Microsoft (MSFT) Return Calculator

Over the last 25 years, MSFT has returned about 14.4% a year, compounded, with dividends reinvested. Over 10 years, it's 25.3% a year. Those figures run through November 2026 and leave out taxes and fees. An average like this smooths out large swings, so your own experience could be very different, depending on the dates you bought and sold.

About $95,308, assuming dividends were reinvested and ignoring taxes and fees. That's a total return of 853.1%. The table above shows the same figure for other periods, and the calculator can run any amount and date range. Results use month-end prices, so buying on a different day of the month would change the answer a little.

About $28,674, based on adjusted month-end prices through November 2026. That covers 25 years of price changes and reinvested dividends, before tax. It's easy to look back at a result like this, but much harder to hold through the falls along the way, including the 66.8% drop described above.

In our data, the best full calendar year was 2009, with a return of 60.5%, including reinvested dividends. Calendar-year figures use the last month-end price of each year. The table above lists up to 15 recent years. One strong year can account for a large share of a long-term return, which is why leaving during a downturn can be so costly.

The worst full calendar year in our data was 2000, with a return of -62.8%, including dividends. A drop can also run across calendar years, so the largest fall we measured is 66.8%, from December 1999 to February 2009. Before investing, it's worth asking whether you could hold through a similar fall without selling.

MSFT finished higher in 19 of the 26 full calendar years in our data, or 73% of the time. That doesn't tell you the odds for next year. It's a description of what happened in this period. Markets can go several years without a gain, so the time you plan to stay invested matters a great deal.

Over the last 10 years, MSFT returned 25.3% a year, and SPY, an S&P 500 fund, returned 15.3% a year, so MSFT came out ahead over this period. The result can change with the dates you choose. Use the calculator to run the same dates for both, and remember that a higher return can come with larger swings.

At its 10 years pace of 25.3% a year, money would double in about 3.1 years. The rule of 72 gives a similar answer: 72 divided by the yearly return. That's only arithmetic on past results. The real path won't be smooth, and a future return may look very different.

Yes. We use prices adjusted for splits and dividends, which assumes every dividend was reinvested on its payment date. That's why our figures can run higher than a plain price chart, especially for companies and funds that pay out a lot. They leave out brokerage fees and taxes, and any tax you'd owe on those dividends in a regular account.

In a taxable US account, you owe capital gains tax when you sell the stock at a profit. Holdings kept for more than a year usually qualify for long-term rates of 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income. Dividends are usually taxed in the year you receive them. In a Roth IRA or 401(k), different rules apply. Check IRS guidance or ask a tax professional about your own situation.

We can't say whether it's right for you, and past returns can't answer that alone. Look at what you own already, how long you can leave the money invested and how you'd handle a drop like the 66.8% fall shown above. For a company, you may also want to read its annual report and compare it with its competitors. Nothing here is investment advice.