise ^K ^KN, Ultimate ^K ^KN	Desktop, Workstation
Windows Home Server	2007-11-04	5.2	3790	N/A	Unsupported (2013-01-08)	Q, Quattro	IA-32, x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows Server 2008	2008-02-04	6.0	6001	6002 SP2 (2008-02-27)	Supported (2020-01-14)	Longhorn Server	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Web ^Core, Standard ^Core ^wHV ^CwHV, Enterprise ^Core ^wHV ^CwHV, Small Business Server, Datacenter ^Core ^wHV ^CwHV, HPC, HyperV Core, Foundation, Storage	Server
Windows 7	2009-07-22	6.1	7600	7601 SP1	Supported (2020-01-14)	"7", Blackcomb, Vienna	IA-32, x86-64	Starter ^N ^K ^KN, Home Basic ^N ^K ^KN, Home Premium ^N ^K ^KN, Professional ^N ^K ^KN, Ultimate ^N ^K ^KN, Enterprise ^N ^K ^KN	Desktop, Workstation, Multi-Touch
Windows Server 2008 R2	2009-07-22	6.1	7600	7601 SP1	Supported (2020-01-14)	"7" Server	IA-64, x86-64	Standard ^Core, Enterprise ^Core, Datacenter ^Core, We ^Core	Server
Windows Home Server 2011	2011-04-06	6.1	8400	N/A	Unsupported (2016-04-12)	Vail	x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows Server 2012	2012-08-01	6.2	9200	N/A	Supported (2023-10-10)	"8" Server	x86-64	Foundation Essentials Standard Datacenter	Server
Windows 8	2012-08-01	6.2	9200	N/A	Unsupported (2016-01-12)	"8"	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7	Windows 8 ^N, Pro ^N, Enterprise ^N ^K ^KN, Windows RT	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch
Windows 8.1	2013-08-27	6.3	9600	N/A	Supported (2023-01-10)	"Blue"	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7	Windows 8 ^N, Pro ^N, Enterprise ^N ^K ^KN, Windows RT 8.1	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch
Windows Server 2012 R2	2013-10-18	6.3	9600	N/A	Supported (2023-10-10)	"Blue" Server	x86-64	Foundation Essentials Standard Datacenter	Server
Windows 10	2015-07-29	10.0	10240	N/A	Unsupported (2017-05-09)	"Threshold"	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7	Home ^N ^KN, Pro ^N ^KN, Enterprise ^N ^KN, Education ^N ^KN, Mobile, Mobile Enterprise, IoT Core	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch, Smartphones, PDAs, IoT
	2015-11-12		10586	N/A	Unsupported (2017-10-10)	"Threshold 2"
	2016-08-01		14393	N/A	Unsupported (2018-04-10)	"Redstone"
	2017-04-11		15063	N/A	Supported	"Redstone 2"
	2017-10-17		16299	N/A		"Redstone 3"
	2018-04-30		17134	N/A		"Redstone 4"
	2018-10-02		1809	N/A		"Redstone 5"
Windows Server 2016	2016-09-26		14393	N/A	Supported	"Redstone" Server	x86-64		Server
Name	Release date	Version	RTM build	Latest build	Status support	Codename, working name	Supported architectures	Editions	OS type

^N has also an N-edition

^K has also an N-edition

^KN has also an N-edition

^x64 has a separate x64-edition

^Core has also a Core-edition

^wHV has also an edition without HyperV

^CwHV has also a Core-edition without HyperV

Windows Embedded Compact

Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) is a variation of Microsoft's Windows operating system for minimalistic computers and embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinctly different kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows. It is supported on Intel x86 and compatibles, MIPS, ARM, and Hitachi SuperH processors.

	Release date	RTM build	Current version	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)	Kernel type	Operating environments	Editions	Purpose	Short description
Windows CE 1.0	1996-11				Pegasus, Alder	CE 1.0				Embedded	first release of Microsoft's Windows CE line for minimalistic computers and embedded systems
Windows CE 2.0	1997-11				Mercury, Apollo	CE 2.0			2.1, 2.11	Embedded
Windows CE 3.0	2000-04			Unsupported (2007-10-09)	Cedar, Galileo, Rapier, Merlin, Stinger	CE 3.0	Embedded kernel			Embedded
Windows CE 4.0	2002-01-07				Talisker	CE 4.0			4.1, 4.2	Embedded
Windows CE 5.0	2004-07-09		5.0 (2004-07-09)	Unsupported (2014-10-14)	Macallan	CE 5.0	Embedded kernel			Embedded
Windows Embedded CE 6.0	2006-11-01				Yamazaki	CE 6.0	Hybrid kernel
Windows Embedded Compact 7	2011-03-01	?	?	Supported	?	CE 7.0	Hybrid	?	N/A

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name	Release date	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)
Windows Pocket PC 2000	2000-04-19	Unsupported (2007-09-10)	Raiper	CE 3.0
Windows Pocket PC 2002	2001-10-01	Unsupported (2008-10-14)	Merlin	CE 3.0
Windows Mobile 2003	2003-06-23		Ozone	CE 4.20
Windows Mobile 5.0	2005-05-9/12		Magneto	CE 5.0
Windows Mobile 6.0	2007-02-12		Crossbow	CE 5.2
Windows Mobile 6.1	2008-04-01
Windows Mobile 6.5	2009-05-18

Windows Phone

Windows Phone is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name	Release date	RTM build	Current version	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)	Supported architectures
Windows Phone 7	2010-11-08	7004	7.10.8862	End of life	Photon	CE 6.0	ARM
Windows Phone 7.5	2011-09-27	7720		End of life	Mango	CE 6.1	ARM
Windows Phone 7.8	2013-02-01	8858		End of life		CE 6.1	ARM
Windows Phone 8	2012-10-29	10211	10.0.10586	End of life	Apollo, Portico	NT 6.2	ARM
Windows Phone 8.1	2014-04-14	12359		End of life	Blue	NT 6.3	ARM
Windows 10 Mobile	2015-11-08	10586		Supported	Threshold	NT 10.0	ARM

Technical information

DOS shells

Name	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	LFN support	Update management	APIs	Safe Mode
Windows 1.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 2.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 3.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 3.1x	x86 16-bit (partial 32-bit compatibility through Win32s)	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16, Win32s	No

Windows 9x

Name	Kernel	Kernel type	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	LFN support	Update management	APIs	DDIs	Safe Mode	DirectX
Windows 95	MS-DOS 7.0 (Win95, Win95A), MS-DOS 7.1 (Win95B, Win95C)	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Partial (OSR 2.1/2.5 only) ^[1]	No	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(USB-only), direct-access	Yes	n/a(RTM/OSR1) 2.0a(OSR2/2.1) 5.0(OSR2.5) 8.0a(optional)
Windows 98	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	5.2 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)
Windows 98 Second Edition	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	6.1a 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)
Windows Me	MS-DOS 8.0	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	7.1 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)

It is possible to install the MS-DOS variants 7.0 and 7.1 without the graphics user interface of Windows. If an independent installation of both, DOS and Windows is desired, DOS ought to be installed prior to Windows, at the start of a small partition. The system must be transferred by the (dangerous) "SYSTEM" DOS-command, while the other files constituting DOS can simply be copied (the files located in the DOS-root and the entire COMMAND directory). Such a stand-alone installation of MS-DOS 8 is not possible, as it's designed to work as real mode for Windows Me and nothing else.

Windows NT

The Windows NT kernel powers all recent Windows operating systems. It runs on IA-32, x64 and Itanium processors.

Name	Architecture	Store	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	Long filename support	Package management	Update management	APIs	DDIs	Safe Mode	Data Execution Prevention	DirectX
Windows NT 3.1	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (NTFS and HPFS volumes only)	N/A		Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 3.5	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A		Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 3.51	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A		Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 4.0	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	N/A	No	Yes	Yes (if the Ion USB update is installed)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update (if Internet Explorer 5 or later is installed)	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	Yes 3.0a, 5.0(unofficial)
Windows 2000	IA-32	N/A	No	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP4)^[2]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF	Yes	No	Yes 7.0, 9.0c(feb2010)(optional)
Windows XP	IA-32(NT5.1), Itanium(NT5.1/5.2), x64(NT5.2)	N/A	Yes	Yes (Professional Edition only)	Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP1+)^[3]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes (in SP2)	Yes 9.0c
Windows Server 2003	IA-32, Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)^[4]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes (in SP1)	Yes 9.0c
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	IA-32	N/A	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 9.0c
Windows Vista	IA-32, x64	Windows Marketplace	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, POSIX (only Enterprise and Ultimate)	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 10.1 11.0(optional)
Windows Server 2008	IA-32, Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 10.1 11.0(optional)
Windows Home Server	IA-32	N/A	?	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	?	?	Yes 9.0c
Windows 7	IA-32, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Server 2008 R2	Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Home Server 2011	x64	N/A	?	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	?	?	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Server 2012	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.1
Windows 8	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.1
Windows 8.1	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store, PowerShell	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.2
Windows Server 2012 R2	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.2
Windows 10	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store, PowerShell	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT, Linux	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 12
Windows Server 2016	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 12

Windows Phone

Name	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	Package management	APIs
Windows Phone 8	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Windows Phone Store	Silverlight
Windows Phone 8.1	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Phone Store	Silverlight WinRT
Windows 10 Mobile	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Microsoft Store	Silverlight WinRT

Supported file systems

Various versions of Windows support various file systems, including: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, HPFS, or NTFS, along with network file systems shared from other computers, and the ISO 9660 and UDF file systems used for CDs, DVDs, and other optical discs such as Blu-ray. Each file system is usually limited in application to certain media, for example CDs must use ISO 9660 or UDF, and as of Windows Vista, NTFS is the only file system which the operating system can be installed on. Windows Embedded CE 6.0, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 onwards support exFAT, a file system more suitable for USB flash drives.

Windows 9x

	FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	UDF
Windows 95	Yes	Yes	Yes (OSR2 or above)	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	No
Windows 98	Yes	Yes	Yes	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	Yes (1.5, read)
Windows Me	Yes	Yes	Yes	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	Yes (1.5, read)

Windows NT

	FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	exFAT	UDF	ReFS
Windows NT 3.1, 3.5, 3.51	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes v1.0/v1.1	No	?	No
Windows NT 4.0	Yes	Yes	No	Partial	Yes	Yes v1.2	No	?	No
Windows 2000	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.0	No	Yes	No
Windows XP	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.1	Optional	Yes (2.01)	No
Windows Server 2003	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.1	Optional	Yes	No
Windows Vista	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	No
Windows Server 2008	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 7	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2008 R2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2012	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows 8	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	No
Windows 8.1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows 10	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2016	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes

Windows Phone

	FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	UDF (More Info)	ReFS
Windows Phone 8	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	No
Windows Phone 8.1	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	No
Windows 10 Mobile	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	?

Hardware requirements

Installing Windows requires an internal or external optical drive. A keyboard and mouse are the recommended input devices, though some versions support a touchscreen. For operating systems prior to Vista, the drive must be capable of reading CD media, while in Windows Vista onwards, the drive must be DVD-compatible. The drive may be detached after installing Windows.

Windows 9x

	CPU	RAM	Free disk space
Windows 95	386	4 MB	120 MB
Windows 98	486 DX2 66 MHz	16 MB	300 MB
Windows Me (Millennium Edition)	Pentium 150 MHz	32 MB	400 MB

Windows NT

Version	CPU	RAM		Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Version	CPU	Minimum	Recommended	Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation	386, 25 MHz	8 MB	16 MB	90 MB	VGA (640x480)
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation	486, 33 MHz	12 MB	?	110 MB
Windows 2000 Professional	133 MHz	32 MB	128 MB	650 MB
Windows XP	233 MHz	64 MB	128 MB	1.5 GB	Super VGA (800x600)
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	233 MHz	64 MB	128 MB	500 MB
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition	700 MHz Itanium^[5]	1 GB^[5]	?	6 GB^[5]
Windows Server 2003	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)	128 MB	256 MB	2 GB (x86) 4 GB (x64)
Windows Vista	800 MHz	384 MB (Starter) 512 MB (others) ^[6]	2 GB	15 GB (~6.5 GB for OS)	Super VGA (800x600) WDDM & DirectX 9 for Aero
Windows Server 2008	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)	384 MB (Starter) 512 MB (others) ^[6]	2 GB	10 GB
Windows 7	1 GHz	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64) (~6.5 GB for OS)
Windows Server 2012	1.4 GHz (x86-64)	512 MB	1 GB	10 GB	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color
Windows 8	1 GHz	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64) (~6.5 GB for OS)	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color 1024 x 768 for Windows Store apps 1366 x 768 to snap apps
Windows 10	1 GHz or faster processor or SoC	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64)	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color
Windows Server 2016	1.4 GHz 64-bit processor	512 MB ECC 2 GB with Desktop Experience installed^[7]	depends on role	32 GB	Super VGA (1024 x768)

Windows Phone

Version	CPU	RAM		Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Version	CPU	Minimum	Recommended	Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Windows Phone 7	0.8 GHz	256 MB	N/A	4 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8	1 GHz	512 MB	N/A	8 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8.1	1 GHz	512 MB	N/A	4 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows 10 Mobile	1 GHz	1 GB	1 GB	8 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)

Physical memory limits

Maximum limits on physical memory (RAM) that Windows can address vary depending on both the Windows version and between IA-32 and x64 versions.^[8]^[9]

Windows 9x

Windows 95: 480 MB^[10]
Windows 98: 1 GB
Windows Me: 1.5 GB

Windows NT

Operating system	Limit on IA-32	Limit on x64
Windows NT 4.0	4 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Professional/Server	4 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Advanced Server	8 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Datacenter	32 GB	N/A
Windows XP Starter	512 MB	N/A
Windows XP Home	4 GB	N/A
Windows XP Professional	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Server 2003 RTM Web	2 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 RTM Standard/Small Business	4 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 RTM Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Standard	4 GB	32 GB
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1 TB
Windows Vista Starter	1 GB	N/A
Windows Vista Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Home Server	4 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2008 Web Server/Standard/Small Business	4 GB	32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008	N/A	128 GB
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1 TB
Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	N/A
Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation	N/A	8 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Server/Standard	N/A	32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2	N/A	128 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise/Datacenter	N/A	2 TB
Windows 8	4 GB	128 GB
Windows 8 Pro/Enterprise	4 GB	512 GB
Windows Server 2012 Foundation	N/A	32 GB
Windows Server 2012 Essentials	N/A	64 GB
Windows Server 2012 Standard/Datacenter	N/A	4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard	N/A	4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup	N/A	32 GB
Hyper-V Server 2012	N/A	4 TB
Windows 10 Mobile	4 GB	N/A
Windows 10 Home	4 GB	128 GB
Windows 10 Pro	4 GB	2 TB
Windows 10 Education	4 GB	2 TB
Windows 10 Enterprise	4 GB	2 TB
Windows Server 2016 Standard	N/A	24 TB
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter	N/A	24 TB

Security features

	Resource access control	Subsystem isolation mechanisms	Integrated firewall	Encrypted file systems	Defender	Windows Hello
Windows 2000	ACLs		TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)	No	No
Windows XP	ACLs	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall (from SP2), TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)	Optional	No
Windows Server 2003	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Optional	No
Windows Vista	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2008	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 7	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2012	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2012 R2	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8.1	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 10	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2016	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	Yes

Features

Version	Shell	Visual styles	Browser	Web server	Windows Media Player	Command-line interpreter
Windows 1.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 2.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 3.0	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.0 (Multimedia Extension edition only)	N/A
Windows 3.1x	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.1	N/A
Windows 95	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 1 in OEM RTM Internet Explorer 2 in OSR1 Internet Explorer 3 in OSR2 and OSR2.1 Internet Explorer 4 in OSR2.5	N/A	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows NT 4.0	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 2 Internet Explorer 3 (in some localized editions)	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows 98	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 4.01	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 98 SE	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 2000	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5.01	IIS 5.0	5.0 and 6.4 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows Me	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5.5	N/A	6.4 and 7.0 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM
Windows XP	Windows shell	Luna (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 6	IIS 5.1	5.1, 6.4 and 8 (in RTM) 5.1, 6.4 and 9 (in SP2)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2003	Windows shell	Classic (default), Luna	6.0	IIS 6.0	9 (in RTM), 10 (in SP1)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Vista	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 7	IIS 7	11	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2008	Windows shell, Server Core	Classic (default), Aero (via "Desktop Experience")	Internet Explorer 7	IIS 7	11 (enabled by installing "Desktop Experience")	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows 7	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 8	IIS 7.5	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2008 R2	Windows shell, Server Core	Classic (default), Aero (via "Desktop Experience")	Internet Explorer 8	IIS 7.5	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2012	Windows shell, Server Core	Metro	Internet Explorer 10	IIS 8	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows 8	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 10	IIS 8	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows Server 2012 R2	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro	Internet Explorer 11	IIS 8.5	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v4.0
Windows 8.1	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 11	IIS 8.5	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v4.0
Windows 10	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 11 Microsoft Edge 12-13	IIS 10.0	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v5.0
Windows Server 2016	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro	Internet Explorer 11 Microsoft Edge 13	IIS 10.0	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v5.0

Timeline

References

↑ Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US
↑ "Updated USB 2.0 Drivers Are Available in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)". Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ Jones, Don (August 5, 2002). "USB 2.0 Support in Windows XP: High Speed at Last". Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ "USB 2.0 and Windows Operating Systems". Windows Hardware Development. May 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
1 2 3 "Release Notes for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Setup". Microsoft. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
↑ "Windows Vista Starter Fact Sheet". Microsoft. December 2007.
↑ jaimeo. "System Requirements". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
↑ "What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle?". Crucial. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ "Memory Limits for Windows Releases". Microsoft. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ Chen, Raymond. "Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM".

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US

[2] "Updated USB 2.0 Drivers Are Available in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)". Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

[3] Jones, Don (August 5, 2002). "USB 2.0 Support in Windows XP: High Speed at Last". Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

[4] "USB 2.0 and Windows Operating Systems". Windows Hardware Development. May 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

[xp64-5] 1 2 3 "Release Notes for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Setup". Microsoft. Retrieved 2 September 2014.

[6] "Windows Vista Starter Fact Sheet". Microsoft. December 2007.

[7] . "System Requirements". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2018-05-24.

[RAMlimitWindows-8] "What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle?". Crucial. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

[MicrosoftRAMlimitWindows-9] "Memory Limits for Windows Releases". Microsoft. Retrieved February 5, 2012.

[10] Chen, Raymond. "Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM".

N

K

KN

x64

Core

wHV

CwHV

Operating systems by Microsoft
Desktop	Microsoft Windows 9x NT CE MS-DOS MSX-DOS OS/2 Xenix
Mobile	Nokia Asha platform Nokia X platform KIN OS Windows Mobile Windows Phone Zune Windows 10 Mobile
Console	Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One
Projects	Barrelfish Bigtop Cairo HomeOS Linux distros Azure Sphere OS MIDAS Midori Singularity Verve

Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions

General information

DOS shells

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Embedded Compact

Windows Mobile

Windows Phone

Technical information

DOS shells

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Supported file systems

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Hardware requirements

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Physical memory limits

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Security features

Features

Timeline

See also

Other lists

Windows clones and emulators

References

External links