An earlier client version of Windows and successor to Windows Vista. Introduced in 2009, Windows 7 was superseded by Windows 8 in 2012 and Windows 10 in 2015. Although Microsoft offered Windows 7 users a free upgrade to Windows 10 for an entire year, many people retained Windows 7 because they felt it is a solid operating system. Support ended in January 2020, although there are still many people running Windows 7 (see
Windows 7 ESU). See
Windows 7 versions,
Windows 8 and
Windows 10.
Enhancements to the User Interface
Multitouch capability was added, but compatible touchscreens are required to take advantage of the feature. Windows 7 introduced the "Superbar," a taskbar somewhat like the Dock in the Mac. The Superbar is used to show open applications as well as launch new ones, and icons can be rearranged, whereas they were fixed in previous versions.
Jump Lists and Snap Placement
Jump Lists provide a "most recent file" capability. When an application is open, right clicking its icon in the Superbar displays a list of the last files worked on. Developers can also add Jump Lists to their apps to display commonly used functions. Another improvement was quick window placement. Application windows snap to the top and sides of the screen by just moving them to the edges.
Library Metafolders
Folders and files can be grouped together in a high-level "Library" structure and indexed for fast searches (see
Windows Libraries).