Which company owns the Windows operating system?

Microsoft owns and develops the Windows operating system.

Microsoft began as a software company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Its early success came from supplying a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 computer. The company later licensed MS-DOS to IBM for its personal computer, creating a foundation for the Windows business.

Windows 1.0 appeared in 1985 as a graphical operating environment that ran on top of MS-DOS. Later releases, especially Windows 3.0, Windows 95, and Windows XP, helped establish Microsoft as a dominant force in personal-computer software.

Windows is not the same product as Microsoft 365, the company’s subscription software service, or Azure, its cloud-computing platform. Microsoft also owns Xbox, LinkedIn, and GitHub, but Windows remains one of its best-known products.