If you invested $1,000 in Microsoft Windows 10 years ago, how much money would you have now?

Microsoft Windows just hit a major milestone — its 40th birthday.

In 1983, Microsoft released the first version of Windows, an upgrade from their MS-DOS operating system for personal computers that were gaining popularity.

The graphical user interface of Windows had early versions of features we recognize today, such as drop-down menus, the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously, and the use of a mouse to click and open electronic files.

In 1985, the version of Windows that was available for purchase was not as widely used as it is today. It cost $100 and sold only around 500,000 copies, according to Time.

Microsoft reported in May that over a billion people now use Windows.

How much an investment in Microsoft is worth

On March 13, 1986, Microsoft's stock was first made public at a price of $21 per share. By the close of trading that day, the stock had increased in value to $28 per share.

The stock's price has increased by nearly 13 times, reaching $360.69 on Nov. 9, while shares have risen approximately 50% year to date.

If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft at different points in the past, here's how much your investment would be worth now based on CNBC's calculations using the company's Nov. 9 closing share price of $360.69.

• If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft a year ago, your investment would have grown by approximately 57% and be worth around $1,592 as of Nov. 9.
• If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft five years ago, your investment would have more than tripled in value to $3,408 as of Nov. 9.
• If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft 10 years ago, it would have increased in value by more than 854% to $11,400 as of Nov. 9.

If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft stock when the company went public 37 years ago, your investment would now be worth approximately $5,959,744, according to CNBC's calculations.

Before investing, do your due diligence

It is not accurate to predict a company's future performance based solely on its current standing in the stock market, as share prices can be affected by a range of unforeseeable factors.

Financial experts suggest that instead of selecting individual stocks, most individuals should consider taking a more passive approach, such as investing in an index mutual fund or exchange-traded fund.

Funds that replicate market indices, such as the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of approximately 500 large publicly traded companies, are the type of funds being referred to.

By investing in a basket of stocks, you can easily diversify your portfolio and gain exposure to top-performing companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, all at a low cost.

The S&P 500 has experienced significant growth since 1986, increasing by 1,764% over that period. In the past 12 months, the index has risen by about 13%, while it has grown by approximately 55% since 2018 and 145% since 2013.

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Bill Gates' success is attributed to a "hidden" skill by a psychology expert, which is effective in any field.