Windows wasn't always the powerhouse we know today, and the initial release wasn't exactly well-received due to plenty of bugs and issues. But Microsoft came back around two years later with Windows 2.0, and this release was a big step forward, delivering more stability and refinements, as well as some brand-new capabilities. Windows 2.0 released on December 9th, 1987, and it was a pretty big step towards what we know today.

Actually, there were two versions of Windows 2.0. We were still in the era of Windows being built on top of MS-DOS, and there was a bit of a mess in terms of the processors that were available at the time and the architectures they were based on. So one became known as Windows/286 and the other as Windows/386, which was a bit more advanced, with preemptive multitasking and enhanced security.

One step closer to the Windows we know today

You could resize windows now!

Windows 2.0 may not have been a huge revolution, but this update brought with it a major improvement that we take for granted today: resizable windows. Despite the name, the initial version of Windows didn't let you resize app windows on the screen, and in fact, they couldn't overlap, either — apps were always snapped to a grid. Windows 2.0 made it possible to have multiple apps open with whatever size you wanted, and you could drag one over another rather than having them displayed in a tile arrangement. You can start to see some of the elements that we still know in Windows 11 today.

This version also made it possible to move app icons anywhere on the desktop rather than keep them in the bar at the bottom. Under the hood, of course, there were some more notable improvements, like support for 16-color VGA graphics and EMS memory.

Otherwise, there wasn't much more to Windows 2.0 in terms of new features, though it already packed a few apps, like Paint, Notepad, Write, Clock, and the game Reversi. This was before we got classics like Minesweeper and Solitaire. However, the visual updates we got were enough for Apple to attempt to sue Microsoft for allegedly infringing copyright on the look and feel of Macintosh, though Apple ultimately lost the court case.

Word and Excel come to Windows

Microsoft's own apps finally make their Windows debut

Microsoft had launched its own word processor (aptly named Word) two years before Windows 1.0, but it was only available for competing operating systems for a few years and never actually supported Windows 1.0. It was only with the release of Windows 2.0 that Microsoft brought Word to Windows, and alongside it, the Excel spreadsheet editor, which greatly added to the capabilities of the operating system.

The initial versions of Word and Excel were obviously more limited than what we know today, but Word, in particular, was far more advanced than Notepad or the Write app that shipped on Windows, with support for colored text, more font formatting options, and more. Excel was obviously useful because there was no kind of spreadsheet editor built into Windows. These were the only Office apps that were available at the time since most of the suite we know today launched at a later date, but we were off to a strong start.

Still not quite a hit

Microsoft needed a bit more time to get things right

While Windows 2.0 and the subsequent Windows 2.1 update delivered some very welcome improvements to the experience, this still wasn't the version that propelled Windows to the mainstream. It's estimated that by January 1990, just before Microsoft was set to release Windows 3.0, total Windows sales were at under two million, including both Windows 1.0 and 2.0. Windows 3.0 itself would sell around four million units in its first year, and today, of course, you'll find Windows 11 on most of the best laptops on the market, so you could say Windows had some very humble beginnings.

Regardless, as someone who didn't get to experience this evolution when it happened, it's fascinating to see what things were like all those years ago and how elements that I take for granted today were added to the OS in the first place. Setting up Windows 2.0 in a virtual machine really showed me that some concepts have been around since the very early days, and frankly, opening an app like Paint, you can still identify most of the elements we know from recent versions. There's an undeniable sense of charm seeing these things you know and love today in this more primitive form, but still having a lot of the features you're used to.

We've come very far, but at the same time, a lot of the roots of Windows are still present in more modern releases. We're only left to wonder how much will still be around a few more years from now, given the ever-evolving nature of technology.