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Frequently asked questions

Hey, my addition got removed!!

The most likely cause is because you failed to cite your addition with a reliable source, see Wikipedia:Verifiability for the official policy.

This part of the article is really biased towards/against Microsoft!!!

Microsoft is a very old article with lots of discussion; consider re-reading the passage in question over again before getting upset. If there's still a problem, make a note on the talk page and just let it stew for a month or so; this kind of thing is watched by plenty of people.

Where's the criticism?

It's interspersed throughout the article. Do not add a criticism section; it goes against the style guidelines.

Various online sources say Microsoft's IPO peaked at $29.75 and ended the first trading day at $28, including Microsoft itself; however, the article states it peaked at $29.25 and ended at $27.75, what's the deal?

Sources are conflicting on this. We decided to go with the older published sources.

Why is there a history section when there are already 2 separate articles?

Because according to various comments on featured article nominations articles need to be self contained and at least contain a summary, which is what the history section sets out to do.

Why are there so many references, even on stuff that's common sense? It makes the article hard to edit!

It's due to the slightly controversial nature of the subject matter; what's common sense to one person has often been called into question on this article, so everything - literally - is referenced. Unfortunately, it does make the article rather cumbersome to edit. Such is the nature of Wikipedia.

The page size is really large!

This is due to the heavy amount of detailed referencing with templates, as well as inline comments to editors on certain parts of the article. The actual readable prose size should actually be fairly mediocre.

According to WP:LEAD there must be X paragraphs and there is only Y!

Pay attention to the prose size of the article (not the size when you press edit), it isn't that long. WP:LEAD is general guideline and the gist of it is to summarize everything concisely in the article without teasing the reader about every little detail. It is one of the most refined and tightly written parts of the article.

It isn't comprehensive/the article is really short/it looks like a stub!

This is strictly about the company; generally we don't go beyond a general description about its products unless one is a pivotal point in the company's history as this is covered by daughter articles and simply summarized. We focus mostly on the corporate aspect of the company as those generally don't have daughter articles and are taken care of in articles about a company. What this results in is a comprehensive, heavily summarized article that goes into detail about the documented corporate affairs of Microsoft.

There are no bolded names in Key people in the infobox!

This is really arbitrary and has no standard, so we choose the simplest route for now - none at all.

Is there anything that needs particular attention?

Culture needs a restructure, probably having two subsections - user culture and business culture (sources, maybe useful); specific mentions/concerns:
1. "The Culture section seems a bit of a hodge podge - could there be more of a narrative thread?" - From 3rd peer review
2. "I was a bit surprised that there was not more on Microsoft's sort of decline in the recent past Apple is now bigger in terms of market capitalization (heard this on the radio this morning - NPR). Or how Microsoft was at the forefront in the 1990s with lots of software, but has not done as well with things lately (Google, or Zune vs iPod, etc.)." - From 3rd peer review; need more of a general paragraph of this as well as a sentence about apple most likely. See talk page about major edits for info about apple.
3. Needs to mention Microsoft Puzzle Hunt in some fashion with WP:RSs'.
Azure Services Platform wasn't Microsoft's first stab at cloud computing, Microsoft Online Services was - it was supposed to be released in 2006; there is like one blog in 2006 about the beta, but when did it "release"?
General copyediting; it's always nice to have an extra set of eyes for it.

Anything else to keep in mind while editing?

Yes, make sure to follow the Manual of Style as usual, especially in regards to the use of Template:nbsp and numbers. Please remember to only make links that are relevant to the context. Also, remember that this is a stable article for the most part, so take care while editing while still being bold. Finally, avoid using Microsoft itself as a source.

This article is written in American English, which has its own spelling conventions (center, color, defense, realize, traveled) and some terms may be different or absent from other varieties of English. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.

Microsoft is a former featured article. Please see the links under Article milestones below for its original nomination page (for older articles, check the nomination archive) and why it was removed.

This article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on July 11, 2006.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
August 15, 2005	Peer review	Reviewed
October 14, 2005	Peer review	Reviewed
October 17, 2005	Featured article candidate	Promoted
March 30, 2007	Featured article review	Kept
September 22, 2008	Good topic candidate	Not promoted
August 2, 2010	Peer review	Reviewed
July 11, 2014	Featured article review	Demoted
November 24, 2016	Good article nominee	Not listed
A news item involving this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "In the news" column on March 19, 2004.
Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on April 4, 2009, April 4, 2010, April 4, 2012, April 4, 2021, and April 4, 2023.
Current status: Former featured article

This level-4 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to multiple WikiProjects.

Artificial Intelligence

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Microsoft (inactive)

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Microsoft, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.MicrosoftWikipedia:WikiProject MicrosoftTemplate:WikiProject MicrosoftMicrosoft

Computing: Software Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Computing, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of computers, computing, and information technology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ComputingWikipedia:WikiProject ComputingTemplate:WikiProject ComputingComputing
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.
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Internet Mid‑importance

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Technology

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Technology, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of technology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.TechnologyWikipedia:WikiProject TechnologyTemplate:WikiProject TechnologyTechnology

Companies Top‑importance

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Companies, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of companies on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.CompaniesWikipedia:WikiProject CompaniesTemplate:WikiProject Companiescompany

Top This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

WikiProject Companies To-do:

Here are some tasks awaiting attention:

Article requests : Wikipedia:Requested articles/Business and economics/Companies
Assess : Category:Unassessed company articles
Copyedit : Category:Company articles needing attention
Infobox : Category:Company articles needing infoboxes
Maintain : Portal:Companies
Stubs : Help expand stub articles located at Category:Company stubs
Other :
- Tag company articles with the {{portal|Companies}} template
- Tag company talk pages with the {{WikiProject Companies}} project banner
- Answer requests for comments

Organizations Low‑importance

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Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Brands Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Brands, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of brands on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.BrandsWikipedia:WikiProject BrandsTemplate:WikiProject BrandsBrands
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

United States: New Mexico / Washington / Seattle Mid‑importance

	United States portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. Template Usage Articles Requested! Become a Member Project Talk Alerts United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
	New Mexico portal This article is supported by WikiProject New Mexico (assessed as High-importance).
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	This article is supported by WikiProject Washington - Seattle (assessed as Top-importance).

Video games High‑importance

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High

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Summary of Video games WikiProject open tasks:

Summary of Video games WikiProject open tasks

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Merge discussions

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Wiki Education assignment: NAS 348 Global Climate Change

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 January 2026 and 29 April 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): REKfalcon (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Danazzz11 (talk) 20:16, 26 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

"Microslop" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Microslop has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2026 March 2 § Microslop until a consensus is reached. Is la🏳️‍⚧ 12:23, 2 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Terminology in the Microsoft introduction: ‘conglomerate’ vs. ‘technology company

I propose adjusting the wording in the Microsoft introduction. Currently, the article describes Microsoft as a conglomerate. Reliable sources such as Britannica, Bloomberg, and Forbes consistently refer to Microsoft as a multinational technology company. The term conglomerate usually applies to companies operating across unrelated industries (e.g., GE, Samsung), while Microsoft’s activities remain within the broader technology sector (software, cloud, AI, gaming, hardware). For accuracy and neutrality, I suggest replacing conglomerate with multinational technology company in the introduction.^[1]^[2] Adamanttoshk (talk) 12:37, 14 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 22 April 2026

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

At my request can you add the former names to the formerly parameter on the infobox company with the following list?

Micro-Soft (1975–1976)
Microsoft (1976–1981)
Microsoft, Inc. (1981–1986)

Please correct me if I am wrong. ~2026-23271-06 (talk) 14:29, 22 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. Day Creature (talk) 15:47, 22 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Microsoft Corporation", accessed April 2026.
^ Bloomberg Company Profile: Microsoft Corporation, accessed April 2026.

[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Microsoft Corporation", accessed April 2026.

[2] Bloomberg Company Profile: Microsoft Corporation, accessed April 2026.

[1]

[2]