Windows XP is still heralded by many as one of, if not the best version of Microsoft's operating system. While it's certainly outdated in many ways compared to today's laptops and PCs, at the time, it was a giant leap forward for Windows, bringing with it a new look and tons of new features. Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Windows XP's retail release, and it's time to look back at one of the most iconic Windows versions of all time.

My first-ever computer — a Compaq desktop model I can't fully recall — was powered by Windows XP, so I have very fond memories of spending time with it. The iconic Luna theme and the Bliss desktop background are both engraved into my memory, as I know they are for many others, but there were also a ton of usability improvements. If there's a Windows release worth celebrating, it's probably this one.

An iconic look that's more functional than ever

Windows XP was a big visual overhaul for Windows, doing away with the squared-off, grey-ish, look of the past to make room for a more lively UI that was also more customizable with "visual styles." Of course, the default was Luna, featuring the iconic blue taskbar and window borders, along with a green Start button in the bottom-left corner. Along with it, Windows XP also featured the Bliss desktop wallpaper, a photo of a green hill in Napa Valley, California. These elements are probably the first things that come to mind when you think of Windows XP, and it's hard not to feel at least a little nostalgic for it.

But Windows XP's new design wasn't all about visuals. A major component of it was the Start menu, which now featured a dual-column design with quick access to the things that you're more likely to care about the most. On the left side, you could pin important apps and see your most frequently used programs, while the right side had shortcuts to user folders, as well as tools like the Control Panel.

The taskbar was also improved with the ability to group multiple windows of the same app, which is surprisingly still a controversial feature to this day. Windows 11 actually removed the ability to ungroup windows altogether, but it had to be brought back due to user feedback.

AutoPlay made everything so much easier

Windows XP was also a big improvement in usability thanks to AutoPlay. While AutoPlay did exist in Windows 95 and 98, it really only helped with handling CDs and DVDs, but with the rise of USB in the early 2000s, more and more devices were relying on the connector, and many of them wouldn't work out of the box before XP.

AutoPlay made it so that when you insert a USB drive into your PC, Windows would automatically detect it and attempt to take the appropriate action (usually by asking the user what to do) to make the device functional. In many cases, it might simply have made it easier to play media or see files on a drive, but AutoPlay handlers also made it possible to launch dedicated software for devices that required it, making it far easier to set up any USB devices you might have. It's something we take for granted today, but it was a big deal back then.

Plenty of other improvements

Of course, as with any Windows release, there are a ton of smaller changes that contribute to the overall experience. Windows Explorer became more useful with a task pane on the left side, which suggested appropriate tasks depending on the kind of files you're looking at. For example, a picture folder might show you options to start a slideshow or print a picture. And on that note, XP also introduced a filmstrip view for pictures directly in Windows Explorer. Interestingly, a filmstrip was one of the big additions to the Windows 11 Photos app, but that capability is no longer part of File Explorer.

Windows XP also sped up boot times thanks to improved prefetching, which placed boot files in more easily accessible locations on a hard drive to load them more quickly at startup. It also became possible to easily switch between different users on a PC, since each user no longer had to sign out of their account and close all their programs to let someone else use the computer. Instead, the other user's tasks would simply be saved and suspended while the UI switched over to a different user.

Another big improvement was the introduction of ClearType, a subpixel rendering technology that improved the way text is rendered so that it's easily legible on LCD displays, which were only starting to become more popular back then. ClearType improved the clarity of text by using specialized anti-aliasing designed specifically for the specific subpixel layouts of these panels, making text appear smoother around the edges. The technology is still being used today, though it now causes issues with some OLED panels due to different subpixel layouts in some of them.

Windows XP was massively popular

Windows XP was very well received by users upon its launch, and with its follow-up, Windows Vista, being extremely controversial, it remained the most popular operating system for over a decade. According to NetMarketShare stats (which aren't necessarily 100% accurate), it was only in August 2012 that Windows XP was finally overtaken by Windows 7, though StatCounter indicates that Windows 7 pulled ahead in October 2011. Still, that's just about 10 years of dominance, even with two follow-ups at that point.

In fact, Windows XP was so popular that its support period was extended quite a bit, lasting until April 2014. This was only months before Windows 10 was announced, so it's crazy that it was so popular for so long. Of course, with support being phased out, Windows XP is barely used nowadays, but it still holds a special place in many people's memories. In many ways, some probably wish Windows 11 was more like XP.