A comprehensive electronic encyclopedia, Microsoft Encarta was first released in 1993. Microsoft Encarta contained a wealth of information on an abundance of topics. It proved to be a very useful study aid and learning aid for students, individuals and businesses. Microsoft Encarta was available in a number of different forms, and was available in an array of languages such as German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese. Microsoft Encarta has since been discontinued, with the final version released in 2009.
Microsoft discontinued Encarta, and released the final version in 2009. When it was active, it was available in disc and online form. The online version remained for a period even after the discs were discontinued. Over 50,000 articles of information were included in the standard edition of Microsoft Encarta. They included images, videos and sound clips, and the premium edition contained over 62,000 articles, along with over 25,000 images and over 300 videos. Also included in Encarta was an interactive Atlas, where users could view information from nearly 2 million different locations. The later versions of the Microsoft Encarta electronic encyclopedia included more complex multimedia content and a wide range of other features.