Windows components Page

The following is a list of Microsoft Windows computer program|components.

Configuration and maintenance

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="225" scope="col" |Component
! scope="col" | Description
! width="205" scope="col" |Introduced
|-
!Settings (Windows)|Settings
|Allows users to change system settings, similar to the Control Panel, but has less options{{Cite web |last=Shultz |first=Greg |date=2015-02-28 |title=Control Panel and Settings: Why are both still UI options in Windows 10? |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/control-panel-and-settings-uis-why-are-both-still-options-in-windows-10/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=TechRepublic |language=en-US}}
|Windows 8
|-bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Control Panel
|-
! scope="row" | Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel
| Allows users to view and change basic system settings and controls, such as adding hardware, adding and removing software, controlling user accounts, and changing accessibility options
| Windows 1.0
|-
! scope="row" | Device Manager
| Allows the user to display and control the hardware attached to the computer, and control what device drivers are used
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Mobility Center
| Centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Security and Maintenance
| Centralizes and reports on the status of anti-virus, Windows Update|Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall, and other security-related components of the operating system
| Windows XP SP2
|- bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Administrative Tools
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Management Console
| Provides system administrators and advanced users with a flexible interface through which they may configure and monitor the system
| Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack
|-
! scope="row" | Windows System Assessment Tool
| Built-in Benchmark (computing)|benchmarking tool that analyzes the different subsystems (graphics, memory, etc.), and uses the results to allow for comparison to other Windows Vista systems, and for software optimizations. It rates the computer's performance using the Windows Experience Index.
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | System Restore
| Allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed apps, etc., to a previous state in the event of a system failure
| Windows Me
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Recovery Environment
| Helps diagnose and recover from serious errors which may prevent Windows from booting successfully, or restore the computer to a previous state using System Restore or a backup image
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Drive Optimizer
| Rearranges files stored on a hard disk to occupy contiguous storage locations in order to optimize computer performance
| Windows 95, Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Event Viewer
| Lets administrators and users view the Data logging|event logs on a local or remote machine
| Windows NT 3.1
|-
! scope="row" | Resource Monitor
(previously Reliability and Performance Monitor)
| Lets administrators view current system reliability and performance trends over time
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Logical Disk Manager
| logical volume management|Logical volume manager developed by Microsoft in conjunction with Veritas Software
| Windows NT 4.0 (Separate Tool), Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Regedit|Registry Editor
| Allows users to browse and edit the Windows registry
| Windows 3.1
|-
! scope="row" | Task Scheduler
| Allows users to script tasks for running during scheduled intervals
| Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
|- bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Software installation and deployment
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Update
| An online service providing updates such as service packs, critical updates and device drivers. A variation called Microsoft Update also provides software updates for other Microsoft products.
| Windows 98
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Installer
| An engine for the management of software installation. Includes a GUI Software framework|framework, automatic generation of the uninstallation sequence and deployment capabilities for corporate networks.
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | ClickOnce
| Technology for deploying .NET Framework-based software via web pages, with automatic update capabilities. Intended for per-user only applications.
| .NET Framework 2.0
|}

User interface

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="175" scope="col" |Component
! scope="col" | Description
! width="110" scope="col" |Introduced
|-
!Action Center
|View notifications sent from apps and change common settings
|Windows 10 Version 1507
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Command Prompt|Command Prompt
| Text-based shell (computing)|shell (command line interpreter) that provides a command line interface to the operating system
| Windows NT 3.1
|-
! scope="row" | Windows PowerShell
| Command-line shell and scripting framework.
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Shell
| The most visible and recognizable aspect of Microsoft Windows. The shell provides the container inside of which the entire graphical user interface is presented, including the taskbar, the desktop metaphor|desktop, Windows Explorer, as well as many of the dialog boxes and interface controls. In Windows Vista, a new compositing glass-like user interface called Windows Aero has been shown.
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | File Explorer
(previously Windows Explorer)
| Provides an interface for accessing the file systems, launching applications, and performing common tasks such as viewing and printing pictures
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Desktop Search|Windows Search
| Starting with Windows Vista, search is a tightly shell-integrated component of Windows. A downloadable Windows Desktop Search software is available for Windows XP and older versions.
| Windows Vista, downloadable for older versions
|-
! scope="row" | Virtual folder#Windows|Search Folders
| Virtual folders that retrieve items based on queries rather than hierarchical folder trees on disk.
| Windows Vista
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Special Folders
| Folders which are presented to the user through an interface as an abstract concept, instead of an absolute path. This makes it possible for an application to locate where certain kinds of files can be found, regardless of what version or language of operating system is being used. See also Windows Shell namespace.
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | Start menu
| Serves as the central launching point for applications. It provides a customizable, nested list of apps for the user to launch, as well as a list of most recently opened documents, a way to find files and get help, and access to the system settings. By default, the Start Button is visible at all times in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | Taskbar
| The application desktop bar which is used to launch and monitor applications
| Windows 95
|-
!Task View
|Displays all open windows and activities (via timeline) at a glance and switch between virtual desktops, starting in version 2004, users can now rename desktops

|Windows 10 Version 1507
|-
! scope="row" | File associations
| Used to open a file with the appropriate app. Users can assign file associations uniquely to specific actions, known as verbs.
| Windows 1.0
|}

Applications and utilities

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="195" scope="col" |Component
! scope="col" | Description
! width="225" scope="col" |Introduced
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Easy Transfer|Easy Transfer
| Used to transfer many files at once from one computer to another
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Contacts|Contacts
| Keeps a single list of contacts that can be shared by multiple apps
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Camera|Camera
| Allows the user to take pictures or record video{{Cite web |title=Get $Windows Camera from the Microsoft Store |url=https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-camera/9WZDNCRFJBBG?hl=en-us&gl=us |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=apps.microsoft.com}}
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Calculator (Windows)|Calculator
| calculator|Calculation application
| Windows 1.0
|-
! scope="row" | Calendar (Windows)|Calendar
| Calendaring application
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Character Map (Windows)|Character Map
| Utility to view and search characters in a font, copy them to the clipboard and view their Windows Alt keycodes and Unicode names
| Windows 3.1
|-
! scope="row" | Cortana (software)|Cortana
| Digital personal assistant
| Windows 10 Version 1507
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Edge|Edge
|Web browser
| Windows 10 Version 1507
|-
! scope="row" | Feedback Hub
|Platform for exchanging communication with Windows Insiders and developers
|Windows 10 Version 1607
|-
! scope="row" | Groove Music
(previously Xbox Music)
| digital media|Digital media player (application software)|media player and media library application that is used for playing sound reproduction|audio. In addition to being a media player, Groove includes the ability to copy music to compact discs, synchronize content with a digital audio player (MP3 player) or other mobile devices, and let users purchase or rent music from the Windows Store.
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Movies & TV|Movies & TV
(previously Xbox Video)
| digital media|Digital media player (application software)|media player and media library application that is used for playing video. In addition to being a media player, Movies & TV lets users purchase or rent movies and TV episodes from the Windows Store.
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | OneDrive
(previously SkyDrive)
| Freemium cloud storage folder and sync service
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | OneNote
| Integrated note-taking app, based on the Microsoft Office product of the same name
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | On-Screen Keyboard (osk.exe)
| Virtual keyboard
|
|-
! scope="row" | Paint 3D
| Simple computer graphics|graphics painting app
| Windows 10 Version 1703
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Photos|Photos
| Simple image viewer
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Steps Recorder
(called Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7)
| Utility that allows the user to capture steps they took to reproduce a problem
| Windows 7
|-
! scope="row" | Windows To Go
| Utility to create bootable versions of Windows 8 and above
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Notepad|Notepad
| Simple text editor
| Windows 1.0
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Narrator|Narrator
| Screen reader utility that reads dialog boxes and window controls in a number of the more basic Application software|applications for Windows
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Sound Recorder (Windows)|Sound Recorder
| Simple audio recording app that can record from a microphone or Headset (audio)|headset, and save the results in WAV|WAVE format and Windows Media Audio format in some Windows versions
| Windows 3.0 Multimedia Extensions
|-
! scope="row" | Skype
| Messaging and calling service
| Windows 8.1, downloadable for previous versions
|-
! scope="row" | Sticky Notes
| Tool for jotting notes on the desktop
| Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
|-
! scope="row" | WordPad
| Simple word processor that is more advanced than Microsoft Notepad|Notepad. It has facilities to format and print text, but lacks intermediate features such as a spell checker and thesaurus.
| Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | Private Character Editor
| Utility to create private use characters as defined under Unicode and various East Asian encoding schemes
| Windows 3.1 East Asian editions
|-
! scope="row" | Remote Desktop Protocol|Remote Desktop Connection
| Client implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol; allows a user to securely connect to a computer running Terminal Services (Remote Desktop on Windows XP and Server 2003) and interact with a full desktop environment on that machine, including support for remoting of printers, audio, and drives.
| Windows XP, downloadable for previous Windows versions
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Remote Assistance|Remote Assistance
| Allows a user to temporarily take over a remote computer over a network or the internet to offer help with and resolve issues
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Mobility Center|Mobility Center
| Allows a user to adjust settings related to mobile computing
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Speech Recognition|Speech Recognition
| Allows a user to input voice commands
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | IExpress
| Allows users to create self-extracting, self-installing INF file|INF installation-based packages
| Internet Explorer 6
|-
! scope="row" | Xbox Console Companion
(previously Xbox and Xbox Games)
| Account manager for Xbox Live user accounts and a screen recording tool
| Windows 8
|-
!Xbox Game Bar
|Provides a overlay for compatible games allowing for screen capture, chatting over the Xbox network, showing the frame rate of games, and playing music via Spotify{{Cite web |title=Xbox Support |url=https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/games-apps/game-setup-and-play/use-spotify-in-xbox-game-bar-on-windows-10 |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=support.xbox.com}}{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |title=How to See FPS in Any Windows 10 Game (Without Extra Software) |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/706162/how-to-see-fps-in-any-windows-10-game-without-extra-software/ |access-date=2022-10-07 |website=How-To Geek |language=en-US}}
|Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Version 1903){{Cite web|url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/05/22/introducing-the-new-xbox-game-bar/|title=Introducing the New Xbox Game Bar|author=The Xbox Game Bar Team|date=2019-05-22|website=Xbox Wire|publisher=Microsoft|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-21|archive-date=2019-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921005113/https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/05/22/introducing-the-new-xbox-game-bar/|url-status=live}}
|-
! scope="row" | Magnifier (Windows)|Magnifier
| Screen enlargement app
| Windows 98
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Fax and Scan|Fax and Scan
| Integrated faxing and image scanning application
| Windows Vista, older faxing and scanning applications were present in previous List of Microsoft Windows versions|Windows versions
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Photo Viewer|Photo Viewer
| Simple image viewer that can play a simple slideshow
| Windows 7
|-
! scope="row" | Mail (Windows)|Mail
| Email aggregator
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Maps|Maps
| Map viewer that allows users to look for locations, plan routes, and store offline maps
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Media Center|Media Center
| Designed to serve as a Media PC|home-entertainment hub, to be viewed from a distance up to 3 meters (~10 feet) and controlled by specially designed remote controls. Lets users browse and view pictures, videos, and music from local hard drives, optical drives, and network locations, along with viewing, recording and deferred-playing live TV. Features an interactive TV guide with scheduled recording capabilities. Can also be used for visualization of other information (like sports scores) within the interface.
| Windows XP Media Center Edition
|-
! scope="row" | Task Manager (Windows)|Task Manager
| Provides information about computer performance and displays details about running applications, processes, network activity, logged-in users, and system services
| Windows 3.0
|-
! scope="row" | Disk Cleanup
| Utility for compacting rarely used files and removing files that are no longer required
| Windows 98
|-
! scope="row" | Snipping Tool
| Screen-capture tool that allows for taking screenshots (called snips)
| Experience Pack for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
|-
!Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store
(previously Windows Store)
|Initially known as Windows Store, it started as an app store for Windows 8. In Windows 10, it expanded into a broad digital distribution platform for apps, games, music, digital video and e-books. In 2017, it was renamed Microsoft Store and started offering hardware in United States, Canada and United Kingdom.
|Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | MSN apps
| Provide information from MSN web services
| Windows 8
|-
! scope="row" | Alarms & Clock(pre Alarms)
| App that allows Windows users to set alarms, stopwatches, timers, and view a world clock
| Windows 8
|-
!Windows Security
(previously Windows Defender Security Center)
|Antivirus
|Windows 10 Creators Update|Windows 10 Version 1703
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Solitaire Collection|Solitaire Collection
| Set of solitaire card games
| Windows 10 Version 1507, downloadable for Windows 8.x
|}

Windows Server components

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="175" scope="col" |Component
! scope="col" | Description
!width=100|Supported by
|-
! scope="row" | Active Directory
| A set of technologies introduced with Windows 2000 that allows administrators to assign enterprise-wide policies, deploy apps to many computers, and apply critical updates to an entire organization. Active Directory stores information and settings relating to an organization in a central, organized, accessible database. Networks can vary from a small installation with a few objects, to global-scale directories with millions of objects.
Related topics: Domain controller, Flexible single master operation
| Windows 2000 and later server versions
|-
! scope="row" | Group Policy
| Provides centralized management of user and computer settings in an Active Directory environment. Group policy can control a target object's Windows registry|registry, NTFS security, Computer security audit|audit and security policy, Installation (computer programs)|software installation, login|logon/logout|logoff scripts, folder redirection, and Internet Explorer settings. Policy settings are stored in Group Policy Objects (GPOs), and may be linked to one or more sites, domains or organizational units.
Related topics: Administrative Templates
| Windows 2000 and later
|-
! scope="row" | Internet Information Services
| Web server
| Windows NT family
|}

File systems

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="175" scope="col" |Component
! scope="col" | Description
! width="255" scope="col" |Supported by
|-
! scope="row" | FAT12, FAT16
| The original file systems used with MS-DOS. The standard file systems used with Windows 1.0 through Windows 95.
| List of Microsoft Windows versions|All versions
|-
! scope="row" | File Allocation Table#FAT32|FAT32
| Extensions to FAT supporting larger disk sizes. The standard file system for Windows 98 and Windows ME|Me.
| Windows 95 OSR2 and later versions
|-
! scope="row" | NTFS
| Standard file system of Windows NT; supports security via access control lists, as well as Journaling file system|file system journaling and Metadata (computing)|file-system metadata. Windows 2000 added support for reparse points (making NTFS junction points and Single instance storage possible), Hard links, file compression, and Sparse files. Encryption of data is provided by Encrypting File System. Symbolic links and transactioning of file operations via Transactional NTFS are features new to Windows Vista.
Although Windows 9x operating systems cannot read or write NTFS formatted disks, they can access the data over a network if it is shared by a computer running Windows NT.
| Windows NT#Releases|Windows NT (all versions)
|-
! scope="row" | ISO 9660 (CDFS)
| The predominant file system for CD-ROM and DVD-ROM media. Windows includes support for Joliet (file system)|Joliet extensions and the ISO 9660:1999 standard. ISO 9660:1999 is supported since Windows XP.
| MS-DOS and Windows 9x via extensions, such as MSCDEX.EXE (Microsoft CDROM Extension), natively in Windows NT
|-
! scope="row" | Universal Disk Format (UDF)
| A file system for storing files on optical media. It is an implementation of the ISO/IEC 13346 standard (also known as Ecma International|ECMA-167). It is considered to be a replacement of ISO 9660. Successive versions of Windows have supported newer versions of UDF.
| Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | High Performance File System|HPFS
| High-Performance File system, used on OS/2 computers. Read and write capability in Windows 95 (where it also listed network computer NTFS-formatted drives as "HPFS", even though it had no direct NTFS capabilities). HPFS write support was dropped in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98, and dropped altogether shortly before the release of Windows 2000.
| Windows 95 (Read/write), Windows 98, Windows NT (read), Windows NT 3.1|3.1/Windows NT 3.51|3.51 (read/write/boot)
|-
! scope="row" | ReFS
| A newer file system, based on NTFS. This system adds built-in integrity checking and removes the need for chkdsk, among other features. The maximum partition size is 1 Yottabyte|YB.
| Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1
|}

Core components

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="175" scope="col" |Component
!Acronym
! scope="col" | Description
|-bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Windows kernel (Windows NT)
{{main|Architecture of the Windows NT operating system line}}
|-
! scope="row" | Ntoskrnl.exe
|
| The Windows Kernel (computer science)|kernel image. Provides the Architecture of Windows NT#Kernel|kernel and Architecture of Windows NT#Executive|executive layers of the kernel architecture, and is responsible for services such as hardware virtualization, process and memory management, etc.
|-
! scope="row" | hal.dll
| HAL
| Provides and handles the interaction between software and hardware via the Hardware Abstraction Layer.
|-
! scope="row" | kernel32.dll
|
| This application provides kernel operations to apps in the Win32 mode, like memory management, I/Os, process creation, etc.
|-
|-bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Core processes (Windows NT)
|-
! scope="row" | System idle process
| SIP
| A counter which measures how much idle capacity the CPU has at any given time. The process runs in the background and monitors processing bandwidth, occupied memory and the Windows virtual page file|paging file.
|-
! scope="row" | Session Manager Subsystem
| SMSS
| Performs several critical boot-time operations, such as the creation of environment variables, starting Client/Server Runtime Subsystem|CSRSS, and performing file-copy operations that were queued up from before the system was booted (pending file rename operations). During system operation, it handles Windows File Protection and the creation of logon sessions via Winlogon.
|-
! scope="row" | Client/Server Runtime Subsystem
| CSRSS
| User-mode side of the Win32 subsystem. Provides the capability for applications to use the Windows API.
|-
! scope="row" | Local Security Authority Subsystem Service
| LSASS
| Responsible for enforcing the security policy on the system. Verifies users logging on to the computer and creates Token (Windows NT architecture)|security tokens.
|-
! scope="row" | Winlogon
|
| Responsible for handling the secure attention key, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running. On Windows NT systems prior to Windows Vista, Winlogon is also responsible for loading Graphical Identification And Authentication|GINA libraries which are responsible collecting logon credentials from the user.
|-
! scope="row" | Svchost.exe
|
| A generic host process name for services that run from dynamic link library|dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). Several Svchost processes are typically present on a Windows machine, each running in a different security context, depending on what privileges the contained services require.
|-
! scope="row" | Windows on Windows and WOW64
| WoW
| An abstraction layer that allows legacy code to operate on more modern versions of Windows; typically this means running 16-bit Windows applications on 32-bit Windows, and 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows.
|-
! scope="row" | Virtual DOS machine
| NTVDM
| Allows MS-DOS apps to run on Intel 80386 or higher computers when there is already another operating system running and controlling the hardware. Introduced in Windows 2.1; not available in any 64-bit edition of Windows.
|-bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|System startup (Windows NT)
{{main|Windows NT Startup Process|Windows Vista Startup Process}}
|-
! scope="row" | NTLDR, IA64ldr, Winload.exe|Winload
|
| The boot loader; performs basic system initialization options such as loading the hardware abstraction layer and boot-time device drivers, prior to passing control to the Windows kernel. In versions prior to Vista, NTLDR and IA64ldr also display menus to the user if multiple operating systems are defined in boot.ini, or if F8 is pressed.
|-
! scope="row" | Recovery Console
|
| Provides the means for administrators to perform a limited range of tasks using a command line interface, primarily to aid in recovering from situations where Windows does not booting|boot successfully.
|-
! scope="row" | ntdetect.com
|
| Used during the boot process to detect basic hardware components that may be required during the boot process
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Boot Manager
|
| In Windows Vista and later operating systems, displays boot menus to the user if multiple operating systems are configured in the system's Boot Configuration Data.
|-bgcolor="#eeccdd" height="25"
|colspan="5"|Graphical subsystem
|-
! scope="row" | Desktop Window Manager
| DWM
| The Compositing window manager|compositing manager introduced in Windows Vista that handles compositing and manages special effects on screen objects in a graphical user interface
|-
! scope="row" | Graphics Device Interface
| GDI/GDI+
| The kernel graphics component for representing graphical objects and transmitting them to output devices such as monitors and printers
|-
! scope="row" | Windows USER
|
| The Windows USER component provides core user interface, messaging and visual elements
|-
|}

Services

{{Further|Windows service}}
This list is not all-inclusive.
{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! width="250" scope="col" |Display name
! width="125" scope="col" |Service key name
! scope="col" | Description
! width="180" scope="col" |Introduced
|-
! scope="row" | Active Directory Service
| NTDS
| Network Authentication Management
| Windows 2000 Server
|-
! scope="row" | Alerter service
| Alerter
| Sends administrative alerts over the network to client computers, administrators and users
| Windows NT
|-
! scope="row" | Application-level gateway|Application Layer
Gateway service
| ALG
| Provides support for plugins that allow network protocols to pass through Windows Firewall and work behind Internet Connection Sharing
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Application Experience service
|
| Processes application compatibility cache requests for applications as they launch{{cite web
|url = https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349799%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
|title = System Services
|year = 2014
|website = technet.microsoft.com
|publisher = Microsoft
|access-date = 2014-09-02
|quote = The Application Experience service (AELookupSvc) is a part of the Application Compatibility Administrator. It processes application compatibility lookup requests for applications as they are started, provides support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista–based computers running apps in compatibility mode, reports on compatibility issues, and automatically applies software updates to apps.
|archive-date = 2017-11-05
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171105102437/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349799(v=ws.10).aspx
|url-status = live
}}
|
|-
! scope="row" | Application Management
| AppMgmt
| Processes requests to enumerate, install, and remove applications that are installed on the computer or deployed through an organization's network
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Background Intelligent Transfer Service|Background Intelligent
Transfer Service
| BITS
| Transfers files between machines using idle network bandwidth. Used by Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services, and Systems Management Server to deliver software updates to clients, as well as by Windows Messenger.
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Browser service|Computer Browser
| Browser
| Crawls neighboring computers on the network and locates shared resources. One of the computers acts as the Master Browser and supplies this information to other computers designated as browsers.{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001/|publisher=Microsoft|title=Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service|access-date=2017-11-03|archive-date=2015-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101215348/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001|url-status=live}}
| Windows for Workgroups
|-
! scope="row" | Delivery Optimization
| DoSvc
| A peer-to-peer distribution service that downloads Windows updates and Microsoft Store (digital)|Microsoft Store apps from the local network or Internet peers, and redistributes them to others. Can be configured using either the Settings (Windows)|Settings app or Group Policy. The Settings app can turn it on or off, and specify whether the service operates on the local network only, downloads from and uploads to the Internet peers as well. Group Policy allows finer control.{{cite web |last1=Mackie |first1=Kurt |title=Microsoft Clarifies Windows 10 'Delivery Optimization' |url=https://rcpmag.com/articles/2016/08/16/windows-10-delivery-optimization.aspx |website=Redmond Magazine |publisher=1105 Enterprise Computing Group |date=16 August 2016 |access-date=27 January 2018 |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213062159/https://rcpmag.com/articles/2016/08/16/windows-10-delivery-optimization.aspx |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Hachman |first1=Mark |title=How Delivery Optimization in Windows 10 Creators Update helps avoid data overage fees |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3178472/windows/turn-on-this-new-windows-10-creators-update-feature-to-avoid-data-overage-fees.html |website=PCWorld |publisher=IDG |date=29 March 2017 |access-date=27 January 2018 |archive-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825030959/http://www.pcworld.com/article/3178472/windows/turn-on-this-new-windows-10-creators-update-feature-to-avoid-data-overage-fees.html |url-status=live }} Delivery Optimization relies on a centralized web service that does not index contents under 10 MB. Computers without Internet access cannot use Delivery Optimization.{{cite web |last1=Halfin |first1=Dani |last2=Poggemeyer |first2=Liza |last3=Lich |first3=Brian |last4=Kieselbach |first4=Oliver |last5=Childs |first5=Andrew |title=Configure Delivery Optimization for Windows 10 updates |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/waas-delivery-optimization |website=docs.microsoft.com |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=23 July 2018 |date=30 April 2018 |archive-date=23 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723122753/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/waas-delivery-optimization |url-status=live }}
| Windows 10 Anniversary Update
|-
! scope="row" | Distributed Link Tracking
| TrkWks, TrkSrv
| Used to track links to files on NTFS volumes. Windows uses these services to find linked files if they are renamed or moved (locally or to another machine).{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312403|publisher=Microsoft|title=Distributed Link Tracking on Windows-based domain controllers|access-date=2008-10-28|archive-date=2015-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225220835/http://support.microsoft.com/KB/312403|url-status=live}}
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Distributed Transaction Coordinator|Distributed Transaction
Coordinator
| MSDTC
| Allows transactional components to be configured through COM+ by coordinating transactions that are distributed across multiple computers and/or resource managers, such as databases, message queues, file systems, and other transaction–based resource managers.{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940166.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|title=Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC)|access-date=2008-06-27|archive-date=2016-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910032512/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940166.aspx|url-status=live}}
| Windows 2000 and later Microsoft Windows NT|NT-based
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft DNS|DNS Client
| DNSCache
| Resolves and caches domain names (e.g. “en.wikipedia.org”) to IP addresses
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Event Viewer#Windows Vista|Event Log
| EventLog
| Stores and retrieves events that can be viewed in the event viewer. Part of Service Control Manager|services.exe.{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa939451.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|title=Event Log|access-date=2008-06-27|archive-date=2016-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910032507/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa939451.aspx|url-status=live}}
| Windows NT
|-
! scope="row" | Extensible Authentication Protocol
| EAPHost
| Provides EAP authentication to connecting clients
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Indexing Service|Indexing Service
| CISVC
| Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms689718.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|title=What is Indexing Service?|access-date=2008-06-27|archive-date=2011-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101192618/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms689718.aspx|url-status=live}}
| Windows 2000 and later Microsoft Windows NT|NT-based
|-
! scope="row" | Interactive Services Detection
| UI0Detect
| For compatibility; when a service-displayed user interface is detected, it gives the user an option to switch to Session0 to see it
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Internet Connection Sharing|Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
| SharedAccess
| When enabled, it allows other computers on the local network to access an internet connection that is available to the host computer
| Windows 2000;[http://www.blackviper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm "Windows 2000 Professional and Server Service Pack 4 Services Configuration by Black Viper"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217225418/http://www.blackviper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm |date=2019-12-17 }}, notice that the service is listed on this page. Retrieved April 2013 Windows Vista onward[http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-firewall/ "Windows Firewall"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213062207/http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-firewall/ |date=2020-02-13 }}. Retrieved April 2013
|-
! scope="row" | Network Location Awareness
| NLA
| Manages network configurations and information, and notifies applications of changes
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Network Store Interface Service
| NSIS
| Collects routing information of active network interfaces, shares this with other services and notifies applications of changes
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | NTLMSSP|NTLM Security Support Provider
| NTLMSSP
| Uses the NTLM MS-CHAP protocol to encapsulate and negotiate options in order to provide signed and sealed communication. Deprecated now in favor of Kerberos (protocol)|Kerberos authentication.
| Windows NT
|-
! scope="row" | Peer Name Resolution Protocol
| PNRPSvc
| Resolves domain names using Peer Name Resolution Protocol
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Plug and play|Plug and Play
| PlugPlay
| Enables autodetection and configuration of hardware
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | {{ill|Windows Print spooler|fr|Spouleur d'impression (Windows)}}
| Spooler
| Manages printer devices and moves files into memory for printing
| Windows 95, Windows NT
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft RPC|Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
| RpcSs
| Provides Remote Procedure Call features via remotely accessible Named Pipes
| Windows NT family
|-
! scope="row" | Routing and Remote Access Service
| RRAS
| API and server software that enables applications to administer the routing and remote-access service capabilities of the operating system, to function as a network router.
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Secondary Logon
| SecLogon
| Allows users to run apps with a different account than the one they logged in with. Allows non-administrative accounts to perform administrative tasks.{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/225035|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|title=Secondary Logon (Run As): Starting Programs and Tools in Local Administrative Context|access-date=2008-10-28|archive-date=2015-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306211334/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/225035|url-status=live}}
|-
! scope="row" | Security Accounts Manager
| SamSs
| Manages user account security information
| Windows NT family
|-
! scope="row" | System Event Notification Service
| SENS
| Monitors system events, such as network, power, logon, logoff, terminal services session connection and disconnection, and delivers these to applications and other system components.{{cite web|url=http://www.theeldergeek.com/system_event_notification.htm|publisher=The Elder Geek|title=System Event Notification Service|access-date=2008-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026102420/http://www.theeldergeek.com/system_event_notification.htm|archive-date=2008-10-26|url-status=dead}}
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Prefetcher|Superfetch
| SysMain
| Monitors file usage patterns and boosts system speed by caching frequently accessed files to RAM[https://web.archive.org/web/20100311231313/http://blog.tune-up.com/myth-buster/myth-busted-why-disabling-superfetch-on-vista-and-windows-7-is-a-bad-idea/ "Myth Busted: Why Disabling SuperFetch on Vista and Windows 7 Is a Bad Idea"], retrieved April 2013
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Task Scheduler
| Schedule
| Lets users setup and schedule automated tasks
| Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
|-
! scope="row" | TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
| LmHosts
| Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP|NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution
| Windows NT family
|-
! scope="row" | Shadow Copy|Volume Shadow Copy
| VSS
| Creates multiple versions of files that change. The ability to store persistent snapshots was added in Windows Server 2003.{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757854.aspx|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|title=What Is Volume Shadow Copy Service?: Data Recovery|access-date=2008-10-28|archive-date=2017-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826183005/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757854.aspx|url-status=live}}
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Audio
| AudioSrv
| Manages audio devices for Windows-based apps. Controls all audio functions.
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Error Reporting
| WERSvc
| Generates error logs and reports errors. On Windows Vista and later, it notifies of solutions.
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Firewall
| MpsSvc
| Blocks unauthorized network connections to and from the computer
| Windows Vista
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Firewall(née Internet Connection Sharing)
| SharedAccess
| Provides a simple firewall feature which was introduced in Windows XP. It also shares the internet on the local network, if the internet connection sharing feature is turned on.[http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940309%28v=WinEmbedded.5%29.aspx "Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910032518/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940309(v=WinEmbedded.5).aspx |date=2016-09-10 }}, Retrieved April 2013
| Windows XP only[http://www.blackviper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm "Windows 2000 Professional and Server Service Pack 4 Services Configuration by Black Viper"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217225418/http://www.blackviper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm |date=2019-12-17 }}, Notice the absence of the service on this page. Retrieved April 2013[http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-firewallinternet-connection-sharing-ics/ "Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213062201/http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-firewallinternet-connection-sharing-ics/ |date=2020-02-13 }}, Notice that XP is the operating system listed. Retrieved April 2013
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Image Acquisition|Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
| STISvc
| Handles scanner and camera inputs
| Windows Me
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Time
| W32Time
| Synchronizes the system time with external time servers. From Windows Server 2003 forward, full and compliant Network Time Protocol|NTP support is provided.{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773013.aspx|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|title=How Windows Time Service Works: Windows Time Service|access-date=2008-10-28|archive-date=2016-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422085548/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773013.aspx|url-status=live}}
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Update
| WUAUServ
| Provides updates for the operating system and its installed components
| Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Wireless Zero Configuration
| WZCSvc (XP), WLANSvc
| Configures and manages IEEE 802.11|802.11 wireless adapters
| Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Server 2003|Server 2003 only
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Messenger service
| Messenger
| Allows users to send pop-up messages to other computers over the network
| Windows NT family
|-
! scope="row" | WebClient{{cite book
|first1= Mark
|last1= Minasi
|first2= Rhonda
|last2= Layfield
|first3= Lisa
|last3= Justice
|title= Mastering Windows Server 2003: upgrade edition for SP1 and R2
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aAUJAQAAMAAJ
|access-date= 2010-07-21
|edition= 12
|year= 2006
|publisher= John Wiley & Sons
|isbn= 978-0-470-05645-5
|page= 56
|quote= There is also a client piece for WebDAV built into XP, 2003, R2, and Vista, called the WebClient Service.
|archive-date= 2019-09-21
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190921005118/https://books.google.com/books?id=aAUJAQAAMAAJ
|url-status= live
}}
|
| Enables Windows-based apps to create and interact with Internet-based files
| Windows XP
|-
|}

DirectX

* Direct3D
* DirectDraw
* DirectInput
* DirectMusic
* DirectPlay
* DirectShow
* DirectSound
* DirectX Media Objects
* DirectX plugin
* DirectX Video Acceleration

Networking

* Administrative share
* Distributed File System (Microsoft)|Distributed File System
* My Network Places (formerly Network Neighborhood)
* Network Access Protection
* Remote Installation Services
* Server Message Block
* Windows Rights Management Services

Scripting and command-line

* Batch file
* CHKDSK
* Cmd.exe
* ComSpec
* Ipconfig
* net (command)|Net / Net Send
* Netdom.exe: Windows Domain Manager
* Netsh
* Netstat
* QBasic
* Regsvr32
* Robocopy
* Win32 console
* Windows Script Host
* Windows PowerShell
* XCOPY

Kernel

* Commit charge
* Kernel Transaction Manager
* Win32 Thread Information Block

.NET Framework

* Assembly (CLI)|Assembly
* List of CLI languages|CLI Languages
* Metadata (CLI)|Metadata
* .NET Remoting
* ADO.NET
* ASP.NET
* Base Class Library
* Common Intermediate Language
* Common Language Infrastructure
* Common Language Runtime
* Common Type System
* Virtual Execution System
* Windows CardSpace
* Windows Communication Foundation
* Windows Forms
* Windows Presentation Foundation
* Windows Workflow Foundation

Security

{|class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
! scope="row" | Component
! scope="row" | Description
! scope="row" | Introduced
|-

! scope="row" | AppLocker
| Policy-based component that enables or disables execution of software based on rules such as location, properties and digital signature
| Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions
Windows Server 2008 R2
|-
! scope="row" | BitLocker Drive Encryption
| Disk encryption software, designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire Volume (computing)|volumes
| Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions,
Windows Server 2008
|-
! scope="row" | Credential Guard
| Virtualization-based isolation of stored credentials to prevent theft and pass-the-hash attacks.
| Windows 10 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, or ,
Windows Server 2016
|-
! scope="row" | Data Execution Prevention
| Security feature that is intended to prevent an application or service from executing code from a non-executable memory region
| Windows XP Service Pack 2
|-
! scope="row" | Encrypting File System
| File system driver that provides file system-level encryption
| Windows 2000
|-
! scope="row" | Security Account Manager
| Database stored as a registry file
| Windows NT 3.1
|-
! scope="row" | SYSKEY
| Utility that encrypts the hashed password information in a SAM database using a 128-bit encryption key
| Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3
|-
! scope="row" | User Account Control
| Technology and security infrastructure utility that aims to improve the security of Microsoft Windows by limiting application software to standard user privileges until an administrator authorizes an increase
| Windows Vista,
Windows Server 2008
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Firewall
| Utility designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications. An earlier edition known as Internet Connection Firewall that was disabled by default was included with the original Windows XP release.
| Windows XP Service Pack 2
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Defender
| Security utility to prevent, remove and quarantine malware (viruses, Trojan horses, etc.)
| Downloadable for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Resource Protection
| Protects Registry keys and folders in addition to critical system files
| Windows Vista
|-
|}

Deprecated components and apps

{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100%
|-
! scope="row" | Component
! scope="row" | Description
! scope="row" | Category
! width="100" scope="row" | Introduced
! width="120" scope="row" | Last Operating system|OS included
! width="220" scope="row" | Superseded by
|-
! scope="row" | 3D Pinball
| A pinball video game version from Full Tilt! scope="row" | Pinball game
| Game
| Microsoft Plus!|Plus! 95 for Windows 95
| Windows XP
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | ActiveMovie
| Streaming media technology
| API
| Windows 95
| Windows Me
| DirectShow
|-
! scope="row" | Cardfile
| Personal information manager
| Personal organizer
| Windows 1.0
| Windows Me
| Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail
|-
! scope="row" | Chess Titans
| Chess game
| Game
| Windows Vista
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Chess
|-
! scope="row" | DriveSpace
| Disk compression utility
| Data compression
| MS-DOS
| Windows Me
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Windows DVD Maker
| DVD authoring software
| Video
| |Windows Vista
| Windows 7
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | File Manager (Windows)|File Manager
| File manager app
| File manager
| Windows 3.0
| Windows Me
| Windows Explorer
|-
! scope="row" | FreeCell (Windows)|FreeCell
| FreeCell game
| Game
| Win32s
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Solitaire Collection
|-
! scope="row" | Hearts (Windows)|Hearts
| Version of the Hearts (card game)|Hearts game using Black Lady scoring
| Game
| Windows for Workgroups|Windows for Workgroups 3.11
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Hearts
|-
!Insider Hub
|
|
|Windows 10 Version 1507
|Windows 10 Version 1511
|Feedback Hub
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Help and Support
| Online and offline reference manual for troubleshooting.
| Utility
| Windows Me
| Windows 8.1
| Microsoft Tips or Microsoft Tips|Get Started
|-
! scope="row" | HyperTerminal
| Communication utility based on a low end version of HyperACCESS
| Communication
| Windows 95
| Windows XP
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Hold 'Em (Windows)|Hold 'Em
| Version of the Texas hold 'em game
| Game
| Windows Vista
| Windows Vista
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Hover!
| Video game in a combination of bumper cars and capture the flag
| Game
| Windows 95
| Windows 95
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | InkBall
| Game where the user tries to get colored balls into the correct holes
| Game
| Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
| Windows Vista
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Internet Explorer
| Web browser
| Web browser and FTP client. See also: Internet Explorer versions, Features of Internet Explorer|Features, History of Internet Explorer|History, Removal of Internet Explorer|Removal, Browser Helper Objects
| Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
| Windows 10
| Microsoft Edge
|-
! scope="row" | Mahjong Titans
| Version of the Mahjong solitaire game
| Game
| Windows Vista
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Mahjong
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Mail
| E-mail client
| E-mail
| Windows Vista
| Windows Vista
| Mail (Windows)
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Internet Mail and News|Internet Mail and News
| E-mail and news client
| E-mail
| Windows 95
| Windows 95
| Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail
|-
! scope="row" | Minesweeper (Windows)|Minesweeper
| Version of the Minesweeper (video game)|minesweeper game
| Game
| Microsoft Entertainment Pack, Windows 3.1
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Minesweeper
|-
! scope="row" | Media Control Interface
| An app that can play media files and record sound by passing commands as strings.
| API
| Windows 3.0
| Windows Me
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Media Player
| Digital media player app
| Media player
| Windows 3.0 Multimedia Extensions
| Windows 10
| Windows Media Player, Microsoft Movies & TV|Movies & TV, or Groove Music
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Calendar
| Calendaring app
| Personal organizer
| Windows 1.0
| Windows 3.1
| Calendar (Windows)|Windows Calendar, Windows Live Mail, or the Calendar (Windows)|Calendar app for Windows
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Diagnostics
| Tool that provides detailed technical information about user's software and hardware
| Diagnostics
| MS-DOS
| Microsoft Plus!|Plus! 95 for Windows 95
| Microsoft System Information
|-
! scope="row" | Microsoft Fax
| Faxing app
| Fax
| Windows 95
| Windows XP
| Windows Fax and Scan
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Help
| Documentation browser that used a proprietary format
| Online help
| Windows 3.0
| Windows XP
| Microsoft Compressed HTML Help|Microsoft Help
|-
!Windows Feedback
|
|
|Windows 10 Version 1507
|Windows 10 Version 1511
|Feedback Hub
|-
! scope="row" | NTBackup
| Built-in backup app
| Backup
| Downloadable for Windows NT 4.0
| Windows XP, Windows Server 2003
| Backup and Restore, Windows Server Backup
|-
! scope="row" | Outlook Express
| E-mail client
| E-mail
| Internet Explorer 4
| Windows XP
| Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail
|-
! scope="row" | Paint (software)|Paint
| Simple computer graphics|graphics painting app
| Application
| Windows 1.0
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Program Manager
| Shell composed of a task-oriented graphical user interface, consisting of icons (shortcuts for apps) arranged into app groups.
| GUI
| Windows 3.0
| Windows XP
| Windows Explorer
|-
! scope="row" | Purble Place
| Educational game for children, teaching pattern recognition, shapes, and colors
| Game
| Windows Vista
| Windows 7
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Reader
| e-book reader
| e-book reader
| Windows 8
| Windows 10 Creators Update
| Microsoft Edge (PDF), XPS Viewer (XPS), Microsoft Photos|Photos (TIFF){{cite web |title=Microsoft replaces standalone PDF reader app with Edge |url=https://mspoweruser.com/microsofts-replaces-standalone-pdf-reader-app-edge/ |website=MSPoweruser |access-date=19 August 2019 |date=26 November 2017 |archive-date=19 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819033659/https://mspoweruser.com/microsofts-replaces-standalone-pdf-reader-app-edge/ |url-status=live }}
|-
! scope="row" | Reversi
| Version of Reversi.
| Game
| Windows 1.0
| Windows 3.0
| Internet Reversi only on Windows Me and Windows XP
|-
! scope="row" | Solitaire (Windows)|Solitaire
| Klondike (solitaire)|Klondike Solitaire game
| Game
| Windows 3.0
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Solitaire Collection
|-
! scope="row" | Spider Solitaire (Windows)|Spider Solitaire
| Spider (solitaire)|Spider Solitaire game
| Game
| Microsoft Plus!|Microsoft Plus! 98
| Windows 7
| Microsoft Solitaire Collection
|-
! scope="row" | System File Checker
| Utility that allows users to scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files
| Security
| Windows 98
| Windows Server 2003
| Windows Resource Protection
|-
! scope="row" | Tinker (Windows)|Tinker
| Puzzle game in which the player controls a robot through various mazes and obstacle courses
| Game
| Windows Vista
| Windows Vista
| {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" | Video for Windows
| Multimedia framework
| API
| Windows 3.1
| Windows 95
| DirectShow
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Address Book
| List of contacts that can be shared by multiple apps
| Contact manager
| Internet Explorer 3
| Windows XP
| Windows Contacts, People (Windows)|People, or Windows Live Mail
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Desktop Gadgets
| Widget engine for Microsoft Gadgets
| User interface
| Windows Vista
| Windows 7
| Start menu#Third version|Live tiles
|-
! scope="row" | Windows File Protection
| Sub-system in the operating system, aims to prevent apps from replacing critical Windows system files.
| Security
| Windows Me as System File Protection
| Windows XP
| Windows Resource Protection
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Journal
| Notetaking application that allows for the creation of handwritten notes
| Accessories
|Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
|Windows 10|Windows 10 Threshold 2
|General improvements in Ink API
|-
! scope="row" | Windows Messaging
| E-mail client
| E-mail
| Windows 95
| Windows 95
| Internet Mail and News, Mail (Windows)|Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail
|-
! Windows Messenger
| Instant messaging client
| Internet messaging
| Windows XP
| Windows XP, Windows Server 2003
| Windows Live Messenger or Skype
|-
! Windows Movie Maker
| Non-linear video editing software
| Video
| Windows Me
| Windows Vista
| Windows Live Movie Maker or Microsoft Photos
|-
! Windows NetMeeting
| Video conferencing client
| Web conference
| Windows 95 OSR2
| Windows XP
| Windows Meeting Space
|-
! Windows Photo Gallery
| Image organizer
| Photo
| Windows Vista
| Windows Vista
| Windows Live Photo Gallery or Microsoft Photos
|-
! Windows Picture and Fax Viewer
| Image viewer
| Photo
| Windows XP
| Windows XP
| Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Fax and Scan, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Photo Viewer, or Microsoft Photos
|-
! Windows Write
| Simple word processor
| Word processor
| Windows 1.0
| Windows NT 3.51
| WordPad
|}

APIs

* ClearType
* Media Foundation
* Windows Driver Foundation
* Windows Imaging Component
* Windows Management Instrumentation

Miscellaneous (to be categorized)

* ActiveSync
* Compatibility Appraiser collects telemetry information.{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoworld.com/article/2911609/operating-systems/kb-2952664-compatibility-update-for-win7-triggers-unexpected-daily-telemetry-run-may-be-snooping.html
| title = KB 2952664 triggers daily telemetry run in Windows 7 -- and may be snooping on users: Microsoft bills the 'compatibility update' as way to ease the upgrade process to Windows 10 -- but it's collecting data daily
| last1 = Leonhard
| first1 = Woody
| date = 2015-04-20
| department = Operating Systems
| website = InfoWorld
| publisher = InfoWorld, Inc.
| access-date = 2016-08-23
| quote = The Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser task runs %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe appraiser.dll,DoScheduledTelemetryRun with the description 'Collects program telemetry information if opted-in to the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program.'
| archive-date = 2017-06-02
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170602102139/http://www.infoworld.com/article/2911609/operating-systems/kb-2952664-compatibility-update-for-win7-triggers-unexpected-daily-telemetry-run-may-be-snooping.html
| url-status = live
}}
* DMRC (Device Metadata Retrieval Client) interfaces to metadata about devices from Windows 7 onwards.Compare: {{cite book
| last1 = Tulloch
| first1 = Mitch
| last2 = Northrup
| first2 = Tony
| author-link2 = Tony Northrup
| last3 = Honeycutt
| first3 = Jerry
| last4 = Wilson
| first4 = Ed
| title = Windows 7 Resource Kit
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f-opAQAAMAAJ
| series = Windows 7 Resource Kit, Microsoft Corporation
| year = 2010
| volume = 1
| publisher = Microsoft Press
| publication-date = 2010
| page = 708
| isbn = 9780735627000
| access-date = 2016-08-18
| quote = The DMRC [(Device Metadata Retrieval Client)] checks the computer's local metadata cache and metadata store for metadata that applies to the device.
| archive-date = 2022-01-11
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220111133858/https://books.google.com/books?id=f-opAQAAMAAJ
| url-status = live
}}
* Vista IO technologies|I/O technologies
* Macro Recorder
* Microsoft Agent
* Prefetcher
* ReadyBoost
* Sync Center
* Text Services Framework
* Universal Audio Architecture
* Windows Color System
* Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI){{cite book
| last1 = Solomon
| first1 = David A.
| last2 = Russinovich
| first2 = Mark E.
| author-link2 = Mark Russinovich
| last3 = Ionescu
| first3 = Alex
| title = Windows Internals
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WZdCAwAAQBAJ
| series = Developer Reference
| date = 17 June 2009
| edition = 5
| publisher = Microsoft Press
| publication-date = 2009
| isbn = 9780735637962
| access-date = 2016-10-24
| quote = The Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI) helps to detect, diagnose, and resolve common problem scenarios with minimal user intervention.
| archive-date = 2019-09-21
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190921005113/https://books.google.com/books?id=WZdCAwAAQBAJ
| url-status = live
}}
* Windows Mobile Device Center
* Windows Rally
* Windows Registry
* Windows Speech Recognition
* XML Paper Specification

References

{{reflist}}

{{Microsoft Windows components}}

Category:Microsoft lists|Windows
Category:Windows components|
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