Operating Cash Flow
Microsoft Operating Cash Flow increased by 30.5% to $46.68B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 26.0%, from $37.04B to $46.68B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 15.4% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $22.71B | $24.54B | $14.48B | $25.39B | $24.63B | $23.20B | $11.17B | $24.44B | $28.77B | $30.58B | $18.85B | $31.92B | $37.20B | $34.18B | $22.29B | $37.04B | $42.65B | $45.06B | $35.76B | $46.68B |
| QoQ Change | — | +8.1% | -41.0% | +75.3% | -3.0% | -5.8% | -51.8% | +118.8% | +17.7% | +6.3% | -38.4% | +69.3% | +16.5% | -8.1% | -34.8% | +66.2% | +15.1% | +5.7% | -20.6% | +30.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +8.5% | -5.5% | -22.8% | -3.7% | +16.8% | +31.8% | +68.7% | +30.6% | +29.3% | +11.8% | +18.2% | +16.1% | +14.7% | +31.8% | +60.4% | +26.0% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Microsoft's operating cash flow?
- Microsoft (MSFT) reported operating cash flow of $46.68B in Q1 2026.
- How has Microsoft's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Microsoft's operating cash flow increased by 26.0% year-over-year, from $37.04B to $46.68B.
- What is the long-term trend for Microsoft's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Microsoft's operating cash flow has grown at a 15.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $76.74B to $136.16B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.