Who Owns Microsoft?
Microsoft (MSFT) is a publicly traded company, listed on the Nasdaq Exchange, and owned by its shareholders. These shareholders comprise of a mixture of both institutional and individual investors. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the largest Microsoft shareholders and explain how you can become one yourself.
Key Takeaways:
- Institutional investors own approximately 76% of Microsoft shares.
- Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index Fund owns the most Microsoft stock of any fund.
- Current CEO Satya Nadella owns roughly 0.012% of outstanding Microsoft shares.
The information in this article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Who Owns Microsoft?
So, who owns Microsoft in 2026? Microsoft is owned by a mixture of institutional and individual investors. In the following sections, we’ll highlight the largest institutional shareholders, the top fund holders, and the largest individual shareholders.
For each shareholder, we will outline:
- The number of shares held, according to the most recent disclosures.
- The market value of the holding, calculated as of 16 January 2026.
- The percentage of the stake relative to outstanding MSFT shares.
Largest Institutional Microsoft Shareholders
Institutional investors own approximately 76% of Microsoft’s outstanding shares, let’s take a look at the top five of these shareholders.
1. The Vanguard Group
- Number of shares held: 701,986,682 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $323 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 9.4%
The Vanguard Group was formed in 1975 and is one of the largest asset managers in the world. Its founder, John Bogle, is the man credited with popularising index funds, which remain the company’s main focus.
Along with the next two entries on our list, BlackRock and State Street, Vanguard is considered one of the “Big Three” index fund managers.
2. BlackRock Inc.
- Number of shares held: 590,934,892 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $272 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 8.0%
BlackRock was founded in 1988 and is the largest asset manager in the world in terms of assets under management. It is responsible for managing the iShares group of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).
3. State Street Global Advisors
- Number of shares held: 299,761,678 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $138 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 4.0%
State Street Global Advisors was founded in 1978, as the asset management division of State Street Corporation.
Another of the Big Three index fund managers, State Street is responsible for inventing the ETF in 1993, with the introduction of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust. SPDR is an acronym for Standard & Poor’s Depositary Receipts, which was the former name of this ETF, but is now used as prefix for the company’s funds.
4. Fidelity (FMR LLC)
- Number of shares held: 210,487,489 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $97 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 2.8%
Founded in 1946, Fidelity is a financial services company which provides a wide range of services, including a brokerage, investment advice, life insurance and fund management.
5. Geode Capital Management
- Number of shares held: 180,707,258 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $83 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 2.4%
Geode Capital Management is a US investment firm which was originally set up by Fidelity Investments in 2001. The company was subsequently spun off from Fidelity in 2003; however, the two remain closely linked.
Top Fund Holders
In this section, we will take a look at the mutual funds and ETFs which own the most shares in Microsoft.
Given the index’s popularity amongst investors, this list is dominated by funds which track the S&P 500 stock index, of which Microsoft is currently the third largest constituent company.
1. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
- Number of shares held: 233,480,536 (as of 31 December 2025)
- Market value of stake: $107 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 3.1%
The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund was created in 1992 and is designed to provide investors with exposure to the entire US stock market.
2. Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund
- Number of shares held: 188,164,746 (as of 31 December 2025)
- Market value of stake: $86 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 2.5%
As the name suggests, this fund is designed to track the S&P 500 stock index, which is composed of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the US.
3. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF
- Number of shares held: 95,823,494 (as of 16 January 2026)
- Market value of stake: $44 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 1.3%
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, managed by BlackRock, is an ETF which tracks the performance of the S&P 500.
4. Fidelity 500 Index Fund
- Number of shares held: 93,873,937 (as of 28 November 2025)
- Market value of stake: $43 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 1.3%
The Fidelity 500 Index also tracks the S&P 500 Index and is one of the cheapest ETFs available to US investors, charging a total expense ratio of around 0.015%.
5. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
- Number of shares held: 90,011,733 (as of 15 January 2026)
- Market value of stake: $41 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 1.2%
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust tracks – yes, you’ve guessed it – the S&P 500 index. As mentioned earlier, this is actually the world’s first ever ETF and remains one of the most popular.
Largest Individual Microsoft Shareholders
This is a more difficult question to answer, as there is less publicly available information regarding individual shareholders.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) only requires that company insiders and those that own more than 5% of a company’s stock disclose their stake publicly.
Consequently, it’s possible that there are individual shareholders who own significant stakes in Microsoft but remain unknown publicly due to not being an insider and not owning more than 5% of outstanding shares.
That being the case, it’s not possible to create a definitive list of the top individual investors who own Microsoft stock. Therefore, the following list is limited to company insiders, past and present.
1. Steve Ballmer
- Number of shares held: 333,254,734 (as of September 2014)
- Market value of stake: $153 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 4.5%
Steve Ballmer originally joined Microsoft in 1980 and served as the company’s CEO between 2000 and 2014.
Ballmer retired in 2014 and has not been required to disclose his stake since then, due to no longer being a company insider and owning less than 5% of the company. However, his last disclosure, in September 2014, revealed that Ballmer held more than 333 million shares in Microsoft.
2. Bill Gates
- Number of shares held: 102,992,934 (as of October 2019)
- Market value of stake: $47 billion
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 1.4%
As with Steve Ballmer, it’s uncertain exactly how many shares Bill Gates currently owns, as he is no longer required to disclose his shareholding.
However, according to a disclosure in October 2019, a few months before he resigned from the Microsoft board, Bill Gates owned approximately 103 million shares of Microsoft stock.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Gates has subsequently donated a significant number of these shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, although exactly how many is unclear.
3. Satya Nadella
- Number of shares held: 900,572 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $414 million
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 0.01%
Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992, holding various positions throughout the company, before taking over the role of CEO after Ballmer’s retirement in 2014. He remains CEO at the time of writing.
4. Amy E. Hood
- Number of shares held: 465,746 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $214 million
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 0.006%
Amy Hood joined Microsoft in 2002 and became the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2013.
5. Bradford L. Smith
- Number of shares held: 402,131 (as of 30 September 2025)
- Market value of stake: $185 million
- Percent of total MSFT shares: 0.005%
Bradford Smith joined Microsoft in 1993, becoming president in 2015 and vice chairman in 2021.
How to Become a Microsoft Shareholder
Thinking about joining the list of investors who own Microsoft shares? Here’s how you can get started:
- Open an investing account with a broker which offers access to the US stock market, such as Admiral Markets.
- Log in to your account and open the share dealing platform.
- Search for MSFT shares and open the instrument page.
- Create an order ticket, enter the desired number of shares and send your order to the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the largest shareholder of Microsoft?
Vanguard is the largest shareholder of Microsoft, holding almost 702 million shares in the company at the time of writing.
Does Bill Gates still own Microsoft?
Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft but he does not own the company. At the time Microsoft went public, Gates reportedly held a 49% stake in the company. However, over the years, he has gradually sold or donated the majority of his shares.
Who is the CEO of Microsoft?
Satya Nadella is the current CEO of Microsoft, having succeeded Steve Ballmer in 2014.
Is Warren Buffett invested in Microsoft?
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway does not currently hold any Microsoft shares in its portfolio.
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