The peerless American defeated Angelique Kerber, the world No 4, 7-5 6-3 to draw level with Steffi Graf's historic milestone.
Williams added a seventh Wimbledon title to her remarkable trophy cabinet, having successfully defended the prize that she won last year too.
Germany's Kerber had already denied Williams a place in the record books during 2016 after a shock win in the Australian Open final, but history wouldn't repeat itself.
Kerber was a game opponent throughout, frequently matching the power and athleticism that has always been the American's trademark.
But the experience told at the conclusion of the opening set. After 11 games had gone with serve, Williams gritted her teeth and secured a vital break to avoid a tie-break.
Williams saved a break point with a brutal ace to go 4-3 ahead in the second set and crucially broke Kerber at the next opportunity before serving out match point, 14 years after her first Wimbledon success.
Williams had previously lost both of this year's Grand Slam finals - in Australia to Kerber and at the French Open to Garbine Muguruza.
The 34-year-old needs two more Wimbledon titles to match Martina Navratilova's Open era record of nine.
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