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What If You Invested $1,000 in Microsoft (MSFT)?

Enter any amount and start date. We use historical prices to show your hypothetical return.

Historical extremes

What if you bought at the best or worst time? Check max profit, max drawdown, and total return since IPO.

Max profit

+982,443%

(9,825 times)

Buy
Mar 24, 1986
$0.05
Sell
Oct 28, 2025
$539.82

Buying MSFT at the best price and selling at the peak would have turned $1,000 into $9,825,433.02.

Max drawdown

69.35%

(fell to 31% of peak)

Peak
Dec 27, 1999
$36.25
Trough
Mar 9, 2009
$11.11

A $1,000 investment in MSFT at the peak would have shrunk to $306.48 at the trough.

Return since IPO

+717,293%

(7,173 times)

IPO
Mar 13, 1986
$0.06
Current
Apr 29, 2026
$424.46

A $1,000 investment in MSFT at IPO would be worth $7,173,931.41 today.

Frequently asked questions

What is Microsoft (MSFT) stock's all-time high (ATH) and all-time low (ATL)?

Microsoft (MSFT) stock's all-time low (ATL) was $0.05 on Mar 24, 1986. The all-time high (ATH) was $539.82 on Oct 28, 2025.

What if you invested $1,000 in Microsoft (MSFT) stock for maximum profit?

Buying Microsoft (MSFT) stock at the best price ($0.05 on Mar 24, 1986) and selling at the peak ($539.82 on Oct 28, 2025) would have turned $1,000 into $9,825,433.02. Historical return: +982,443.30% (9,825 times).

What are Microsoft (MSFT)'s best buy and sell dates for maximum profit?

The best buy date for Microsoft (MSFT) stock was Mar 24, 1986 at $0.05. The best sell date was Oct 28, 2025 at $539.82. This investment would have returned +982,443.30% (9,825 times).

What was Microsoft (MSFT) stock's maximum drawdown?

Microsoft (MSFT) stock's worst decline was 69.35% (fell to 31% of peak) from peak to trough. Peak: $36.25 on Dec 27, 1999. Trough: $11.11 on Mar 9, 2009. A $1,000 investment at the peak would have been worth $306.48 at the trough.

What if you bought Microsoft (MSFT) stock at IPO?

A $1,000 investment in Microsoft (MSFT) stock at IPO ($0.06 on Mar 13, 1986) would be worth $7,173,931.41 today. Historical return: +717,293.14% (7,173 times). Current stock price: $424.46 as of Apr 29, 2026.

What if you invested $1,000 in Microsoft (MSFT) 5 years ago?

A $1,000 investment in Microsoft (MSFT) stock 5 years ago ($242.29 on Apr 29, 2021) would be worth $1,751.87 today. Historical return: +75.19% (1.75 times). Current stock price: $424.46 as of Apr 29, 2026.

What if you invested $1,000 in Microsoft (MSFT) 10 years ago?

A $1,000 investment in Microsoft (MSFT) stock 10 years ago ($43.87 on Apr 29, 2016) would be worth $9,675.4 today. Historical return: +867.54% (9.67 times). Current stock price: $424.46 as of Apr 29, 2026.

What if you invested $1,000 in Microsoft (MSFT) 20 years ago?

A $1,000 investment in Microsoft (MSFT) stock 20 years ago ($16.84 on Apr 28, 2006) would be worth $25,205.46 today. Historical return: +2,420.55% (25.2 times). Current stock price: $424.46 as of Apr 29, 2026.

Data & methodology

How does the investment calculator work?

Enter an investment amount and a start date. We use historical stock prices to calculate how many shares you would have bought, then apply the current price to show your hypothetical portfolio value and return.

What are Historical extremes?

Max profit: the best buy and sell dates that maximize percentage return. Max drawdown: the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. Return since IPO: total return from IPO date to the latest price.

What is Max drawdown?

Maximum drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. It shows the worst drop from any prior high to a subsequent low. Peak and Trough are the dates and prices at which this decline occurred.

Does this include dividends?

The calculator uses adjusted closing prices when available, which account for stock splits and dividends. For the most accurate results, we recommend using data that includes dividend adjustments.

Where does the price data come from?

Historical prices are dividend-adjusted closing prices from our data provider. The calculator and Historical extremes use the same data source for consistent results.

How are the dollar amounts in the cards calculated?

The dollar amounts in Historical extremes use the investment amount you select in the calculator above (e.g. $1,000). They show what your investment would have been worth at the Buy/Peak/IPO date versus the Sell/Trough/Current date.

What date range can I use?

The available date range depends on our historical price data for MSFT. You can select any date between our first and most recent data point.