Microsoft introduced Windows 95 in 1995, making it one of the defining software releases of the personal-computer era.
Windows 95 launched on August 24, 1995, as a successor to Windows 3.1. It introduced or popularized several features that became familiar parts of desktop computing, including the Start menu, taskbar, long filenames, and improved support for plug-and-play hardware. Microsoft promoted the release with an unusually large marketing campaign and licensed the Rolling Stones song “Start Me Up” for advertisements.
The operating system was designed for IBM PC-compatible computers and used a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit architecture. It also integrated MS-DOS more closely into the Windows environment than earlier versions had. Its success strengthened Microsoft’s position in personal-computer software and contributed to the company’s long-term growth into a major technology corporation.
Windows 95 is sometimes confused with Windows NT, Microsoft’s separate business-oriented operating-system line. The two product families later converged with Windows XP in 2001.