Windows 10

Windows 9 redirects here. For the series of Microsoft

Windows computer operating systems produced from
1995 to 2000, see Windows 9x.
For Windows 10 on smartphones and sub 8 tablets, see
Windows 10 (mobile).

operating systems across multiple Microsoft platforms

and services, scheduled for the second quarter of 2015.
Foley reported that among the goals for Threshold was
to create a unied application platform and development
toolkit for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox One
(which all use a similar Windows NT kernel).[2][4] It was
that Threshold would be branded as Windows
Windows 10 is an upcoming operating system developed speculated
[5]
9.
by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. First presented in April 2014 at the Build In April 2014, at the Build Conference, Microsofts Terry
Conference, it is scheduled to be released in mid 2015,[1] Myerson unveiled an updated version of Windows 8.1
and is currently in public beta testing. During its rst that added the ability to run Windows Store apps inside
year of availability, upgrades to Windows 10 will legally desktop windows, and a more traditional Start menu in
be oered at no charge for licensed consumer users of place of the Start screen seen in Windows 8. The new
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
Start menu takes after Windows 7s design by using only
The goal of Windows 10 is to unify the Windows PC, a portion of the screen and including a Windows 7-style
Windows Phone, Windows Embedded and Xbox One application listing in the rst column. The second column
product families, as well as new product categories such displays Windows 8-style app tiles. Myerson stated that
would occur in a future update, but did not
as the Surface Hub and HoloLens, around a common these changes
[6][7]
elaborate.
Microsoft also unveiled the concept of a
internal core. These products will share a common,
universal
Windows
app, allowing Windows Store apps
universal application architecture and Windows Store
created
for
Windows
8.1 to be ported to Windows Phone
ecosystem that expands upon the Windows Runtime plat8.1 and Xbox One while sharing a common codebase,
form introduced by Windows 8. Windows 10 provides
further integration with Microsoft services and platforms, with an interface designed for dierent device form factors, and allowing user data and licenses for an app to be
such as the addition of Cortana (an intelligent personal
shared
between multiple platforms. Windows Phone 8.1
assistant), a notication system that can be synchronized
would share nearly 90% of the common Windows Runbetween devices, and new Xbox Live features. Win[6][8][9][10]
dows 10 will also introduce a new bundled web browser, time APIs with Windows 8.1 on PCs.
Project Spartan, to replace Internet Explorer.

In July 2014, Microsofts new CEO Satya Nadella explained that the company was planning to streamline the
next version of Windows from three operating systems
into one single converged operating system for screens
of all sizes, unifying Windows, Windows Phone, and
Windows Embedded around a common architecture and
a unied application ecosystem. However, Nadella stated
that these internal changes would not have any eect on
how the operating systems are marketed and sold.[11][12]
Screenshots of a Windows build which purported to be
Threshold were leaked in July 2014, showing the previously presented Start menu and windowed Windows
Store apps[4] followed by further screenshot in September
2014 of a build identifying itself as Windows Technical
Preview, numbered 9834, showing a new virtual desktop
system, a notication center, and a new File Explorer.[13]

Windows 10s user interface is an evolution of Windows

8s, with a focus on transitioning between behaviors suitable for the type of device and the available input methods. To improve the experience for keyboard and mouse
users, Windows 10 adds a new revision of the desktop Start menu and a virtual desktop system, and allows
Windows Store apps to run within windows on the desktop as well as in full-screen mode. The operating system
will introduce new technologies and system components,
including DirectX 12 and new frameworks for biometric
authentication.

Development

1.1 Announcement

In December 2013, technology writer Mary Jo Foley

reported that Microsoft was working on an update to
Windows 8, codenamed Threshold after a planet in Microsofts Halo franchise.[2] Similarly to Blue (which became Windows 8.1),[3] Foley called Threshold a wave of

Threshold was ocially unveiled during a media event

on September 30, 2014, under the name Windows 10;
Myerson said that Windows 10 would be Microsofts
1

2 FEATURES

most comprehensive platform ever, providing a single,

unied platform for desktop computers, laptops, tablets,
smartphones, and all-in-one devices.[5][14][15] He emphasized that Windows 10 would take steps towards restoring
user interface mechanics from Windows 7 to improve the
experience for users on non-touch devices, noting criticism of Windows 8s touch-oriented interface by keyboard and mouse users.[16][17] Despite these concessions,
Myerson noted that the touch-oriented interface would
evolve as well on 10.[18] In describing the changes,
Joe Belore likened the two operating systems to electric
cars, comparing Windows 7 to a rst-generation Toyota
Prius hybrid, and Windows 10 to an all-electric Tesla
considering the latter to be an extension of the technology
rst introduced in the former.[19] Regarding the operating systems name, Terry Myerson refused to elaborate
on why Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8 to
10, stating only that based on the product thats coming, and just how dierent our approach will be overall,
it wouldn't be right to call it Windows 9. He also joked
that they couldn't call it Windows One (alluding to several recent Microsoft products with a similar brand, such
as OneNote, Xbox One and OneDrive) because they had
already made a Windows 1.[5]
Further details surrounding 10s consumer-oriented features were presented during another media event held
on January 21, 2015, entitled Windows 10: The Next
Chapter. The keynote featured the unveiling of Cortana
integration within the operating system, new Xboxoriented features, Windows 10 for phones and small
tablets, an updated Oce Mobile suite, Surface Hub
a large-screened Windows 10 device for enterprise collaboration based upon Perceptive Pixel technology,[20]
along with HoloLensaugmented reality eyewear and
an associated platform for building apps that can render "holograms" through HoloLens.[21] Additional information surrounding Windows 10 is expected to be announced during Build 2015.[16][18][22]

Features

A major aspect of Windows 10 is a focus on harmonizing user experiences and functionality between dierent classes of devices, along with addressing shortcomings in the Windows user interface that was rst introduced in Windows 8.[16][17][23] Continuing with this pattern, the successor to Windows Phone 8.1 unveiled at
the same event is also branded as Windows 10, and will
share some user interface elements and apps with its PC
counterpart.[24]

and available inputs, can synchronize data between Windows 10 devices (including notications, credentials, and
allowing cross-platform multiplayer for games), and will
be distributed through a unied Windows Store. Developers can allow cross-buys, where purchased licenses
for an app apply to all of the users compatible devices,
rather than only the one they purchased on (i.e. a user
purchasing an app on PC is also entitled to use the smartphone version at no extra cost).[9][26][27] Windows 10 will
also allow web apps to be packaged as Windows apps for
distribution on Windows Store.[28]

2.1 User interface and desktop

Windows 10s user interface changes its behavior depending on the type of device being used and available input
methods. A new feature called Continuum handles transitions between interface modes on convertible laptops
and tablets with docking keyboards. When a keyboard is
attached, users are asked if they want to switch to a user
interface mode that is optimized for mouse and keyboard,
or stay within the touch-optimized mode.[17] A new iteration of the Start menu is used, with an application list
and the All apps button on the left side, and live tiles on
the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into
a full-screen display, which is the default option in touch
environments.[16][23][29]

The Task View display allows the use of multiple workspaces.

A new virtual desktop system known as Task View was

added. Clicking the Task View button on the taskbar
or swiping from the left side of the screen displays all
open windows and allows users to switch between them,
or switch between multiple workspaces. Windows Store
apps, which previously could only be used full-screen,
can now be used in desktop windows or full-screen
mode.[16][23] Program windows can now be snapped to
quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner.
When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, the
user is prompted to choose a second window to ll the unused side of the screen.[23] Windows system icons were
also changed to a new, atter design.[29]

The Windows Store app ecosystem has been revised into

Windows apps.[8][25] They are made to run across multiple platforms and device classes, including smartphone,
tablet, Xbox One, and other compatible Windows 10 devices. Windows apps share code across platforms, have The charms have been removed; their functionality in
responsive designs that adapt to the needs of the device Windows apps is accessed from an App commands

2.3

Online services and functionality

menu on their titlebar.[16][23] In its place is Action Center, which displays notications and settings toggles. It is
accessed by clicking an icon in the system tray, or dragging from the right of the screen. Notications can be
synced between multiple devices.[24][29] The Settings app
(formerly PC Settings) was refreshed and now includes
more options that were previously exclusive to the desktop Control Panel.[30][31]

2.2

System and security

Windows 10 will incorporate multi-factor authentication technology based upon standards developed by the
FIDO Alliance.[32] The operating system includes improved support for biometric authentication through the
Windows Hello and Passport platforms; devices with
supported cameras (requiring infrared illumination) will
allow users to login with face or iris recognition, similarly to Kinect. Fingerprint recognition login is also available on devices with supported readers. Credentials are
stored locally and protected using asymmetric encryption. The Passport platform will allow networks, software and websites to authenticate users using either a PIN
or biometric login to verify their identity, without sending a password.[33] On the enterprise version of Windows
10, administrators can set up policies for the automatic
encryption of sensitive data, selectively block applications from accessing encrypted data, or even outright require all software to be signed with a Microsoft key.[32]
To reduce the storage footprint of the operating system,
Windows 10 will automatically compress system les.
The system can reduce the storage footprint of Windows
by approximately 1.5 GB for 32-bit systems and 2.6 GB
for 64-bit systems. The level of compression used will be
dependent on a performance assessment performed during installations or by OEMs, which will test how much
compression can be used without harming operating system performance. Furthermore, the Refresh and Reset
functions will use runtime system les instead, making a
separate recovery partition redundant, allowing patches
and updates to remain installed following the operation,
and further reducing the amount of space required for
Windows 10 by up to 12 GB. These functions replace the
"WIMBoot mode introduced on Windows 8.1 Update,
which allowed OEMs to congure low-capacity devices
with ash-based storage to use Windows system les out
of the compressed WIM image typically used for installation and recovery.[34][35][36] Windows 10 also includes
a related function in its Settings app known as Storage
Sense, which allows users to view a breakdown of how
their devices storage capacity is being used by dierent
types of les, and determine whether certain types of les
are saved to internal storage or an SD card by default.[37]

2.3 Online services and functionality

Windows 10 introduces a new default web browser codenamed "Spartan". It features a new standards-compliant
rendering engine forked from Trident, annotation tools,
and oers integration with other Microsoft platforms
present within Windows 10.[38][39] Internet Explorer 11
will be maintained on Windows 10 for compatibility purposes, and is deprecated in favor of Spartan.[40][41]
Windows 10 incorporates Microsofts intelligent personal assistant, Cortana, which was rst introduced with
Windows Phone 8.1 in 2014. Cortana will replace Windows embedded search feature, supporting both text and
voice input. Many of the features are a direct carry-over
from Windows Phone, including integration with Bing,
setting reminders, a Notebook feature for managing
personal information, as well as searching for les, playing music, launching applications and setting reminders
or sending emails.[42][43] Cortana is implemented as a universal search box located alongside the Start and Task
View buttons, which can be hidden or condensed to a single button.[29]

2.4 Multimedia and gaming

Windows 10 will provide heavier integration with the
Xbox ecosystem: an updated Xbox app allows users to
browse their game library (including both PC and Xbox
console games), and Game DVR is also available using
a keyboard shortcut, allowing users to save the last 30
seconds of gameplay as a video that can be shared to
Xbox Live, OneDrive, or elsewhere.[44][45] Windows 10
will also allow users to control and play games from an
Xbox One console over a local network.[46][47] An Xbox
Live SDK will allow application developers to incorporate Xbox Live functionality into their apps, and future
wireless Xbox One accessories (such as controllers) will
be supported on Windows with an adapter.[48]
Windows 10 adds support for the FLAC and HEVC
codecs and the Matroska media container format, allowing them to be opened in Windows Media Player and
other applications natively.[49][50][51]

2.4.1 DirectX 12
Windows 10 will ship with DirectX 12 and WDDM
2.0.[52][53] Unveiled March 2014 at GDC, DirectX aims
to provide "console-level eciency with closer to the
metal access to hardware resources, and reduced CPU
and graphics driver overhead.[54][55] Most of the performance improvements will be achieved through low-level
programming APIs which can reduce single-threaded
CPU bottlenecking caused by abstraction through higher
level APIs, similar to other low-level rendering technologies such as AMD's Mantle[56]

3
3.1

3 RELEASE

Release
Preview releases

See also: Windows Insider

A public beta version of Windows 10 branded as Windows Technical Preview was released on October 1,
2014; the technical preview builds are aimed towards enthusiasts and enterprise users.[57] Testers who opt into
the Windows Insider program receive occasional automatic updates to the Windows Technical Preview, allowing Microsoft to collect feedback on changes throughout development of Windows 10. In previous Windows beta programs, public preview builds were released less frequently.[16][18][58][59][60] These builds are
not available to low-capacity devices congured using the
"WIMBOOT" method, due to the upgrade processs need
to back up the original operating system so that it can be
restored if the upgrade is interrupted. Microsoft is currently evaluating a couple of options for a safe and reliable upgrade path for those devices.[36]

3.2

Public release

Windows 10 is expected to be released to manufacturing in mid-2015.[61] While previous reports suggested a

late-2015 release with a RTM in August (in line with
past versions of Windows), it was reported that Microsoft
wanted Windows 10 devices to be released in time for the
Back to school shopping season in North America and the
United Kingdom, which traditionally falls during August
and September.[58][62][63][64]
The operating system will be available in 190 countries
and 111 languages on-launch, and as part of eorts to reengage with users in China, Microsoft also announced
that it would partner with Qihoo and Tencent to help promote and distribute Windows 10 in China, and that Chinese PC maker Lenovo would provide assistance at its
service centers and retail outlets for helping users upgrade
to Windows 10.[61][65][66]
Users will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 using either
an ISO image, or through Windows Update. Windows
7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 with prerequisite updates will
support a direct upgrade path to 10 via Windows Update.
Those using Windows 7 or 8.1 without the prerequisite
updates, or Windows 8, must upgrade using the ISO.[67] A
separate update with some of the changes of Windows
10 is planned for Windows RT; as such, Microsoft does
not ocially consider these devices to be compatible with
Windows 10.[67][68]
On February 2, 2015, Microsoft announced that it would
provide a free ARM port of Windows 10 for Raspberry
Pi 2 devices through its Internet of Things developer
program.[69]

3.2.1 Free upgrade

During its rst year of availability, upgrade licenses for
Windows 10 will be available at no charge to users of
consumer editions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.[70]
Enterprise versions of 7 and 8.1 are not eligible to receive
free upgrades under this promotion, but as with previous releases, customers under an active Software Assurance (SA) agreement will be entitled to upgrade to Windows 10 under their existing contracts. Customers whose
SA contract is expired, or who have enterprise licenses
that only cover existing versions of Windows and have no
upgrade rights, are not entitled to upgrade to Windows
10.[61][70][71]
The free upgrade to Windows 10 for consumers will carry
over the licensing status from the users previous copy of
Windows; although Microsoft will not prevent upgrades
to Windows 10 on devices running pirated and/or nongenuine copies of Windows, the resulting installation of
Windows 10 will still be considered non-genuine. Some
media outlets misinterpreted the related announcement at
WinHEC 2015 as allowing those with pirated copies of
Windows to upgrade to a legitimate copy of Windows 10
for free.[72][73]
It is not known how Microsoft will monetize licenses for
the consumer versions of Windows 10 following the conclusion of this promotion. Microsoft has increasingly focused on treating the operating system as a vehicle for its
subscription-based online services (such as Oce 365),
rather than using licenses as the main source of revenue
from Windows. Microsoft led for a trademark for Windows 365, suggesting that the company may be developing a subscription-based Windows product.[61][70][71]

3.3 Update and support system

Windows 10 will be serviced in a signicantly dierent manner from previous releases of Windows.[74] While
Microsoft began to distribute a larger number of updates
for Windows 8 that added features (such as interface improvements) beyond security patches and bug xes, Windows 10 will adopt a tiered approach: users receive critical updates, security patches and non-critical updates
to the operating system and its functionality as they are
released. In business environments, administrators can
choose between Current Branch for Business (CBB)
and long-term support release channels. CBB will receive all updates at the same pace as consumers, but allow administrators to delay non-critical updates to ensure they are suitable for their environment. LTS versions of Windows 10 are periodic snapshots of Windows
10s CBB branch, and will only receive critical patches
over their 10-year support lifecycle. Systems can also
be placed one or two versions behind the most recent
LTS version to allow for structured deployments and internal lifecycles.[70][75][76] Stella Chernyak describes that
we have businesses [that] may have mission-critical en-

5
vironments where we respect the fact they want to test
and stabilize the environment for a long time.[77]
Terry Myerson explained that with these changes, Microsoft thought of Windows 10 as a service which
would be kept current for the supported lifetime of the
device, and that the question 'what version of Windows
are you running' will cease to make sense.[64][70][79]

Version history

See also: Windows 10 (mobile) Version history

System requirements

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See also
List of operating systems
Comparison of operating systems
History of operating systems
History of Microsoft Windows

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REFERENCES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Windows 10 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows%2010?oldid=657001627 Contributors: Ixfd64, Thue, Guy Harris, Runtime,

Lovingboth, Graham87, Bubba73, Bgwhite, Arado, CambridgeBayWeather, Voidxor, Rwxrwxrwx, Nikkimaria, ViperSnake151, Otto ter
Haar, MarkKB, Skuczera, Chris the speller, UU, Soap, Stevennic, JorisvS, RaviC, FleetCommand, Jamesjiao, GauravJShah, Widefox,
PaleAqua, Yosh3000, CommonsDelinker, CRRaysHead90, KylieTastic, Johncandle, Heat fan1, Artem-S-Tashkinov, Logan, S.rvarr.S,
TJRC, Josh the Nerd, Abhishikt, Flyer22, Sfan00 IMG, Frmorrison, SuperHamster, Niceguyedc, Bbb2007, Excirial, Panyd, AndyFielding, XLinkBot, Jabberwoch, Jasper Deng, C933103, Yobot, Aabilashece, AnomieBOT, CoolingGibbon, User931, Anonymous from the
21st century, A Quest For Knowledge, Lonaowna, DivineAlpha, Pcuser42, Pinus, ICEKING, Nrautava, Genhuan, Chabgo, Fitoschido,
Tuankiet65, Thine Antique Pen, Sbmeirow, EndlessCoee54, Chris857, ClueBot NG, Rhain1999, Ecs-Tactic, YannickFran, Lukeno94,
Rukario-sama, Widr, Fandelasketchup, Be..anyone, BG19bot, Chess, Kndimov, Compfreak7, Chmarkine, Hamish59, Boeing720, RainingFlight, WinMetro, Robin0van0der0vliet, At oussama, Codename Lisa, Mogism, 12Danny123, Andrededits, Npx122sy, Frosty, KiwiBird97, Eiberg10, HPD, DarkToonLink, Eyesnore, VanishedUser sdu9aya9fs232, Haminoon, Dyptorden, , Betaleader, Cmlopezii,
NovaPark, Koluke, RandomMacFive, Lewis Hulbert, Octane154, Scatboot198, Frickiewolf, DeltaDelta5, Happy Attack Dog, Paladox2017,
Valtlait, Tranthang.yb, Mankind987,
, Qwertyxp2000, Rarapas, Iskice, KDDLB, IanWilliam20, GeoreyT2000, Plantagain2, PremiumBananas, Mattjfromca, JamsoWamso, JC713, Oiyarbepsy, Ashesh.bhusal, ChamithN, Searingjet, NeoGeneric, AKA Casey Rollins,
Sindy123, MrWonka, EoRdE6, VBTBlog, SaltyChristian, Itsrandomtime, Rushy16, KeybladeSpyMaster, Kashish Arora, EditorEric, Luchi
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LukaAndjelkovic, Verandias, KarkatEditor, Nghialai, Pigshjp, Eprocks99, Jethro Hotasi, WinFan, JoshWilhoit, GURL U DUMB!, Sujeethh, Corbacho, Namlong618, Creeper2killer, Janardan Keshav, Daniel.driguez.9, Opratingsystemcomputerman, DeskOS, Efairrteh,
WhiteWindow, Artemiasalina, Bbb20, CountryBoy99, Nicku Salhotra, Karurocks, FrancineFrensky, Mlanzilla1998 and Anonymous: 194

8.2

Images

File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original

artist: ?
File:Crystal_Clear_device_cdrom_unmount.png Source:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Crystal_Clear_
device_cdrom_unmount.png License: LGPL Contributors: All Crystal icons were posted by the author as LGPL on kde-look Original
artist: Everaldo Coelho and YellowIcon
File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-bysa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:M_box.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/M_box.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Own
work based on: File:Microsoft.svg Original artist: Ariesk47 (<a href='//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Ariesk47' title='User
talk:Ariesk47'>talk</a>)
File:Multiple_desktops_in_Windows_10.png Source:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Multiple_desktops_in_
Windows_10.png License: ? Contributors: Self-taken screenshot Original artist: ?
File:Symbol_list_class.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Windows_10.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Windows_10.jpg License: Fair use Contributors: http://
news.microsoft.com/windows10story/ Original artist: Microsoft
File:Windows_10_Logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Windows_10_Logo.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Converted the PNG version of the logo uploaded by RainingFlight to SVG. Original artist: Microsoft Corporation
File:Windows_logo_-_2012.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Windows_logo_-_2012.svg License:
Public domain Contributors: This le was derived from: Windows 8 logo and wordmark.svg: <a href='//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg' class='image'><img alt='Windows 8 logo and wordmark.svg' src='//upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg/131px-Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg.png' width='131'
height='25'
srcset='//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg/199px-Windows_
8_logo_and_wordmark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg/
261px-Windows_8_logo_and_wordmark.svg.png 2x' data-le-width='459' data-le-height='88' /></a>
Original artist: File:Windows 8 logo and wordmark.svg: Multiple editors; see image description page

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0