Configuration files included with the installer indicated that it could have been made freely available to owners of genuine licenses of Windows 7 and later.

Leak of developer buildĪ 4GB ISO of the Windows 11 installer for build 21996.1, compiled on according to the build number was leaked on J, after some screenshots were leaked on Chinese website Baidu on the same date. On June 10, Microsoft teased the upcoming release of Windows 11 with a 'slo-fi' video that runs exactly 11 minutes long.

Online support documents that were published (and withdrawn) in early June 2021 indicated that internal testing of 'Windows Sun Valley' was underway at Microsoft. The UI of the project is codenamed 'Sun Valley' and is based on the 21H2 Cobalt development cycle, done in the private, separate co-refresh branch.

Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via Microsoft Store, and to support Android apps on Windows 11 (including a partnership with Amazon to make its app store available for the function). Microsoft Teams is integrated into the shell. Internet Explorer (IE) has been replaced by the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge like its predecessor, Windows 10. Windows 11 features major changes to the Windows shell influenced by the canceled Windows 10X, including a redesigned Start menu, the replacement of its 'live tiles' with a separate ' Widgets' panel on the Taskbar, the ability to create tiled sets of windows that can be minimized and restored from the Taskbar as a group, and new gaming technologies inherited from Xbox Series X and Series S such as Auto HDR and DirectStorage on compatible hardware. Windows 11 became available as a free upgrade to eligible customers on October 5, 2021, more than six years after its predecessor's release date and the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows.

Windows 11 (codenamed Sun Valley) is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft and is the latest major release of the Windows NT family, succeeding Windows 10. 21H2 release supported until October 10, 2023.Įnterprise and educational support through October 8, 2024.

Windows 11 original release date