How Many Lines of Code are There in Windows 11?

The Windows operating system is so huge that you have to wonder what came together to make it look so effortless. As such, it is not surprising that many users want to know exactly how many lines of code are in Windows 11.

If you are also curious about this fact, this guide contains all the information you need plus extras.

What are lines of code?

Lines of code are the source code that makes up a program. A single line of code can sometimes generate just one machine language and can also be more, depending on the instruction and programming language.

The Windows 11 lines of code (source code) contains different programming language like C++, C, some assembly language codes, and a little bit of C# for user mode utilities.

And while Windows 11 lines of code are in the tens of millions range, note that this does not matter. The most important thing here is the efficiency of the code, which no one can deny that the latest OS has.

How many lines of code does Windows 11 have?

There is no official statement from Microsoft on the number of codes present in Windows 11. This is also true for their other operating systems before it.

However, some researchers have shown Windows 11 lines of code to be 60 to 100 million. This range was obtained from inspecting some kernel versions of the operating system and other features.

Note that the number of codes can change with time based on the fixes and some other updates. Also, you should know that the definition of the number of codes varies from one developer to another.

So, some might claim that the lines of code in Windows 11 are about 50 million or 55 million, which is the unofficial range for Windows 10.

It all boils down to the fact that Microsoft did not release an official document for this, just like it didn’t do for the earlier operating systems.

Read more about this topic

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• Microsoft adds a new option in Windows 11 enabling ads in Start Menu
• You can install Windows 11 on smartphones and even play games, thanks to Project Renegade

How many lines of code are there in Windows 10, 8, and 7?

The lines of code in Windows operating systems have been increasing with each version. Right from the days of Windows NT down to Windows 11, we have always witnessed an increase in numbers.

Below are some of Windows’ popular operating systems and their number of codes:

• Windows NT 4.0 (checked in 1996) – 16 million lines of code
• Windows 2000 (2000) – 29 million
• Windows XP (2001) – 35 million
• Windows Vista (2007) – 45 million
• Windows 7 (2009) – 42 million
• Windows 8 (2012) – 50 million
• Windows 10 (2015) – 55 million

Note that the values above are approximated and not from Microsoft. Also, like Windows 11, this increases with different fixes and updates.

Knowing the exact lines of code that make up Windows 11 is virtually impossible till we have an official release from Microsoft. And to be fair, the OS company does not look like releasing that anytime soon.

So, we will have to make do with our approximated values.

If you use your PC for coding, check our detailed guide for the best code-writing software for Windows and Mac.

Feel free to share any reliable information you have on this topic with us in the comments below.