Windows 10 is the newest member of the Microsoft Windows based pc line.

Windows 10 introduces an up-to-date Start Menu, new login methods, a better taskbar, a notification center, support for virtual desktops, the Edge browser and a host of other usability updates.

Cortana, Microsoft's mobile personal assistant, is now a part of Windows 10, even on personal computers.

Windows 10 was initially code-named Threshold and was assumed to then be named Windows 9 but Microsoft decided to skip that number altogether. See What Happened to Windows 9? for more with that.

Windows 10 Release Date

The final version of Windows 10 was released to the public on July 29, 2015. Windows 10 was initially released as a preview on October 1, 2014.

Windows 10 was famously a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 owners but that just lasted for just one year, through July 29, 2016. See How can i Download Windows 10? to learn more.

Windows 10 succeeds Windows 8 and is currently the most recent form of Windows available.

Windows 10 Editions

Two versions of Windows 10 are available:

Windows 10 Pro
Windows 10 Home

Windows 10 can be purchased from Microsoft or via retailers like Amazon.com.

Several additional editions of Windows 10 are also available although not directly to consumers. Some of these include Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise Mobile, and Windows 10 Education.

Additionally, unless otherwise marked, all versions of Windows 10 that you purchase include both 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

Windows 10 Minimum System Requirements

The minimum hardware required to run Windows 10 is similar to what was necessary for the last few versions of Windows:

CPU: 1 GHz with NX, PAE, and SSE2 support (CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, and LAHF/SAHF support for 64-bit versions)
RAM: 1 GB (2 GB for 64-bit versions)
Hard Drive: 16 GB free space (20 GB free for 64-bit versions)
Graphics: A GPU that supports a minimum of DirectX 9 having a WDDM driver

If you are upgrading from Windows 8 or Windows 7, make sure you've applied all the updates readily available for that form of Windows before starting the upgrade. This is done through Windows Update.

More About Windows 10

The Start Menu in Windows 8 was a lot to cope with for several people. Instead of a menu such as the one observed in prior versions of Windows, the beginning Menu in Windows 8 is full-screen and features live tiles. Windows 10 reverted to a Windows 7-style Start Menu but also includes smaller tiles - the perfect mixture of both.

Partnering using the Ubuntu Linux organization Canonical, Microsoft included the Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 10, the command-line utility found on Linux os's (sometimes inaccurately called the Bash shell). This features allows some Linux software to operate within Windows 10.

Another new feature in Windows 10 may be the ability to pin an application to any or all from the virtual desktops you have set up. This technique is wonderful for apps that you know you would like easy access to in each virtual desktop.

Windows 10 makes it easy to quickly call at your calendar tasks by just clicking or tapping on the time and date on the task bar. It's directly integrated with the main Calendar app in Windows 10.

Gleam central notification center in Windows 10, like the notification center common on cellular devices along with other os's like macOS and Ubuntu.

Overall, there are also a lot of apps that support Windows 10. Be sure to check out the Ten best we've found.