The ticker symbol for Microsoft Corporation is MSFT.
Microsoft began trading publicly in 1986, and its common stock is listed on the Nasdaq stock market under the four-letter symbol MSFT. A ticker symbol is a compact identifier used by exchanges, brokerages, financial websites, and market-data services to distinguish a publicly traded company from thousands of others.
The letters are not an abbreviation of the company’s full name. Microsoft’s symbol became familiar because the company grew from a software maker best known for Windows and Office into a major technology firm with businesses including Azure cloud computing, Xbox, LinkedIn, and enterprise software.
Several wrong options resemble real symbols. IBM is International Business Machines, GOOG is one Alphabet share class, and APPL is not Apple’s standard ticker—Apple trades under AAPL, with two As. Microsoft’s ticker should also not be confused with the company’s products or its former corporate name, Microsoft Corporation. Market symbols can change after mergers, reorganizations, or listing changes, but MSFT is Microsoft’s well-known Nasdaq identifier.