Windows IoT

Windows IoT
Windows Embedded 8 showing "Hotel Systems" panel, Metro-style app
Developer	Microsoft
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Source model	Closed-source Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative)
Kernel type	Hybrid kernel
License	Commercial proprietary software
Official website	developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot/
Support status
IoT: All non-LTSC editions of Windows 10 IoT Enterprise are out of support. Paid ESU available up to 3 years, extended support ends on October 11, 2028. Mainstream support until January 12, 2027 and extended support until January 13, 2032 for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Mainstream support until October 9, 2029, and extended support until October 10, 2034 for Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Embedded: All editions unsupported.

Windows IoT is short for Windows Internet of Things and formerly known as Windows Embedded, is a family of operating systems from Microsoft designed for use in embedded systems. Microsoft has three different sub families of operating systems for embedded devices targeting a wide market, ranging from small-footprint, real-time devices to point of sale (POS) devices like kiosks. Windows Embedded operating systems are available to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), who make it available to end users preloaded with their hardware, in addition to volume license customers in some cases.

In April 2018, Microsoft released Azure Sphere, another operating system designed for IoT applications running on the Linux kernel.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 running on Reneé Zellweger's ICOP Vortex 86DX system

Windows Embedded Compact (previously known as Windows Embedded CE or Windows CE) is the variant of Windows Embedded for very small computers and embedded systems, including consumer electronics devices like set-top boxes and video game consoles. Windows Embedded Compact is a modular real-time operating system with a specialized kernel that can run in under 1 MB of memory. It comes with the Platform Builder tool that can be used to add modules to the installation image to create a custom installation, depending on the device used. Windows Embedded Compact is available for ARM, MIPS, SuperH and x86 processor architectures.

Microsoft made available a specialized variant of Windows Embedded Compact, known as Windows Mobile, for use in mobile phones. It is a customized image of Windows Embedded Compact along with specialized modules for use in Mobile phones. Windows Mobile was available in four editions: Windows Mobile Classic (for Pocket PC), Windows Mobile Standard (for smartphones) and Windows Mobile Professional (for PDA/Pocket PC Phone Edition) and Windows Mobile for Automotive (for communication/entertainment/information systems used in automobiles). Modified variants of Windows Mobile were used for Portable Media Centers. In 2010, Windows Mobile was replaced by Windows Phone 7, which was also based on Windows Embedded Compact, but was not compatible with any previous products.

Windows Embedded Compact 2013 is a real-time operating system which runs on ARM, x86, SH, and derivatives of those architectures. It included .NET Framework, UI framework, and various open source drivers and services as 'modules'.

intended to build ATMs and devices for the healthcare and manufacturing industries, creating industry-specific devices. This brand consists of Windows NT 4.0 Embedded, Windows 2000 Embedded, Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 2009 (WES09), Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7, known as Windows Embedded Standard 2011 prior to release), and Windows Embedded 8 Standard. It provides the full Win32 API. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 includes Silverlight, .NET Framework 3.5, Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, RDP 6.1, Network Access Protection, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and support for being managed by Windows Server Update Services and System Center Configuration Manager.

Windows Embedded Standard 7 is based on Windows 7 and was previously codenamed Windows Embedded 'Quebec'. Windows Embedded Standard 7 includes Windows Vista and Windows 7 features such as Aero, SuperFetch, ReadyBoost, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender, address space layout randomization, Windows Presentation Foundation, Silverlight 2, Windows Media Center among several other packages. It is available in IA-32 and x64 variants and was released in 2010. It has a larger minimum footprint (~300 MB) compared to 40 MB of XPe and also requires product activation. Windows Embedded Standard 7 was released on April 27, 2010. Windows Embedded 8 Standard was released on March 20, 2013. IE11 for this edition of Windows 8 was released in April 2019, with support for IE10 ending on January 31, 2020.

For Embedded Systems (FES)

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Windows Embedded Automotive, formerly Microsoft Auto, Windows CE for Automotive, Windows Automotive, and Windows Mobile for Automotive, is an embedded operating system based on Windows CE for use on computer systems in automobiles. The latest release, Windows Embedded Automotive 7 was announced on October 19, 2010.

Embedded Handheld

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January 2014 1.5 GHz
Dual-core 1 GB
2 GB 8 GB
16 GB 5”
720 × 1280 px
1080 × 1920 px 8 MP 1.3 MP September 2015 April 2015 2.26 GHz
Dual-core 2 GB 16 GB 4.3”
480 × 800 px April 2015 4.7”
720 × 1280 px August 2014 2.3 GHz
Quad-core 32 GB 5”
720 × 1280 px 1.3 MP Microsoft. "Windows IoT lifecycle". Retrieved August 4, 2017.

↑ "Windows Embedded Version Overview" (PDF). PROXIS. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

↑ "Soft Real-Time on Windows IoT Enterprise". Microsoft. March 31, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2025.

↑ "Supported operating systems and browsers in Intune". Microsoft. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

↑ "Microsoft Charts Its Road Map for Windows Embedded Business". News Center. Microsoft. April 15, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2012.

1 2 "Windows Embedded". msdn.microsoft.com. June 30, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2017.

↑ Foley, Mary Jo (June 6, 2008). "Windows Embedded 'Quebec' due in 2010". ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2013.

↑ Foley, Mary Jo. "Microsoft makes first of its Windows Embedded 8 releases generally available". ZDNet. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

↑ GitHub-Name. "Lifecycle FAQ – Internet Explorer and Edge – Microsoft Lifecycle". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.

↑ "Microsoft Drives the Future of In-Vehicle Infotainment | News Center". news.microsoft.com. October 19, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

↑ "Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld has been released to manufacturing; SDK is now generally available". Windows Embedded Blog. April 23, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2016.

↑ Foley, Mary Jo (March 20, 2013). "Windows Embedded 8 releases generally available". ZDNet. Retrieved January 19, 2015.