Windows 10 Pro Overview Windows 10 is a series of personal computer operating systems manufactured by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It is the successor to Windows 8.1 and was put into production on July 15, 2015, and commercially released on July 29, 2015. Windows 10 is constantly receiving new versions that are available to users at no additional cost. Devices in enterprise environments may receive these updates more slowly or take advantage of long-term support milestones that only receive critical updates, such as security patches, during their ten-year extended support life. One of the most notable features of Windows 10 is support for Universal Apps, an extension of the Metro-like apps first introduced in Windows 8. Universal apps can be designed to run with near-identical code across multiple Microsoft product lines—including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub, and mixed reality. The Windows user interface has been redesigned to allow transitions between a mouse-oriented interface and a touchscreen-optimized interface based on available input devices—especially on 2-in-1 PCs, both interfaces have an updated Start menu that includes traditional elements. Windows 7 Start menu combined with Windows 8 tiles. Windows 10 also introduced the Microsoft Edge web browser, a virtual desktop system, a window and desktop management feature called Task View, support for fingerprint and face login, new security features for enterprise environments, and DirectX 12.