Home windows 11 is Microsoft’s newest desktop working system. Few have been predicting its arrival at first of 2021, 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 world wide counting on its software program for every part from distant working to preserving in contact with family and friends. A few of these new developments look like everlasting, so the corporate determined it was time for a recent begin.
Home windows 11 represents a giant shift in design, aiming to simplify the consumer expertise and cut back litter. Many components are impressed by Home windows 10X, the cancelled Home windows 10 spin-off designed for touchscreen units. Lately, Microsoft seems intent on making Home windows 11 an incredible OS for a wide range of completely different units and kind components.
All eligible laptops and PCs can now set up Home windows 11, both by way of Settings or downloading it manually. Apart from a Mac or Chromebook, nearly each different 2022 laptop computer runs Home windows 11, so there’s loads of selection.
However regardless of its easy design, there’s loads of completely different components to the Home windows 11, lots of that are value exploring in additional element. This full information goals to reply each query you might need in regards to the OS, linking out to our intensive Home windows 11 protection.
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 primary format, albeit with a big redesign. You’ll additionally 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 for those who’d want.
There’s a brand new widgets panel which may present the climate, shares, information and different issues – seemingly changing the outdated Begin Menu’s dwell tiles – and improved grouping and snapping of open Home windows so you’ll be able to focus extra simply on what you’re attempting to do.
Home windows 11 on tablets is way improved due to the introduction of gestures and a brand new on-screen keyboard that rather more much 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 permits you to use the Google Play Retailer as a substitute.
Nonetheless, whereas there are many visible adjustments, Home windows 11 must be a straightforward transition from Home windows 10 for most individuals.
When did Home windows 11 come out?
- Preliminary launch date: 5 October 2021
- 2022 Replace launched on 20 September 2022
- All appropriate units can improve manually
As Microsoft confirmed a month earlier, Home windows 11 was formally launched on 5 October 2021. However actually, that was simply the date that OEMs (unique tools producers) might start to launch Home windows 11 {hardware}.
Nonetheless, a yr later, you’ll have the ability to obtain the replace on all appropriate units. If it’s not been delivered to your laptop for no matter cause, you’ll be able to obtain Home windows 11 manually or set up it utilizing a USB.
New options have been added regularly, however essentially the most important replace thus far arrived on 20 September 2022. That’s when the massive 22H2 replace was formally launched, though a gradual rollout means it could be some time earlier than your gadget will get it. Much more new options have been then added in October 2022.
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 large questions, however the excellent news is that it’s free for eligible PCs. It will proceed indefinitely, probably all through Home windows 11’s lifespan.
Nonetheless, it’s not so simple as all Home windows 10 units 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 technique to get Home windows 11. Loads of new laptops and PCs are already operating the working system out of the field, with a lot extra on the best way. To this point, it doesn’t appear to be having Home windows 11 pre-installed has affected the asking value.
Nonetheless, it’s also possible to now purchase Home windows 11 as a standalone working system. The best technique is by way of a obtain hyperlink, which shall be despatched to you when you full the acquisition:
You should purchase it pre-loaded on a USB stick for those who’d want – that is at the moment obtainable for Home windows 11 House ($139/£115.99), however not Professional. At Amazon UK, you’ll be able to even get a disc model for £99.
It’s value reiterating that this isn’t vital for most individuals, particularly whereas the free improve from Home windows 10 is accessible.
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, nevertheless it selected to not refer again to this assertion throughout the launch occasion and may be hoping its prospects have brief reminiscences.
Apparently, Microsoft did reference this at its April 2022 hybrid work occasion. Nonetheless, the corporate described the pandemic as the important thing driver of this transformation 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 a lot has actually modified below the floor.
Will my present 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 appropriate with DirectX 12
- Show bigger than 9in with 720p or greater decision
- Microsoft account + web connection
Undecided in case your gadget is appropriate? Microsoft has a free ‘PC Well being Verify’ app, designed that will help you do exactly that. It’s obtainable to obtain from the underside of the most important Home windows 11 web page.
That storage requirement may be SSD-only from 2023, if knowledge storage analysts Trendfocus (by way of Tom’s {Hardware}) are to be believed. Nonetheless, Home windows 11 units utilizing HDDs or eMMC storage aren’t anticipated to be affected.
For extra data, try our separate information:
Will my PC run Home windows 11?
Microsoft doesn’t encourage it, however there may be nonetheless a technique to set up Home windows 11 on unsupported PCs. Certainly, you’ll most likely see messages inside Settings and on the desktop warning you that your gadget isn’t appropriate. It doesn’t appear to have an effect on efficiency and app compatibility, although.
The corporate by chance launched the 22H2 characteristic replace to unsupported Home windows 10 units in June 2022, however that doesn’t make it any much less dangerous. Like earlier than, we’d solely suggest attempting this when you have a spare Home windows 10 gadget mendacity round – not in your main machine.
That replace has now been formally launched, and all present Home windows 11 units are appropriate. Be taught extra in our separate article on methods to set up the 2022 Replace.
Home windows 11 trailer
When you’ve got a spare couple of minutes, it’s value watching this official introduction video to get a way of what Home windows 11 is all about:
What new options does Home windows 11 have?
There are too many to enter numerous element right here, however listed below are the principle ones that you must learn about.
First, there’s a big visible overhaul. Home windows 10 has maintained an analogous feel and look all through its lifespan, however that’s about to vary with Home windows 11.
A brand new taskbar strikes icons to the centre, though this may simply be reverted to a extra conventional format. What can’t be modified is a number of the performance Microsoft eliminated in comparison with the Home windows 10 model, however Microsoft is taking steps to rectify this. The February 2022 replace means the time and date exhibits throughout all exterior screens, whereas drag-and-drop returned within the 22H2 characteristic replace.
The brand-new Begin Menu isn’t essentially missing, though its brand-new design actually isn’t for everybody. Actually, this aesthetic is much like what Microsoft teased for the now-cancelled
Home windows 10X. Right here’s what it appears like with darkish mode enabled:
It incorporates a grid of customisable ‘Pinned’ icons, with separate ‘All apps’ part for every part else you’ve gotten put in. The ‘Advisable’ heading beneath shows just lately used recordsdata, apps and folders – together with from cloud providers corresponding to OneDrive and Microsoft 365 – enabling you to shortly choose up the place you left off, even for those who final used a distinct gadget.
Nonetheless, many individuals have been disenchanted by this, particularly the dearth of customisation capability. Nonetheless, Microsoft has since added the power to decide on the break up between Pinned and Advisable sections. The official screenshots beneath offer you an concept the way it appears:
One new characteristic 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 significant characteristic 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 for those who’d want. It’s designed for fast glances at essential data with out distracting you from what you have 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. As The Verge reviews, the static icons will now get replaced with dwell animations. Which means you’ll get a extra apparent alert that there’s a thunderstorm or your favorite shares are buying and selling downwards for instance. This might be distracting for some folks, however there’s no apparent technique to flip it off because it stands. Microsoft explains extra about Widgets in a assist article.
Elsewhere, Microsoft Groups’ chat operate is now straight built-in into Home windows 11, with future updates permitting you to share home windows and toggle mute straight from the taskbar:
The Groups integration extends to the Edge browser, that means particular person tabs now present up inside Process Supervisor. Edge tabs on the taskbar will even embody the positioning, icon and matter title, though that is changed by a generic icon throughout personal searching classes.
Many inventory apps have been redesigned, together with File Explorer and the Microsoft Retailer. The latter contains Android app assist by way of the Amazon Appstore, however it’s also possible to use the Epic Video games Retailer for those who’d want. There’s no indication the Google Play Retailer shall be added to Home windows 11, however
a workaround means that you can do exactly that.
For those who’d reasonably stick with official providers, Google can also be engaged on a devoted Play Retailer Video games app. That is anticipated to be appropriate with Home windows 11 and Home windows 10 and launched someday earlier than the top of 2022.
Home windows 11 additionally has a brand new Motion Heart, splitting Fast Settings, Notifications and a music controller into separate sections. Its design is impressed by Home 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 line with Home windows 11’s new design. They embody Calculator, Clock, Notepad, Media Participant and File Explorer, with the latter proven beneath:
Home windows 11 is only one a part of Microsoft’s prioritisation of accessibility. The Floor Adaptive Equipment makes any laptop computer simpler to make use of, whereas the brand new Adaptive Equipment assist people who find themselves unable to make use of a conventional mouse and keyboard. Mixed, these instruments could make a giant distinction.
The Microsoft Groups integration has acquired blended critiques, nevertheless it additionally applies to the Edge browser. It means particular person tabs now present up inside Process Supervisor, with GPU and crash reviews proven too. Tabs on the taskbar will even embody the positioning, icon and matter title, though that is changed by a generic icon throughout personal searching classes.
Within the Process 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.
Elsewhere, Home windows 11’s Dynamic Refresh Charge characteristic is now obtainable. On appropriate units (together with Microsoft’s Floor Professional 8 and Floor Laptop computer Studio), this permits panels above 60Hz to routinely regulate their refresh price relying on what you’re doing. It prevents energy from being wasted unnecessarily.
Microsoft made it a lot more durable to vary the default browser when it launched Home windows 11, however the firm largely 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. Nonetheless, you’ll nonetheless want to vary the place PDFs open individually.
The primary important replace for Home windows 11 arrived in February 2022, including a number of new options. They embody redesigned Notepad and Media Participant apps, new taskbar performance and a public preview of native Android app assist. Nonetheless, the latter requires not less than 8GB of RAM and an SSD – that’s stricter than Home windows 11 itself.
Then, in September 2022, Microsoft formally launched Home windows 11’s largest 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 Stay Captions accessibility characteristic, higher multitasking by way of Snap Layouts and new touchscreen gestures. However there are a lot extra options that it’s value being conscious of – be taught extra in our full information to the 2022 Replace.
In October 2022, much more new options have been added. The long-awaited introduction of tabs in File Explorer was the spotlight, however there are additionally enhancements to the taskbar and new ‘Advised Actions’ whenever you spotlight related textual content.
Normally, Home windows and Apple units don’t play properly collectively, however Microsoft is taking steps to enhance it. In November 2022, the corporate confirmed that Home windows 11’s Images app will provide direct integration with iCloud Images – that means all the photographs out of your iPhone are simply accessible.
Microsoft
Persevering with its development of reintroducing Home windows 10 options, Microsoft appears set to deliver extra additions to the Home windows 11 taskbar quickly. In accordance with widespread Twitter leaker Albacore, the power to cease a number of home windows of the identical app from being mixed and add seconds to the displayed time have been each in a current Insider construct:
After all, not all options in testing make their technique to the ultimate model. Nevertheless it appears doubtless that each of those will.
It now appears like Home windows 11 shall be getting a 23H2 characteristic replace in late 2023 – it beforehand wasn’t clear. However Zac Bowden at Home windows Central says 23H2 “gained’t be a significant platform launch, with Microsoft shifting to ‘Second’ updates a number of occasions a yr.
Bowden believes we’ll see Second 2 in February/March, Second 3 in Might/June and Second 4 (23H2) in September/October.
By way of new options, the next are all anticipated in Second 2:
- Pill-mode Taskbar
- System Tray updates
- Extra search bar choices
- Vitality suggestions in Settings
- Search in Process Supervisor
- Full-screen widgets panel
- Studio Results in Fast Settings
- Voice Entry enhancements
Second 3 and past is much less clear as of December 2022, however Bowden expects adjustments to the Home windows Search UI and additional updates to inventory apps and applications. We’ll additionally most likely see new designs for many dialog bins and pop-ups to deliver them consistent with the remainder of Home windows 11.
Trying additional forward, Home windows 12 could also be launched as quickly as 2024.
We mentioned Home windows 11 at launch on episode 86 of Quick Cost, our weekly podcast:
Tech Advisor’s information to Home windows 11
Now we have loads of Home windows 11 protection on the positioning, answering all the important thing questions on Microsoft’s new working system.
The fundamentals
Tutorials
Information
- Why you won’t have the ability to set up Home windows 11’s 22H2 replace proper now
- Home windows 11 provides tabs to the File Explorer
- Don’t set up Home windows 11’s 22H2 replace when you have an Nvidia GPU
- No, your Home windows gadget most likely doesn’t have a virus
- Home windows 11’s newest replace fixes a severe efficiency bug
- Home windows 11’s July safety replace breaks the Begin menu
- Microsoft releases emergency safety updates for Home windows 10 and 11
- Home windows updates can break Wi-Fi, however you must nonetheless set up them
- Microsoft’s newest Home windows patches repair a significant safety flaw
- A yr after it was introduced, Home windows 11 adoption stays sluggish
- Home windows 11 is accessible on unsupported PCs, however you shouldn’t obtain it
- Home windows 11’s newest replace is inflicting but extra points
- Home windows 11’s newest bug is stopping updates from putting in
- Microsoft reveals a bunch of recent options coming to Home windows 11
- Home windows 11’s subsequent replace reduces Blue Display screen of Demise crashes
- Home windows 11 set for brand new Search expertise and File Explorer tabs
- Home windows 11’s newest replace hides the Begin menu, nevertheless it’s not a bug
- Home windows 11 is now put in on nearly 20% of all Home windows units
- Home windows 11’s Android apps want not less than 8GB RAM and an SSD
- Microsoft is testing much more new Home windows 11 options
- Home windows 11’s first large replace brings Android apps to everybody
- Home windows 11’s February replace is already inflicting points
- Home windows 11 will increase market share by 3.5% in only a month
- Home windows 11 set for brand new pill performance and wallpaper stickers
- Microsoft is altering its method to new Home windows 11 options
- Microsoft releases replace to repair Home windows 11 and 10 VPN points
- A key Home windows 11 safety characteristic is inflicting AMD efficiency points
- Home windows now has 1.4 billion customers, however what number of are on Home windows 11?
- Google Play Retailer video games are coming to Home windows in 2022
- Defective Intel audio drivers are inflicting Home windows 11 to crash
- Home windows 11’s native Android app assist is now obtainable to strive
- Microsoft releases patch for AMD-related Home windows 11 efficiency points
- Microsoft is shifting Home windows 11 to annual characteristic updates
- Home windows 11 is right here, however not a lot has actually modified
- Why Home windows 11 feels an excessive amount of like a Home windows 10 characteristic replace
- Why Home windows 11 is quicker than Home windows 10, in keeping with Microsoft
- Home windows 11 arrives on 5 October, however with out Android app assist
- Home windows 11’s new method to the Microsoft Retailer has one main drawback
- Home windows 11 options you will have missed
- Home windows 10 options lacking in Home windows 11
- Home windows 11 will ship operating darkish mode by default
- Home windows 11 is accessible in seven completely different variations
- Home windows 11’s new Microsoft Retailer has made a promising begin
- Home windows 11 House doesn’t work with no Microsoft account
- One UI Watch, Snapdragon 888+ & Android on Home windows 11 | Quick Cost ep. 72
- Why Home windows 11 feels an excessive amount of like a Home windows 10 characteristic replace
There’s a lot extra the place all that got here from. Hold it locked to Tech Advisor for lots extra Home windows 11 protection over the approaching weeks and months.