List of Microsoft codenames
# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
#
- 286DOS
- OS/2 1.0, Microsoft naming
- 6 on 6
- Windows Mobile 6.1.4
A
- ADOS
- OS/2 1.0
- Advanced Windows
- The original announced name for NT-based Windows, see Razzle
- Akebono
- Xbox Controller S
- Alder
- Windows CE 1.0
- Anaconda
- Xbox Series X
- Andromeda
- Canceled phone variant of Windows Core OS
- Surface Pocket (cancelled Surface model designed to run Andromeda OS)
- Another Fucking Driver
- Ancilliary Function Driver (
afd.sys
)[1] - Application Framework eXtensions
- Microsoft Foundation Class Library
- Apollo
- Windows Phone 8
- Arcata
- Surface Pro 9 (5G)
- Aruba
- Surface Hub OS; see Lhok Sukon (LSX)
- Argo
- Zune
- Asteroid
- Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
- Astro
- MS-DOS 6
- Canceled Microsoft Lumia phone model. Utilized a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) SoC.
- Athens
- Windows 10 IoT Core; named after the capital city of Greece
- Aurora
- Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials
- Avalon
- Windows Presentation Foundation
B
- Blackcomb
- Planned successor of Windows XP and later Longhorn/Vista; named after Whistler Blackcomb, a ski resort in British Columbia popular among Microsoft executives
- Birch
- Windows CE 2.0
- BirchWay
- Surface Pro 9 (Intel)
- Big Rock
- Surface Laptop 7
- BlackRock
- Windows Dev Kit 2023
- Blue
- Windows 8.1[2]
- Windows Phone 8.1
- Bobcat
- Windows Small Business Server 2003
- Bobsled
- Internal name for Windows Media Center Extender devices
- Breckenridge
- Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials[3][4]
- Brooklin
- Xbox Series X refresh, scheduled to be released in 2024[5]
- Bulletproof
- Microsoft mail remote client[6]
C
- Cairo
- Canceled successor of Windows NT 3.x that aimed to implement Bill Gates' "Information at your fingertips" vision
- Cairo Domains
- Active Directory
- Cairo Messaging
- Microsoft Exchange
- CairOLE
- OLE 3.0
- Callaway
- Windows Dev Kit 2023
- Cambria
- Surface Pro X (SQ1)
- Carina
- Surface Pro X (SQ2)
- Catapult
- Microsoft Internet Information Server
- Cascades
- Canceled successor to Windows Essential Business Server 2008 based on Windows Server 2008 R2.
- Cascadia
- Windows Terminal; also used as the name of the Cascadia Code and Mono typefaces, designed for the Terminal
- Cashmere
- Word for Windows
- Cassini
- Windows Embedded 8[7]
- Caspar
- Surface Pro X (Wi-Fi)
- Cedar
- Windows CE 3.0
- Centaurus
- Surface Neo
- Centro
- Windows Essential Business Server 2008
- Charles de Gaulle, CDG
- Windows 10X
- Chelan
- Windows Embedded Compact 7
- Cherry Hill
- Windows 11 shell experience pack updated via the Store
- Chicago
- Windows 95
- Cityman
- Lumia 950 XL
- Cleveland
- Alternative name for a canceled successor of Windows 95, more commonly known as Nashville
- CMERGE
- Microsoft C 3.0, the first version of the C-branded compiler written by Microsoft (merging a separate Xenix C compiler, the backend of their Compiled BASIC product, and the licensed Lattice C Microsoft was selling for the IBM PC)
- Cobalt
- The 21H2 (second half of 2021) engineering semester of Windows as a service; the base for the original release of Windows 11
- Colorado
- Windows Small Business Server 2011
- Control Program/DOS, CP/DOS
- OS/2 1.0; follows IBM mainframe product naming
- Copper
- The late 2022 engineering milestone of Windows as a service
- CorePC
- Alleged successor to Windows Core OS. Provides a modular operating system base targeting different system form factors[8]
- Corona
- Windows Media Player 9 Series[9]
- Cougar
- The 32-bit DOS kernel in Windows 95 (
DOS386.EXE
/VMM32.VXD
) - Windows Small Business Server 2008
- Crescent
- Windows Media Player 10
- Cronos
- Canceled Microsoft Surface Duo model. Utilized a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (SM7325) SoC.
- Crossbow
- Windows Mobile 6.0
- Cruiser
- OS/2 2.0
- Cupcake
- Internal Windows componentization effort featuring 5 layers, related to CorePC
- Cutter
- OS/2 1.3
D
- Darwin
- Windows Installer
- Daytona
- Windows NT 3.5
- Denali
- Active Server Pages
- SQL Server 2012
- Deschutes
- Windows 365 Cloud PC
- Detroit
- USB supplement update for Windows 95 OSR2
- Diamond
- Windows Media Center UI overhaul for Windows Vista
- Dilithium
- The early-2024 engineering milestone of Windows as a service. Named after the fictional material from Star Trek,[10] as arsenic is infamous for its use in poisons.
- DirectX Box
- Xbox
- Doesn't Matterhorn
- Pre-reset Windows Vista[11]
- DOS 5.0
- OS/2 1.0; name used primarily by Microsoft – implies that OS/2 is the successor to the multitasking MS-DOS 4.
- The Duke
- Xbox controller[12]
- Durango
- Xbox One
E
- Edmonton
- Xbox One S
- eHome
- Windows Media Center
- Eiger
- Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
- Electronic Paper
- The original concept for Excel
- Ellewood
- Xbox Series S refresh, scheduled to be released in 2024[5]
- Elmer
- Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Elroy
- Windows Live Mail
- Emerald
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2
- Epsilon
- Surface Duo (after it was decided that the device would use Android instead of the cancelled Andromeda, and it was renamed)
- Ersa
- Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Ersa Refresh
- Surface Laptop Studio 3
- Escher
- Visual Basic for MS-DOS
- Ethos
- Surface Duo
- Excalibur
- SQ SoC
F
- Fastbike
- Fast boot in Windows Neptune (Profile Accelerated Boot Accelerator)
- Freestyle
- Windows XP Media Center Edition
- Frosting
- Microsoft Plus! Companion for Windows 95
- Fiji
- Windows Vista Media Center TV Pack
- Firesteel
- Internal Windows 11 self-hosting effort
- Firebird
- An upcoming update for Windows 10 Team
- Football
- OS/2 1.0–era multiple virtual DOS machines prototype using the virtual 8086 mode (previously known as Pigskin)
- Fusion
- Windows Side-by-Side Component Store (WinSxS)
- .NET Framework CLR Loader
G
- Galileo
- Windows CE 3.0
- Gallium
- The mid-2023 engineering milestone of Windows as a service
- Game SDK
- DirectX
- Gandalf
- Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia (original 1993 release)[13]
- Gemstar
- WebTV for Windows
- GeorgeTown
- Surface RT[14]
- GeorgeTown X
- Surface Pro[14]
- Germanium
- The late-2023 engineering milestone of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows 11 2024 Update
- Grendel
- Surface Laptop 3 (AMD)
- Guilin
- Canceled Microsoft Lumia phone model. Utilized a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 (MSM8909) SoC.
- Gulliver
- Surface Laptop Go 3
H
- Haiku
- Modular Windows
- Harmony
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004
- Harvest
- Surface Pro X (Wi-Fi)
- Hobart
- Surface Pro X (SQ1)
- Honjo
- Canceled Microsoft Lumia phone model. Utilized a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 (MSM8909) SoC.
- Honolulu
- Windows Admin Center
- Hudson Valley
- Rumored successor of Windows 11[15]
- Hydra
- Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
I
- Idaho
- Unrealized successor of Windows XP[16]
- Immersive Launcher, Immersive Shell
- Start screen
- Impala
- Windows NT Embedded 4.0
- Indigo
- Windows Communication Foundation
- Interface Manager
- Internal UI library used by the Microsoft Apps team, merged with the Graphics Device Interface to create the project that led to Windows 1.0
- Iron
- The 21H1 (first half of 2021) engineering semester of Windows as a service; the base for Windows Server 2022
- Iris
- Surface Mini
J
- Jaguar
- The 16-bit MS-DOS subsystem in Windows 95. A standalone retail release was also planned at one point, which ultimately ended up not materializing
- Jamdani
- Journal user interface in Windows Andromeda OS
- Jameson
- Windows CE 4.1
- Janus
- Combined bundle of Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 5
- Canceled 64-bit port of Windows 2000 for Itanium-based systems[17][18]
- Jastro
- Combined bundle of Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 6; portmanteau of Janus and Astro
- Jazz
- Computer architecture based on the MIPS R4000 processor
- Juneau
- SQL Server 2012 Developer Tools
- Jupiter
- Windows CE 2.0
- Windows Runtime
K
L
- Lancelot
- Surface Laptop and Surface Laptop 2
- Lhok Sukon, LSX
- Surface Hub OS; internally codenamed after the airport of the same name, intended for the cancelled Surface Hub 2X[20]
- Lifeboat
- MS-DOS 5
- Linares
- Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock
- Lite
- Windows 10X
- Lockhart
- Xbox Series S
- Lonestar
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
- Longhorn
- Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008; named after a bar situated between the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.
M
- Macallan
- Windows CE 5.0
- Magneto
- Windows Mobile 5.0
- Manganese
- The 20H2 (second half of 2020) engineering semester of Windows as a service
- Mango
- Windows Phone 7.5
- Mantis
- Windows XP Embedded
- Mars
- Application framework used in Activity Centers, and the Help and Support Center in Windows Me and Windows XP
- McKendric
- Windows CE 4.2
- Memphis
- Windows 98
- Merlin
- Pocket PC 2002[21]
- Millennium
- Windows Me
- ModernPC
- Windows 10X
- MoGo
- Start screen
- MoSh (Modern Shell)
- Windows 8 user interface
- Mojave
- Fictitious release of Windows that was in fact a rebranded Windows Vista, which was the subject of a Microsoft case study known as the Mojave Experiment
- Monaco
- Visual Studio Code; adopted as the name of the Monaco Editor, the code editor component of Visual Studio Code decoupled for use in other applications
- Monad
- PowerShell
- Monarch
- Outlook progressive web application
- Monkton
- Windows Dev Kit 2023
- Monza
- Surface Neo
- MT-DOS
- Multitasking MS-DOS 4
N
- Nashville
- Internet Explorer 4; originally referred to a canceled successor of Windows 95.
- Nemesis
- Windows Media Encoder 7.0[22]
- Neptune
- Canceled NT-based successor of the Windows 9x series; project merged with Odyssey in early 2000 to form Whistler. Sometimes stylized as NepTune.
- NewShell
- Shell Technology Preview; a series of updates for Windows NT 3.51 that backport the Windows 95 user interface
- Nickel
- The 2022 engineering milestone (also referred to as 22H2) of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows 11 2022 Update
- NoDo
- Windows Phone 7 March 2011 update
- Northstar
- Canceled Nokia Lumia model based upon the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) SoC
- NT OS/2, NTOS
- NT-based rewrite of OS/2 canceled in favor of Windows NT, see Razzle
- NT Windows
- Alternative name for Windows NT before that name was standardized, see Razzle
- Nyx
- Surface Pro 3
O
- O'Hare
- Internet Explorer 1; named after the international airport near Chicago, the codename for Windows 95.
- Oasis
- Windows Holographic for Hololens 2[23]
- Odyssey
- Unrealized successor of Windows 2000; project merged with Neptune in early 2000 to form Whistler.
- Omega
- Early version of Microsoft Access[24]
- Omega-13
- Longhorn development reset; named after the time travel device of the same name seen in Galaxy Quest's climax,[25] which sends the user exactly thirteen seconds back into the past
- One Outlook
- Outlook progressive web application
- Opus
- Word for Windows
- Orca
- SNA Server 3.0
- OS/2 3.0
- NT-based rewrite of OS/2 canceled in favor of Windows NT, see Razzle
- Ozone
- Windows Mobile 2003
P
- Panther
- A short-lived lightweight fork of the Windows NT kernel for use in a consumer 32-bit version of Windows
- Windows Deployment Services - WIM-based Windows Setup
- Pegasus
- Windows CE 1.0
- Photon
- Windows Phone 7
- Pigskin
- OS/2 1.0–era multiple virtual DOS machines prototype using the virtual 8086 mode (early name for Football)
- OS/2 2.0 (early name for Cruiser)
- Pinewood
- Surface Pro X
- Polaris
- Canceled desktop variant of Windows Core OS, intended for low-cost computers
- Portable OS/2
- NT-based rewrite of OS/2, see Razzle
- Porthole
- Windows Libraries for OS/2[26]
- Portico
- Windows Phone 8 GDR1
- Protogon
- ReFS
Q
- Quartz
- ActiveMovie
- Q, Quattro
- Windows Home Server
- Quebec
- Windows Embedded Standard 7
R
- Rapier
- Pocket PC 2000[27]
- Razzle
- Windows NT 3.1; originally a rewrite of OS/2 based on the new NT kernel design, which was canceled with the IBM-Microsoft split in favor of Windows NT; kept as the name of the Windows NT build environment
- Ren
- Outlook;[28] named after the fictional chihuahua cartoon character of the same name from The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Redstone
- Windows 10 Anniversary Update through October 2018 Update; named after the reactive mineral from Minecraft.
- Reunion
- Windows App SDK
S
- Saana
- Lumia 650
- Saimaa
- Lumia 550
- Salta
- Surface Laptop SE
- Santa Rosa
- Surface Pro X (SQ2)
- Santorini (JTR)
- Operating system intended to run on the Surface Neo; internally codenamed after the airport of the same name
- Scarlett
- Xbox Series X/S
- Scorpio
- Xbox One X
- Sebile
- Xbox Universal Controller, scheduled to be released in 2024[5]
- Shell Update Release
- Windows NT 4.0
- Sherlock
- Dr. Watson
- Sizzle
- A collection of changes intended to improve overall OS/2 performance
- Slate
- Microsoft Management Console
- Sloop
- OS/2 1.2
- Small Business Server "8"
- Windows Server 2012 Essentials
- Snowball
- Windows for Workgroups 3.11
- Solution Server
- Windows MultiPoint Server 2010
- Sparta
- Windows for Workgroups 3.1
- Spartan
- Microsoft Edge
- Sphinx
- SQL Server 7.0
- Spring '14, S14
- Windows 8.1 Update 1
- Stimpy
- Windows 95 shell and user interface
- Outlook;[28] named after the fictional cat cartoon character of the same name from The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Sundown
- 64-bit Windows NT (Win64);[29] named as a jab at Sun Microsystems, as Solaris would be one of the main competitors in the 64-bit operating system market[30]
- Sun Valley
- Windows 11
- Suzuki
- Surface Pocket (cancelled Surface model designed to run Andromeda OS)
- Sydney
- Bing Chat / Copilot
- Symphony
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
T
- Take Home
- Windows Media Center internal dogfooding effort
- Talisker
- Windows CE 4.0
- Talkman
- Lumia 950
- Tango
- Windows Phone 7.5 July 2012 update
- Tarantula
- IIS for Windows 95[31]
- Tenjin
- Surface Laptop SE
- The Fucking Clown
- Office Assistant[32]
- Thunder
- Visual Basic 1.0[33]
- Titanium
- Windows Mobile 6.5
- Titanium
- The 19H1 (first half of 2019) engineering semester of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- Trimaran
- OS/2 1.1
- Triton
- Planned minor update for Neptune
- Tukwila
- Unofficial codename for Windows NT 4.0 coined by Dave Cutler; named after a town in the neighborhood of Seattle to poke fun at Cairo
- Threshold
- Windows 10; named after an in-game location from Halo: Combat Evolved. Also called Windows 8.2 in some places.
- Tuva
- Nano Server
U
- Utopia (Home)
- Microsoft Bob
V
- Valo
- Surface Pro 9 (5G)
- Vanadium
- The 19H2 (second half of 2019) engineering semester of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- Vibranium
- The 20H1 (first half of 2020) engineering semester of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows 10 May 2020 Update and later. Named after the fictional mineral from Marvel Comics to prevent confusion with the open source Chromium project
- Vienna
- Short-lived name for Blackcomb after a 2006 rename; the name was supposed to start a new set of codenames derived from popular cities and locations known for their "vistas".[34]
- Viper
- Unknown early NT selfhosting effort
- Vail
- Windows Home Server 2011
- Viridian
- Hyper-V[35]
W
- Whistler
- Windows XP, Windows Server 2003; named after Whistler Blackcomb, a ski resort in British Columbia popular among Microsoft executives
- Winball
- Windows for Workgroups 3.1
- Window Manager
- Windows 1.0
- Windows 7
- Windows 7; coined by incrementing the version number of Windows Vista (6.0) by one
- Windows 8
- Windows 8
- Windows NT 3.99
- Internal effort to advocate for smaller and more easily achievable NT releases
- Windows NT 5.0
- Windows 2000; not a codename per se—according to a member of the development team, "Jim Allchin didn't like codenames."[36]
- Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere
- Silverlight
- WMS 2
- Windows MultiPoint Server 2011
- WMS 3
- Windows MultiPoint Server 2012
- Wolverine
- TCP/IP-32 stack for Windows for Workgroups 3.11
- Wren
- Outlook; originated from Bill Gates mistaking Ren, the proper codename, for Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral.[28]
X
- Xenon
- Xbox 360
- Hyper-V containerization system introduced in Windows Server 2016
Y
- Yamazaki
- Windows CE 6.0
- Yilan
- Surface Go 4
- Yushan
- Surface Laptop Go 3
Z
- Zaca
- Surface Pro 9 (Intel)
- Zamboni
- Visual C++ 4.1[37]
- Zeta
- Surface Duo 2
- Zinc
- The early 2023 engineering milestone of Windows as a service; the base for the Windows Server, version 23H2 and Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2
References
- ↑ Chen, Raymond. Microspeak: FCIB, The Old New Thing. 14 November 2017.
- ↑ Windows Blue Vision
- ↑ Garcia, Joel. Announcing Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials, Windows Storage Server Blog. 8 November 2010.
- ↑ Jo Foley, Mary. There's another new Windows Server in the Microsoft pipeline, ZDNET. 2 November 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Warren, Tom. This is Microsoft’s new disc-less Xbox Series X design with a new gyro controller, The Verge. 19 September 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Microsoft. Windows Embedded Standard 8 CTP3 Release Notes, Windows Embedded CTP Preview Program. 5 September 2012.
- ↑ Bowden, Zac. Microsoft plans major platform upgrades for “Windows 12” that will modernize the OS with AI, faster updates, and better security, Windows Central. 28 March 2023.
- ↑ Jeff. A Look Back on 20 Years of The Skins Factory: Part 1, The Skins Factory. 23 February 2021.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/zacbowden/status/1752328042599330121
- ↑ Cutler, David; Plummer, David. The Mind Behind Windows: David Cutler, Dave's Garage. 21 October 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harris, Jensen. This Is The Missing Windows Startup Sound. 19 August 2022.
- ↑ Bowden, Zac. Microsoft plans major platform upgrades for “Windows 12” that will modernize the OS with AI, faster updates, and better security, Windows Central. 28 March 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Thurrott, Paul. 64-bit Windows 2000 on track for mid-2000, Windows IT Pro. 27 July 1999.
- ↑ Windows 2000 to Launch at Comdex, 64-Bit Janus in the Wings, Findarticles.com. 26 August 1999.
- ↑ Gilbert, Ben. Microsoft accidentally sent an Xbox One to a random guy months before it was announced, Business Insider. 14 September 2016.
- ↑ Warren, Tom. Microsoft cancels Surface Hub 2X launch, promises ‘major’ software update instead, The Verge. 3 February 2020.
- ↑ De Herrera, Chris. Windows CE / Windows Mobile Versions, Pocket PC FAQ. 15 November 2009.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 To Launch With A New Windows 10, Report Says
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Chen, Raymond. By Grabthar's Hammer, it's a Galaxy Quest documentary, The Old New Thing. 17 October 2019.
- ↑ http://iowa.gotthefacts.org/011607/0000/PX00194.pdf#page=52
- ↑ Smrček, Jakub. OS Windows Mobile/Phone: strmá cesta historií (in Czech), Cnews.cz. 31 March 2011.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Chen, Raymond. Letting the boss think your project is classier than it really is, The Old New Thing. 6 May 2014.
- ↑ Porter, Mike (9 August 1998); Iowa District Court for Polk County. Plaintiff's Exhibit #6462, Comes v. Microsoft.
- ↑ Chen, Raymond. What was the codename for 64-bit Windows?, The Old New Thing. 5 December 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ Sinofsky, Steven. PM at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky's Microsoft TechTalk. 16 December 2005.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.
- ↑ https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-looks-beyond-vista-sees-vienna/
- ↑ Update for Windows (KB939853); MICROSOFT WINDOWS SERVER VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY CODE-NAME "VIRIDIAN"
- ↑ Thurrott, Paul. SuperSite Flashback: NT's First Decade, Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows. 8 August 2013.
- ↑ Smith, Chris. Some Microsoft codenames, Chris Smith's completely unique view. 30 April 2006.