Microsoft has included the game as part of its Windows product line since Windows 3.0, starting from 1990. The game was developed in 1989 by the intern Wes Cherry. The card deck itself was designed by Macintosh pioneer Susan Kare.
Microsoft intended Solitaire "to soothe people intimidated by the operating system." At a time when many users were still unfamiliar with graphical user interfaces, it proved useful in familiarizing them with the use of a mouse, such as the drag-and-drop technique required for moving cards.
According to Microsoft telemetry, Solitaire was among the three most-used Windows programs, and FreeCell was seventh, ahead of Word and Microsoft Excel. Lost business productivity by employees playing Solitaire has become a common concern since it became standard on Microsoft Windows. In 2006, a New York City worker was fired after Mayor Michael Bloomberg saw the Solitaire game on the man's office computer.
In October 2012, along with the release of the Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft released a new version of Solitaire called Microsoft Solitaire Collection. This version, designed by Microsoft Studios and developed by Arkadium, is advertisement-supported and introduced many new features to the game.
Microsoft Solitaire celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 18, 2015. To celebrate this event, Microsoft hosted a Solitaire tournament on the Microsoft campus and broadcast the main event on Twitch.