A complete overview of every major Microsoft Windows version from 1985 to today. This reference guide covers release dates, end-of-support timelines, minimum system requirements, and update models for every version of Windows — from Windows 1.0 through to Windows 11. Use this page as a quick reference before exploring the individual version guides.
Windows Version Release Dates and End of Support
The table below shows every major Windows release, when it launched, and when Microsoft officially ended support for it.
| Windows Version | Release Date | End of Support |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 1.0 | November 20, 1985 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 2.0 | December 9, 1987 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 3.0 | May 22, 1990 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 3.1 | April 6, 1992 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 3.11 for Workgroups | November 8, 1993 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 95 | August 24, 1995 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows 98 | June 25, 1998 | July 11, 2006 |
| Windows ME | September 14, 2000 | July 11, 2006 |
| Windows NT 3.1 | July 27, 1993 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows NT 3.5 | September 21, 1994 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows NT 3.51 | May 30, 1995 | December 31, 2001 |
| Windows NT 4.0 | July 29, 1996 | June 30, 2004 |
| Windows 2000 | February 17, 2000 | July 13, 2010 |
| Windows XP | October 25, 2001 | April 8, 2014 |
| Windows Vista | January 30, 2007 | April 11, 2017 |
| Windows 7 | October 22, 2009 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows 8 | October 26, 2012 | January 12, 2016 |
| Windows 8.1 | October 17, 2013 | January 10, 2023 |
| Windows 10 | July 29, 2015 | October 14, 2025 |
| Windows 11 | October 5, 2021 | Still supported |
Windows Minimum System Requirements — All Versions
The table below shows the minimum hardware requirements needed to run each version of Windows, including RAM, CPU, graphics, and storage.
| Windows Version | Minimum RAM | CPU Requirement | Graphics Requirement | Storage Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 1.0 | 256 KB | 8086/8088 | Basic CGA/EGA | 2 MB |
| Windows 2.0 | 512 KB | 8086/286 | CGA/EGA/VGA | 3 MB |
| Windows 3.x | 1–2 MB | 286/386 | VGA | 6–10 MB |
| Windows 95 | 4 MB | 386DX | VGA | 50 MB |
| Windows 98 | 16 MB | 486DX | VGA | 500 MB |
| Windows ME | 32 MB | Pentium | VGA | 320 MB |
| Windows NT 3.x | 12–16 MB | 386/486 | VGA | 90–120 MB |
| Windows NT 4.0 | 16 MB | Pentium | VGA | 110 MB |
| Windows 2000 | 64 MB | Pentium II | VGA | 650 MB |
| Windows XP | 64–128 MB | Pentium II | SVGA | 1.5 GB |
| Windows Vista | 512 MB | 1 GHz | DirectX 9 | 15 GB |
| Windows 7 | 1–2 GB | 1 GHz | DirectX 9 | 16–20 GB |
| Windows 8 / 8.1 | 1–2 GB | 1 GHz | DirectX 9 | 16–20 GB |
| Windows 10 | 2 GB | 1 GHz | DirectX 9 | 20 GB |
| Windows 11 | 4 GB | 1 GHz (64‑bit) | DirectX 12 + WDDM 2.0 | 64 GB |
Windows Update Model History — Service Packs and Feature Updates
The table below explains how each version of Windows received updates, from manual patches in the early days through to the modern Windows as a Service model used in Windows 10 and 11.
| Windows Version | Update Model | Service Packs / Feature Updates |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 1.0 – ME | Manual updates | Service releases, patches |
| Windows NT 3.x | Manual updates | Service Packs |
| Windows NT 4.0 | Manual updates | SP1–SP6a |
| Windows 2000 | Manual updates | SP1–SP4 |
| Windows XP | Windows Update | SP1–SP3 |
| Windows Vista | Windows Update | SP1–SP2 |
| Windows 7 | Windows Update | SP1 |
| Windows 8 | Windows Update | 8.1 upgrade |
| Windows 8.1 | Windows Update | Update 1 |
| Windows 10 | Windows as a Service | Feature Updates (1507–22H2) |
| Windows 11 | Windows as a Service | Feature Updates (21H2–present) |
