Windows 95 was a significant update to Microsoft's Windows operating system, released in 1995. It featured a new graphical user interface, long file names, support for 32-bit applications, and integrated Internet Explorer. Windows 95 improved stability and performance over previous Windows versions by running on top of MS-DOS as an integrated operating system rather than a separate graphical shell. It was a major commercial success and became the most widely used operating system at the time, establishing many interface elements still used in modern versions of Windows.