Microsoft developed the Windows operating system and was co-founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Gates and Allen established the company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 4, 1975, after developing software for early personal computers.
Microsoft first became widely known for MS-DOS, which it licensed to IBM for the original IBM PC released in 1981. Windows 1.0 arrived in 1985 as a graphical operating environment that ran on top of MS-DOS. Later Windows editions became a dominant desktop operating system family.
Microsoft's business now extends far beyond Windows. Its major activities include Azure cloud computing, Microsoft 365, Xbox, business software, search, and professional networking through LinkedIn. Windows and Microsoft are related names, but Windows is a product family rather than a separate public company.