This article is about the desktop-oriented operating system for computers. For other Windows-branded products and brands, see Microsoft Windows (disambiguation).
There is no logo used in pre-release versions; the main Microsoft logo is used instead.
1985–1992
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Goudy
Launched:
November 20, 1985
1992–2001
1992-1995
Designer:
Jeff Boettcher[1] Jonathan D. Cowles[2] Julie Wong[2]
Typography:
Times New Roman (modified)
Launched:
August 28, 1991 (filing) October 16, 1991 (first use on Windows NT) November 17, 1991 (first use on Windows 3.1) April 6, 1992 (official)
Microsoft introduced the well-known Windows flag with the release of Windows 3.1.
This logo was filed on August 28, 1991[3], and was first publicly seen with the Microsoft Windows 32-Bit Development Kit for Windows NT, which was demonstrated at Fall Comdex '91[3]. By November 18, 1991, Microsoft began using this logo on boxes for its products,[4] and became the primary logo by 1992.
On Twitter, Microsoft cites Jeff Boettcher as the designer of the original Windows flag.[1] Jonathan D. Cowles, art director at Microsoft from 1991 to 1994, cites himself as designer of the original Windows flag, under the supervision of Boettcher and Julie Wong.[2] The logo was commissioned by Brad Silverberg, a Senior VP at Microsoft. According to Silverberg, the right part of the logo is a window, while the left part of the logo conveys motion. He explained that despite the goal to depict "a window with cool motion effects", the final design ended up resembling a flag; of all the candidates, it was the one he liked the most.[5]
1995–2001
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
ITC Franklin Gothic Book / Heavy
Launched:
July 14, 1995
After Windows 95 was launched, the symbol's colors were lightened, the logo was tilted, and the wordmark was changed.
1999–2001 (secondary)
SVG NEEDED
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
ITC Franklin Gothic Book / Heavy
Launched:
May 1999
This was most commonly used in Windows 2000 and Windows ME.
January 2001 (first use) August 24, 2001 (official)
In 2001, the flag logo was omitted, and a new logo was launched to coincide with the release of Windows XP. By April 2001[8], websites related to Windows started updating their logos to this design.
This logo was used as the official and primary logo of Windows until January 30, 2007.
2003–2007 (secondary)
Designer:
frog design Casey Potter
Typography:
Segoe UI Regular / Semibold
Launched:
April 24, 2003
With the launch of the Windows Server System brand on April 24, 2003[9], some Windows-branded products began using this new design, alongside the previous one.
This logo appeared on the Windows Server portal[10][11], the logo for Windows Server System, and select releases of Windows Server 2003[12] and Windows Server 2003 R2[13]; it was also used on the Windows Mobile portal by February 2006[14] and on Windows Live.[15]
The previous logo continued to be used on the main website until January 2007, and continued being used on other websites until being replaced with the 2007 logo.
July 22, 2005 (reveal) January 30, 2007 (official)
This design officially debuted on July 22, 2005[17]. This logo was used as the base for the Windows Embedded logo by December 2005[18]. Despite that, the previous logo was used as the official logo for the brand until January 2007, including the main official website[19]. In many places within this operating system, the previous logo was widely used[20].
After November 8, 2006, when Windows Vista was released to manufacturing, the official Microsoft Windows website began displaying a promotional banner stating “Buying a new PC? Ask for an Express Upgrade to Windows Vista,” which allowed customers who purchased a new computer with Windows XP pre-installed to obtain a free or discounted upgrade to Windows Vista once it was officially released in January 2007.[21] However, the website continued to use the previous logo along with the older Windows XP-style CSS until January 2007.[19]
On 30 January 2007, the website was updated with this logo and a new Aero-styled CSS design, alongside a new promotional banner reading “The ‘Wow’ starts now,” coinciding with the release of Windows Vista.[22] This change was also seen for other services like Windows Live.
Despite being replaced by the 2009 logo as the main logo of Microsoft Windows, it was still used as the base for the primary logo of Windows Server 2008 R2, released on October 22, 2009, and it was used vertically in the language picking phase of setup until Windows 8 build 8220.
2009–2012
Designer:
Paula Scher for Pentagram
Typography:
Segoe UI Regular
Launched:
October 22, 2009
With the official release of Windows 7 Beta 1 (build 7000) on January 7, 2009, this logo was first used publicly for development purposes, though the previous logo continued to be used until October 22, 2009, when Windows 7 was officially released. A comparable logo had appeared earlier in July 2008 and was primarily used on websites for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile[23], and Windows Live[24]. Revised logos for Windows Home Server, Windows Marketplace, and Windows Automotive were also introduced[25], although their respective websites continued to retain their existing logos. However, the proportions between the Windows icon and the text were slightly different from the final variant that was officially used starting October 22, 2009[26].
This logo officially replaced the previous one on October 22, 2009, when a majority of the Microsoft Windows websites, along with other services such as Windows Live, were updated to coincide with the release of Windows 7 on the same day, with the branding and visual style being updated to reflect it[26].
Microsoft overhauled their logo again to fit in with the new Metro design language on Windows 8, which drastically changed the logo to resembled an actual paned window, removed the colors to become solid blue and introduced a slightly modified Segoe font. This logo was unveiled on Windows 8 Consumer Preview, released on February 29, 2012. This logo was designed by Pentagram.
By March 2012, most Microsoft websites, including the official Microsoft Windows website, had adopted the Metro design language and new logos. By October 15, this logo replaced the previous logo on the website and social media feeds[27].
2015–2021
Designer:
Pentagram (symbol)
Typography:
Segoe UI Regular
Launched:
July 15, 2015
This logo was still present in Windows 11 in the classic Control Panel's System applet in version 21H2. It would later be removed in Windows 11 version 22H2 along with the classic System applet which now redirects to the Settings app.
2021–present
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Segoe UI Semibold (modified)
Launched:
June 24, 2021
This logo, changed to resemble Microsoft's 2012 logo, albeit in Windows blue, was first leaked on June 15, 2021, and became official when Microsoft announced Windows 11 just 9 days later.
Notes: 1 Became independent from 2007–2022, later becoming a Sony Interactive Entertainment subsidiary in 2022 2 Were moved to work on other Microsoft Software departments 3 consolidated 4 Sold to Take-Two Interactive, later being defunct
Notes: 1 Became independent from 2007–2022, later becoming a Sony Interactive Entertainment subsidiary in 2022 2 Were moved to work on other Microsoft Software departments 3 consolidated 4 Sold to Take-Two Interactive, later being defunct
Notes: 1Nokia phone brand licensing was sold to Human Mobile Devices in 2016. The original Nokia company continues to exist. 2Developer Kit hardware was discontinued in 2023. Azure Kinect technologies continued to be licensed to its partners.
