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Definition: Windows


The most widely used operating system for desktop and laptop computers in the world. A creation of Microsoft, the first Windows version was introduced in 1985 but was rarely used until 1990 (see Windows 3.0).

Windows primarily runs on Intel x86-based computers (the ubiquitous PC), although previous versions ran on Intel Itanium CPUs. Versions of Windows for ARM-based tablets became available starting with Windows 8 (see Windows RT and Windows on ARM). For a summary, see Windows versions.

According to Microsoft, by 2020, there were 1.5 billion Windows 7, Windows 10 and Windows Server machines in use worldwide. While Windows is the dominant desktop operating system, it is also used on servers; however, Linux is the major server OS (see Linux).

Although the Mac popularized the graphical user interface (GUI) and desktop environment, Windows followed suit while making dramatic changes over the years (see GUI). See operating system, smartphone operating system and embedded OS.

Thin Windows Clients
In many organizations, Windows runs in a thin client environment, whereby the user's PC functions like a terminal to a central server. For more details, see Remote Desktop Services.

Windows How to's
All the Windows "how to's" in this encyclopedia have a "Win" prefix in front of their name in order to group them together; for example, Win Change Windows appearance and Win Desktop search. For fundamentals on how to work with Windows, see Win abc's and Win10 abc's.