Windows 11 FAQ: Answers to your most burning questions

Windows 11 is nearly here. Microsoft has formally announced Windows 11, and we’ve already seen it as a leaked build – see page 15.

Every new operating system brings many questions. We’re starting here with the answers we know.

WHAT IS WINDOWS 11?

Windows 11 will be the name of the next major revision to Windows 10, different enough that it justified a new name.

RELEASE DATE

Windows 11 is already available to Windows Insiders. It will be available to the public at large this autumn, or closer to Christmas 2021.

If you’re wondering whether you’ll be able to opt out of Windows 11 – the answer is, surprisingly, yes. Microsoft appears to be placing some substantial hardware requirements on its new OS, and if your PC doesn’t meet them, you won’t be allowed to upgrade. (Don’t worry, you can stay on Windows 10 until Microsoft retires it in 2025.)

PRICE

Some of you may be wondering what Windows 11 will cost. We’d expect the price for a standalone version of the operating system to be around the current price of Windows 10: £120 for Windows 10 Home, and £220 for Windows 10 Pro. But Microsoft says that Windows 11 will be a free upgrade to Windows 10. Remember, it likes to hook people by lowering the price of the operating system, and then trying to sell them on services, such as Microsoft 365 or the Xbox Game Pass.

VERSIONS

Microsoft refers to Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro as different editions of Windows 10, and it’s likely that we’ll see a Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro, too. At one time, we thought it might tap the powers of virtualization to make Windows 10 Pro a true enthusiast operating system. So far, it hasn’t happened.

Microsoft will also release a Windows 11 version of Windows 10 S, called Windows 11 Home in S Mode.

NEW FEATURES

Thanks to our time trying a leaked version of Windows 11 (see page 15), we’ve already seen some major changes to Windows 11 from Windows 10. It starts with a new user interface applied over the top of what still looks a lot like Windows 10. There’s a more compact, centred Taskbar and Start Menu. We also noticed updated icon designs and other visual tweaks.

Microsoft also revealed some major new changes for Windows 11 that we haven’t seen before – see page 9.

WINDOWS 10’S FUTURE

Microsoft has always said that it plans to end support for Windows 10 in 2025, and that’s still the case. If it sees Windows 11 as a replacement for Windows 10, and a free one, we’d expect your PC will upgrade to Windows 11 automatically, whenever Microsoft is ready to deploy the new operating system. What about that Microsoft pledge that Windows 10 would be the “last Windows?” As it turns out, that wasn’t exactly the case. We still believe, however, that the tech giant will keep updating and patching Windows, whatever it’s called. Windows is just Windows.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Microsoft periodically updates the minimum hardware requirements for its operating system. Windows 11’s hardware requirements are the new operating system’s most dramatic change – see page 24. You’ll need at least an 8th-gen Intel Core CPU or Ryzen 2000, and older processors are out of luck. Microsoft is even saying no to its older Surface devices – see page 27.

NEW APPS

So far, we haven’t seen any, but Microsoft may add some later.

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