Home windows 11 is Microsoft’s newest desktop working system. Few had been predicting its arrival simply a few years in the past, with Home windows 10 beforehand described as “the final model of Home windows”.
However Microsoft’s angle appeared to vary throughout the pandemic, which left folks around the globe counting on its software program for all the things from distant working to holding in contact with family and friends. A few of these traits are extra everlasting, so the corporate determined it was time for one thing new.
Enter Home windows 11. The brand new OS represents a big design shift, aiming to simplify the person expertise and cut back litter. Many parts are impressed by Windows 10X, the cancelled Home windows 10 spin-off that was designed for touchscreen gadgets.
Each suitable laptop computer has been supplied a free improve, however you don’t must replace till Home windows 10 assist ends in 2025. Nevertheless, nearly each new laptop that’s not a Mac or Chromebook runs Home windows 11 as of late.
Right here’s all the things you have to know the the working system, together with hyperlinks to all of our Home windows 11 protection on the backside of the web page.
What’s Home windows 11 like?
Clearly eager to keep away from upsetting thousands and thousands by making radical adjustments (because it in the end did with Home windows 8), Microsoft has stored the identical fundamental format, albeit with a big redesign. You’ll discover rounded corners in every single place you look and a brand new centrally positioned Begin Menu, though you’ll be able to return the latter to the facet in the event you’d want.
There’s a brand new widgets panel which might present the climate, shares, information and extra, changing the outdated Begin Menu’s Dwell Tiles. You additionally get improved grouping and snapping of open home windows, permitting you to multitask extra successfully.
Home windows 11 on tablets is far improved because of the introduction of gestures and a brand new on-screen keyboard that rather more just like the one in your telephone. You’ll be able to even set up and use Android apps by way of the Amazon Appstore, though a workaround that permits you to use the Google Play Store instead is now not useful.
Nevertheless, whereas there are many visible adjustments, Home windows 11 must be a simple transition from Home windows 10 for most individuals.
When did Home windows 11 come out?
- Preliminary launch date: 5 October 2021
- Greatest replace thus far (22H2): 20 September 2022
Home windows 11 was formally launched on 5 October 2021. However actually, that was simply the date that OEMs (unique gear producers) might start to launch {hardware} operating Home windows 11.
The rollout was gradual, however all suitable gadgets can have been supplied choice to improve from Home windows 10. If that’s not the case for some motive, you’ll be able to download Windows 11 manually or install it using a USB.
New options have been added frequently, however probably the most important new options thus far arrived on 20 September 2022. That’s when the massive 22H2 update arrived earlier than even more new features a month later.
It’s set to be an identical story all through 2023, with a significant February update anticipated to be joined by version 23H2 later within the yr.
How a lot does Home windows 11 value?
- Free improve for eligible PCs
- New {hardware} pricing depending on producer
- USB and obtain hyperlink variations obtainable
Pricing was all the time more likely to be one of many huge questions, however the excellent news is that it’s free for eligible PCs. It will possible proceed for nevertheless lengthy Home windows 11 is supported.
Nevertheless, it’s not so simple as all Home windows 10 gadgets getting Home windows 11. As is defined beneath, Microsoft has up to date the {hardware} necessities for its new OS.
Naturally, upgrading from Home windows 10 isn’t the one solution to get Home windows 11. Loads of new laptops and PCs are already operating the working system out of the field, with extra anticipated for some time. It doesn’t look like having Home windows 11 pre-installed has had any impact on the pricing of those gadgets.
Nevertheless, you can too now purchase Home windows 11 as a standalone working system. The best technique is by way of a obtain hyperlink, which will likely be despatched to you when you full the acquisition:
You should buy it pre-loaded on a USB stick in the event you’d want – that is presently obtainable for Home windows 11 Dwelling ($139/£115.99), however not Professional. At Amazon UK, you’ll be able to even get a disc model for £99.
Wasn’t Home windows 10 the final ever model of Home windows?
That’s what Microsoft stated when it introduced Home windows 10, sure. However apparently it modified its thoughts about that. The corporate might have rolled out these adjustments in a Home windows 10 replace, but it surely selected to not refer again to this assertion throughout the launch occasion and could be hoping its clients have brief recollections.
Curiously, Microsoft did ultimately reference this at its April 2022 hybrid work event. Nevertheless, the corporate described the pandemic as the important thing driver of this variation in technique, including that “how, when and the place we work essentially modified in a single day”.
However after spending a couple of months with Home windows 11, it’s clear not much has really changed beneath the floor.
Will my Home windows 10 PC or laptop computer run Home windows 11?
The minimal {hardware} necessities for Home windows 11 are as follows:
- 1GHz dual-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB of storage
- UEFI, Safe Boot succesful
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
- Graphics card suitable with DirectX 12
- Show bigger than 9in with 720p or greater decision
- Microsoft account + web connection
Unsure in case your gadget is suitable? Microsoft has a free ‘PC Well being Test’ app, designed that can assist you do exactly that. It’s obtainable to obtain from the underside of the main Windows 11 page.
That storage requirement could be SSD-only from 2023, if information storage analysts Trendfocus (by way of Tom’s Hardware) are to be believed. Nevertheless, present Home windows 11 gadgets utilizing HDDs or eMMC storage aren’t anticipated to be affected.
For extra info, take a look at our separate information: Will my PC run Windows 11?
Microsoft doesn’t encourage it, however there may be nonetheless a solution to install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs. Certainly, you’ll in all probability see messages inside Settings and on the desktop warning you that your gadget isn’t suitable. It doesn’t appear to have an effect on efficiency and app compatibility, although.
For any subsequent Home windows 11 updates, no adjustments to gadget compatibility are anticipated.
Home windows 11 trailer
In case you have a spare three minutes, it’s price watching this official introduction video to get a way of what Home windows 11 is all about:
What options does Home windows 11 have?
There are too many to enter a lot of element right here, however listed here are the primary ones you have to find out about.
First, there’s a big visible overhaul. Home windows 10 has maintained an identical feel and look all through its lifespan, however that’s all modified with Home windows 11.
A brand new taskbar strikes icons to the centre, though this will simply be reverted to a extra conventional format. What can’t be modified is among the Windows 10 features that Microsoft removed in Windows 11, however the firm is slowly including again many of those.
The brand-new Begin Menu isn’t notably missing, though its brand-new design actually isn’t for everybody. Actually, this aesthetic is just like what Microsoft teased for the now-cancelled Windows 10X. Right here’s what it seems like with darkish mode enabled:
It contains a grid of customisable ‘Pinned’ icons, with separate ‘All apps’ part for all the things else you’ve got put in. The ‘Really helpful’ heading beneath shows not too long ago used recordsdata, apps and folders – together with from cloud providers equivalent to OneDrive and Microsoft 365 – enabling you to shortly decide up the place you left off, even in the event you final used a special gadget.
Nevertheless, many individuals have been dissatisfied by this, particularly the shortage of customisation capability. You’ll be able to create folders or select the break up between Pinned and Really helpful sections, however that’s about it:
One new function that has gone down properly is the brand new Snap Layouts multitasking performance. Hovering over the maximise button means that you can select the association of apps on the display, as you’ll be able to see beneath.
Widgets haven’t been a serious function of current variations of Home windows, however that’s modified now. The panel slides in from the left, however could be customised to fill the entire display in the event you’d want. It’s designed for fast glances at vital info with out distracting you from what you had been doing earlier than you opened it.
Widgets for the climate and shares are additionally constructed into the taskbar, however these can now be used to set off notifications on the taskbar. The static icon could be changed with a dwell model that makes it clear when the native climate adjustments or how shares you observe have been buying and selling. However there’s no solution to flip these off until you don’t need the shortcut to Widgets in any respect.
Elsewhere, Microsoft Groups’ chat perform is now immediately built-in into Home windows 11, with future updates permitting you to share home windows and toggle mute immediately from the taskbar:
The Groups integration extends to the Edge browser, that means particular person tabs now present up inside Job Supervisor. Edge tabs on the taskbar will even embrace the positioning, icon and subject title, though that is changed by a generic icon throughout personal searching periods.
Many inventory apps have been redesigned, together with File Explorer and the Microsoft Retailer. The latter consists of Android app assist by way of the Amazon Appstore, however you can too use the Epic Video games Retailer in the event you’d want.
Home windows 11 additionally has a brand new Motion Middle, splitting Fast Settings, Notifications and a music controller into separate sections. Its design is impressed by Windows 10X, making it simple to navigate utilizing touchpad, mouse, pen or finger.
Loads of inventory apps have additionally been redesigned to be extra in step with Home windows 11’s new design. They embrace Calculator, Clock, Notepad, Media Participant and File Explorer.
Home windows 11 is only one a part of Microsoft’s prioritisation of accessibility. The Surface Adaptive Kit makes any laptop easier to use, whereas Adaptive Accessories assist people who find themselves unable to make use of a standard mouse and keyboard. Mixed, these instruments could make a giant distinction.
The Microsoft Groups integration has acquired combined critiques, but it surely additionally applies to the Edge browser. It means particular person tabs now present up inside Job Supervisor, with GPU and crash reviews proven too. Tabs on the taskbar will even embrace the positioning, icon and subject title, though that is changed by a generic icon throughout personal searching periods.
Within the Job Supervisor, variations obtainable since February 2022 assist an ‘Eco mode’. This can be utilized to allocate extra assets to particular apps by setting the precedence of others to ‘low’. This stops resource-intensive apps from consuming an excessive amount of of the CPU or GPU energy, which ought to assist enhance efficiency and battery life.
Microsoft made it a lot more durable to change the default browser when it launched Home windows 11, however the firm principally reversed that call in March 2022. Beginning with model KB50011563, there’ll be an possibility inside Settings to set a browser as your default for HTTP, HTTPS, .HTML and .HTM recordsdata. Nevertheless, you’ll nonetheless want to vary the place PDFs open individually.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The primary important replace for Home windows 11 arrived in February 2022, including a number of new options. They embrace redesigned Notepad and Media Participant apps, new taskbar performance and a public preview of native Android app assist. Nevertheless, the latter requires at least 8GB of RAM and an SSD – that’s stricter than Home windows 11 itself.
Then, in September 2022, Microsoft officially released Home windows 11’s greatest replace thus far. Identified merely because the ‘2022 Replace’, it provides new performance to the Begin menu, Widgets panel and the taskbar. There’s additionally a brand new Dwell Captions accessibility function, higher multitasking by way of Snap Layouts and new touchscreen gestures. However there are lots extra options that it’s price being conscious of – be taught extra in our full guide to the 2022 Update.
In October 2022, much more new options had been added. The long-awaited introduction of tabs in File Explorer was the spotlight, however there are additionally enhancements to the taskbar and new ‘Instructed Actions’ while you spotlight related textual content.
Usually, Home windows and Apple gadgets don’t play properly collectively, however Microsoft is taking steps to enhance it. In November 2022, the corporate confirmed that Home windows 11’s Photographs app now provides direct integration with iCloud Photographs – that means all the pictures out of your iPhone are simply accessible.
Microsoft
Microsoft launched one other important replace in February 2023 – this has possible been referred to as ‘Second 2’ internally, with the corporate considered shifting away from releasing new options solely a few times per yr.
As an official blog post explains, some new options are associated to Microsoft’s heavy funding in AI.
They embrace including a Bing AI button to the search bar on the taskbar, though in actuality this solely acts as a shortcut to the web site. Home windows Studio Results (which helps you to preserve eye contact, add background blur, preserve you centred within the body and isolate your voice) will now be accessible immediately from fast settings menu, however solely a handful of gadgets assist them.
Third-party Widgets will even lastly be supported (albeit simply from Meta and Spotify initially), whereas an official display recording instrument will keep away from the necessity to go by way of the Xbox Recreation Bar.
Microsoft
Then there’s enhancements to the Home windows 11 pill expertise, which was already good enough to replace your iPad. Detaching the keyboard from a 2-in-1 device will see an automated shift to a simplified taskbar that’s designed for contact enter.
Elsewhere, Microsoft has created a model of its Cellphone Hyperlink companion app that works with iOS, plus simple hotspot and up to date web site entry in case you have a Samsung telephone. The Microsoft Groups shortcut within the taskbar has additionally been revamped.
Microsoft
What new options are coming to Home windows 11?
It now seems like Home windows 11 will likely be getting a 23H2 feature update in late 2023 – it beforehand wasn’t clear. However Zac Bowden at Windows Central says 23H2 “received’t be a serious platform launch, with Microsoft shifting to ‘Second’ updates a number of instances a yr.
Second 2 has now arrived, however Bowden says Second 3 ought to arrive in Could/June earlier than Second 4 (possible the 23H2 replace) in September/October.
Bowden believes we’ll see Second 2 in February/March, Second 3 in Could/June and Second 4 (23H2) in September/October.
All the following options are nonetheless anticipated in 2023:
- Pill-mode Taskbar
- System Tray updates
- Extra search bar choices
- Search in Job Supervisor
A January 2023 Windows Central article additionally suggests File Explorer will likely be getting an overhaul quickly, constructing on the tabs that had been added in 2022. Windows Latest believes we’ll see app folders on the desktop – just like what you’ll discover within the Begin menu – fairly than simply ones from File Explorer sooner or later.
Home windows 11’s wonderful Dwell Captions function, which might captain any audio taking part in on any Home windows 11 app, is testing new languages. It initially solely supported English, however a February 2023 test build suggests Chinese language (Simplified and Conventional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and different English dialects are on the best way too.
In one other take a look at construct, the choice to finish a particular activity by right-clicking the icon within the taskbar is seemingly being examined. This would supply Job Supervisor-like performance, avoiding the necessity to open the instrument every time.
In Home windows 11 preview builds, two Home windows 10 taskbar options look set for a return. The flexibility to ungroup app icons (generally referred to as ‘by no means mix’) and add app labels to the taskbar have each been noticed:
Elsewhere, Microsoft’s partnership with ChatGPT house owners OpenAI and inclusion of the tech in its Bing search engine and Edge browser has acquired loads of consideration. There are a number of ways AI could change the next version of Windows, but it surely seems like new AI-based options will even be coming to Home windows 11 quickly.
In response to one other Zac Bowden Windows Central article, Home windows 11’s Snap Layouts multitasking function may very well be up to date with saved layouts, offering an overlay of apps every time you hover over the maximise (or minimise) button. This is able to considerably cut back the time it duties to begin utilizing apps facet by facet.
Home windows Central
The identical article additionally suggests OCR (Optical Character Recognition) know-how will likely be added to Home windows 11, permitting you to seek out phrases, phrases or pictures (from the net or a particular app) with out it being talked about in its title. Nevertheless, as is usually the case, it’s not clear when these options will arrive and there’s no assure they ever will.
Wanting additional forward, Windows 12 could also be launched as quickly as 2024.
We mentioned Home windows 11 at launch on episode 86 of Fast Charge, our podcast:
Tech Advisor’s information to Home windows 11
We now have loads of Home windows 11 protection on the positioning, answering all the important thing questions on Microsoft’s newest working system.
The fundamentals
Tutorials
Information
Look out for lots extra Home windows 11 protection within the coming weeks and months.