A better desktop. Windows 7 gets you around your PC faster than ever. The taskbar has bigger buttons and full-sized previews—and you can pin programs to it for one-click access. Jump Lists provide shortcuts to files, folders, and websites. And Snap, Peek, and Shake give you easy (and fun) new ways to juggle all those open windows.

Smarter search. Type in the Start menu search box, and you'll see results instantly, grouped by category—documents, pictures, music, e‑mail, and programs. Search in a folder or library, and you can fine-tune your search with filters like date or file type—and use the preview pane to peek at the contents of your results.

Easy sharing with Home Group. Sharing files and printers on your home network should be simple. With HomeGroup, it finally is. Connect two or more PCs running Windows 7, and with a minimum of fuss you can start sharing music, pictures, videos, and documents with other people in your home.

Built for speed. Windows 7 has key performance improvements to take up less memory and run background services only when you need them. It's designed to run your programs faster and to sleep, resume, and reconnect to wireless networks quicker. And with 64-bit support, you can take full advantage of the latest in powerful 64-bit PCs.

Better wireless networking. Connecting to wireless networks on your laptop—formerly a bit of a hassle—now takes just a couple of clicks. Choose from the list of available networks in the taskbar, click one, and then connect. Once you've connected to a network, Windows will remember it so you can connect again later automatically.

Windows Touch. Use your fingers to browse the web, flip through photos, and open files and folders on a touchscreen PC—for the first time, Windows includes true multitouch technology. With gestures for zooming, rotating, and even right-clicking, it's a whole new way to work with your PC.

Plays well with devices. Device Stage, a new feature in Windows 7, works like a home page for things like portable music players, smartphones, and printers. When you plug a compatible device into your PC, you'll see a menu with information and popular tasks like battery life, how many photos are ready to be downloaded, and printing options.

Media streaming. With new features in Windows Media Player 12, you can enjoy your media library around the house—or around town. Play To lets you stream music, videos, and photos from your PC to your stereo or TV (you may need additional hardware). And with Remote Media Streaming, you can even stream media over the Internet from one computer running Windows 7 to another that's miles away.

Your PC, your style. You can customize the look and feel of Windows 7 to reflect your personality—then change it as often as you please. Download free themes, desktop backgrounds (which can now display slide shows), and desktop gadgets from the Personalization Gallery and make Windows your own.