What was the code name for Windows 95?

The code name for Windows 95 was Chicago. Microsoft began developing the consumer-focused operating system under that name around March 1992, envisioning it as an evolution of Windows 3.1 for ordinary personal computers.

Chicago was intended to bring major 32-bit capabilities, including support for newer applications and preemptive multitasking, to hardware less demanding than the machines required by Windows NT. Microsoft also worked on preserving compatibility with older Windows and MS-DOS software, which meant that Windows 95 was not a purely 32-bit system internally.

The codename was part of a broader set of Microsoft project names. Cairo referred to a planned high-end Windows NT successor, while Nashville was associated with a proposed Windows 95 follow-up and Memphis became the codename for Windows 98. Those names are common distractors because they belonged to related Microsoft projects.

Microsoft released Windows 95 to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and launched it commercially on August 24. Its Start menu, taskbar, and Plug and Play features helped make the Chicago project one of Microsoft’s most influential releases.