80 Microsoft Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Microsoft trivia spans the company’s software, hardware, history, acquisitions, and cultural impact. Questions range from Microsoft Encarta, the multimedia encyclopedia first published in 1993, to Comic Sans, the typeface designed by Vincent Connare. You may also encounter Windows milestones, Xbox services, presentation software, and internal product code names.
This Microsoft quiz collection suits technology fans, office trivia rounds, classroom activities, and pub quizzes. It mixes accessible questions—such as identifying PowerPoint—with deeper details, including the default Windows XP wallpaper and the year Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Expect a blend of people, products, dates, branding, and development history.
Who was the first CEO of Microsoft?
Answer
Bill Gates
What is the name of Microsoft's presentation software?
Answer
PowerPoint
What was the name of the Microsoft research project that led to the Kinect?
Answer
Project Natal
What is the name of Microsoft's web browser introduced in 2015?
Answer
Microsoft Edge
What company did Microsoft acquire in 1987 to obtain PowerPoint?
Answer
Forethought
Who succeeded Bill Gates as CEO of Microsoft?
Answer
Steve Ballmer
In what city did Microsoft open its first retail store?
Answer
Scottsdale
Who was the lead architect of Windows NT?
Answer
Dave Cutler
What is the name of Microsoft's spreadsheet application in Office?
Answer
Microsoft Excel
In what year was Windows 95 released?
Answer
1995
Who succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft in 2014?
Answer
Satya Nadella
Which Microsoft operating system was the first to support Plug and Play?
Answer
Windows 95
What was the original name of Microsoft Word before it was renamed?
Answer
Multi-Tool Word
How much RAM did the original Xbox console have?
Answer
64 MB
What is the name of the first 64-bit version of Windows for x86 processors?
Answer
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Which Microsoft operating system first introduced the Start button?
Answer
Windows 95
What city is the location of Microsoft's headquarters?
Answer
Redmond
Who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates?
Answer
Paul Allen
What was the name of Microsoft's first product?
Answer
Altair BASIC
What was the name of Microsoft's failed smartphone that launched in 2010?
Answer
Microsoft Kin
Who was the lead designer of the original Xbox?
Answer
Seamus Blackley
What was the original name of the company that became Microsoft?
Answer
Micro-Soft
Which hardware device did Microsoft release in 2014 to compete with fitness trackers?
Answer
Microsoft Band
What is the name of Microsoft's hypervisor?
Answer
Hyper-V
What was the code name for Windows Vista?
Answer
Longhorn
Which version of Windows was released in 2001?
Answer
Windows XP
What is the name of Microsoft's email service that replaced Hotmail?
Answer
Outlook.com
What is the name of Microsoft's video conferencing app?
Answer
Microsoft Teams
What is the name of Microsoft's gaming subscription service?
Answer
Xbox Game Pass
What is the name of Microsoft's cloud-based office suite?
Answer
Microsoft 365
Which operating system did Microsoft release in 2015?
Answer
Windows 10
What was the code name for Microsoft's Visual Basic 1.0?
Answer
Thunder
What was the internal code name for the original Xbox console?
Answer
DirectX Box
What is the name of Microsoft's cross-platform command-line shell?
Answer
PowerShell
Microsoft trivia — quick answers
What are good Microsoft trivia questions?
Good Microsoft trivia questions cover Windows, Xbox, Office, company history, founders, products, acquisitions, and famous design choices. Examples include identifying Microsoft’s presentation software, naming the default Windows XP wallpaper, and recalling the company’s multimedia encyclopedia.
How hard is Microsoft trivia?
Microsoft trivia ranges from easy to challenging. Recognizing PowerPoint or Windows XP is relatively accessible, while questions about internal code names, early executives, product launch dates, and major acquisitions are better suited to experienced technology fans.
What was Microsoft Encarta?
Microsoft Encarta was a multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft. Its first edition appeared in 1993, offering reference articles, images, maps, audio, and later video through CD-ROM and digital formats. It became one of the best-known electronic encyclopedia products before Microsoft discontinued the service in 2009.
What is Microsoft’s presentation software called?
Microsoft’s presentation software is Microsoft PowerPoint. It is part of the Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 productivity suite and is used to create slide-based presentations containing text, images, charts, video, animations, and speaker notes. PowerPoint is widely used in schools, workplaces, conferences, and meetings.
What was the default Windows XP desktop wallpaper?
The default Windows XP desktop wallpaper was called Bliss. It shows a vivid green hillside beneath a blue sky with white clouds, photographed in Sonoma County, California. The image became one of the most recognizable computer wallpapers of the early 2000s.