Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington 98052, U.S.A. MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2003 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN, AS AMENDED, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2013 (THE "ESPP") Prospectus for the employees of certain European Economic Area ("EEA") subsidiaries of Microsoft Corporation, subject to the applicable legislation in each country Pursuant to articles L. 412-1 and L. 621-8 of the Code Monétaire et Financier and its General Regulation, in particular articles 211-1 to 216-1 thereof, the Autorité des marchés financiers has attached visa number 14-333 dated June 26, 2014 onto this prospectus. This prospectus was established by the issuer and incurs the responsibility of its signatories. The visa, pursuant to the provisions of Article L. 621-8-1-I of the Code Monétaire et Financier, was granted after the AMF has verified that the document is complete and comprehensible, and that the information it contains is consistent. The visa represents neither the approval of the worthiness of the operation nor the authentication of the financial and accounting information presented. This prospectus will be made available in printed form to employees of the EEA subsidiaries of Microsoft Corporation based in states in which offerings under the plan listed above are considered public offerings, subject to the applicable legislation in each country, at the respective head offices of their employers. In addition, this prospectus along with summary translations (as applicable) will be posted on Microsoft Corporation’s intranet, and free copies will be available to the employees upon request by contacting the human resources department of their employer. This prospectus, together with the French translation of its summary, will also be available on the website of the AMF, www.amf-france.org. 1273465-v6\NYCDMS NOTE TO THE PROSPECTUS This prospectus, which contains material information concerning Microsoft Corporation, was established pursuant to articles 211-1 to 216-1 of the AMF General Regulation. Pursuant to Article 25 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 809/2004 of 29 April 2004 as amended by Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) No 486/2012 of 30 March 2012, No 862/2012 of 4 June 2012 and No 759/2013 of 30 April 2013 (as so amended, the “Prospectus Regulation”), this prospectus is composed of the following parts in the following order: (1) a table of contents, (2) the summary provided for in Article 5(2) of Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the European Council of 4 November 2003, as amended by Directive 2010/73/EU and Directive 2014/51/EU (as so amended, the “Prospectus Directive”) (Part I constitutes the prospectus summary), (3) the risk factors linked to the issuer and the type of security covered by the issue, and (4) excerpts from Annexes I and III of the Prospectus Regulation which, by application of Articles 3, 4, and 6 of the Prospectus Regulation and question 71 of the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) Q&A,1 are required for this offering of equity securities to employees of Microsoft Corporation and its affiliates. This prospectus also contains supplemental information concerning the ESPP (Part II - Section B) as well as the following documents (Exhibits): - Microsoft Corporation 2003 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended, effective January 1, 2013; and - Current Report on Form 8-K furnished by Microsoft Corporation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 24, 2014. When used in this prospectus, the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and “the Company” mean Microsoft Corporation and its subsidiaries. All references to “$” in this prospectus refer to U.S. dollars. 1 Frequently Asked Questions, Prospectuses: Common positions agreed by ESMA Members 21st updated version – January 2014 (14 January 2014 | ESMA/2014/35). 1273465-v6\NYCDMS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I Constitutes the Prospectus Summary Page COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE FOR PROSPECTUS .................................................................................................. 4 PART I — PROSPECTUS SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 5 SECTION A — INTRODUCTION AND WARNINGS ....................................................................................... 5 SECTION B — ISSUER ................................................................................................................................... 5 SECTION C — SECURITIES .......................................................................................................................... 9 SECTION D — RISKS ................................................................................................................................... 10 SECTION E — OFFER .................................................................................................................................. 11 PART II — PROSPECTUS .......................................................................................................................................... 14 SECTION A — RISK FACTORS .................................................................................................................... 14 I. RISKS RELATED TO MICROSOFT’S BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY .............................................. 14 II. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK............................. 23 SECTION B — SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ESPP ............................................. 24 I. THE OUTLINE ................................................................................................................................. 24 II. ELIGIBILITY .................................................................................................................................... 26 III. DELIVERY AND SALE OF THE SHARES ...................................................................................... 27 IV. RIGHTS RELATED TO THE MICROSOFT SHARES ................................................................ 27 V. STATEMENT OF CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS (AS OF MARCH 31, 2014) .............. 33 VI. MAXIMUM DILUTION AND NET PROCEEDS ........................................................................... 37 VII. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS .............................................................................. 38 VIII. EMPLOYEES .............................................................................................................................. 46 IX. WORKING CAPITAL STATEMENT ............................................................................................ 50 X. SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 51 XI. DOCUMENTS ON DISPLAY ...................................................................................................... 52 XII. TAX CONSEQUENCES ............................................................................................................. 52 EXHIBITS ........................................................................................................................................................ 70 EXHIBIT I MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2003 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN, AS AMENDED EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2013................................................................................. I EXHIBIT II CURRENT REPORT ON FORM 8-K FURNISHED BY MICROSOFT CORPORATION TO THE SEC ON APRIL 24, 2014 ......................................................................... II CROSS-REFERENCE LISTS ......................................................................................................................................... i ANNEX I MINIMUM DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SHARE REGISTRATION DOCUMENT (SCHEDULE) .................................................................................... i ANNEX III MINIMUM DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SHARE SECURITIES NOTE (SCHEDULE) ......................................................................................................................... vi 1273465-v6\NYCDMS 3 COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE FOR PROSPECTUS 1.1 Amy E. Hood, Chief Financial Officer, acting for and on behalf of Microsoft Corporation. 1.2 To my knowledge, after having taken all reasonable measures for this purpose, the information contained in this prospectus fairly reflects the current situation and no material omission has been made. 1.3 Microsoft Corporation has obtained a letter from its independent registered public accounting firm in relation to this prospectus. The independent registered public accounting firm has, in accordance with the professional standards and interpretations applicable in the United States of America pursuant to PCAOB Interim Auditing Standard, AU Section 550 – Other Information in Documents Containing Audited Financial Statements, read the prospectus, including the information pertaining to the financial position and consolidated financial statements of Microsoft Corporation contained in this prospectus. /s/ Amy E. Hood Amy E. Hood Chief Financial Officer of Microsoft Corporation Redmond, Washington, U.S.A., June 25, 2014 1273465-v6\NYCDMS 4 PART I — PROSPECTUS SUMMARY PART I — PROSPECTUS SUMMARY VISA NUMBER 14-333 DATED JUNE 26, 2014 OF THE AMF Summaries are made up of disclosure requirements known as "Elements." These elements are numbered in Sections A – E (A.1 – E.7). This summary contains all the Elements required to be included in a summary for this type of