Yesterday, Microsoft Announced Windows 11 will start to become available on October 5, 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will start to become available for purchase.
Here are 11 highlights of this release
- A Major redesign of the desktop
- With Start, we’ve put you and your content at the center. Start utilizes the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what device you were viewing them on.
- Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops provide an even more powerful way to multitask and optimize your screen real estate.
- Microsoft Teams is directly integrated in to Windows
- Widgets, Like active tiles but separated from the start menu. It will be interesting to see if they take off.
- Windows 11 will focus more on gaming support
- A new Microsoft Store rebuilt and hopefully will add Android apps to Windows 11 someday soon.
- New accessibility improvements
- Windows 11 is optimized for speed, efficiency and improved experiences with touch, digital pen and voice input.
The free upgrade to Windows 11 starts on October 5 and will be phased and measured with a focus on quality. Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience. That means the newest eligible devices will get it first. The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. Most will be offered the free upgrade by mid-2022. If you have a Windows 10 PC that’s eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know when it’s available. You can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for your device by going to Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates*.
Rolling out the free upgrade to Windows 11
Microsoft will start the the free upgrade starts on October 5 and will be phased and measured with a focus on quality. With our tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience. That means new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first. The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.
If you have a Windows 10 PC that’s eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know when it’s available.
You can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for your device by going to Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates. Geeks.Online Subscription customers can expect full support during this process.
Microsoft will continue support for Windows 10 until Oct 14, 2025.