Windows 11 information

Windows 11
Version of the Windows NT operating system
	Screenshot showing the new Start menu and centered taskbar, with the Search box open
Developer	Microsoft
Written in	C, C++, C#, Rust, assembly language;
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Source model	Closed-source; Source-available (through Shared Source Initiative); Some components open source;
General; availability	October 5, 2021; 2 years ago
Latest release	23H2 (10.0.22631.3527) (April 23, 2024; 4 days ago) [±]
Latest preview	Release Preview Channel 23H2 (10.0.22631.3527) (April 23, 2024; 4 days ago) [±] Beta Channel 23H2 (10.0.22635.3566) (April 26, 2024; 1 day ago) [±] Dev Channel 24H2 (10.0.26100.268) (April 26, 2024; 1 day ago) [±] Canary Channel 10.0.26200.5001 (April 19, 2024; 8 days ago) [±]
Marketing target	Personal computing
Available in	88 languages
	List of languages Afrikaans - Afrikaans; Azərbaycan - Azerbaijani; Bosanski - Bosnian; Català (Espanya, valencià) - Catalan (Spain, Valencian); Català (Espanya) - Catalan (Spain); Čeština - Czech; Cymraeg - Welsh; Dansk - Danish; Deutsch - German; Eesti - Estonian; English (United Kingdom) - English (United Kingdom); English (United States) - English (United States); Español (España) - Spanish (Spain); Español (México) - Spanish (Mexico); Euskara - Basque; Filipino - Filipino; Français (Canada) - French (Canada); Français (France) - French (France); Gaeilge - Irish; Gàidhlig - Scottish Gaelic; Galego - Galician; Hrvatski - Croatian; Indonesia - Indonesian; Íslenska - Icelandic; Italiano - Italian; Latviešu - Latvian; Lëtzebuergesch - Luxembourgish; Lietuvių - Lithuanian; Magyar - Hungarian; Malti - Maltese; Māori - Maori; Melayu - Malay; Nederlands - Dutch; Norsk bokmål - Norwegian Bokmål; Norsk nynorsk - Norwegian Nynorsk; O‘zbek - Uzbek; Polski - Polish; Português (Brasil) - Portuguese (Brazil); Português (Portugal) - Portuguese (Portugal); Română - Romanian; Runasimi - Quechua; Shqip - Albanian; Slovenčina - Slovak; Slovenščina - Slovenian; Srpski - Serbian (Latin); Suomi - Finnish; Svenska - Swedish; Tiếng Việt - Vietnamese; Türkçe - Turkish; Ελληνικά - Greek; Беларуская - Belarusian; Български - Bulgarian; Қазақ тілі - Kazakh; Македонски - Macedonian; Русский - Russian; Српски (ћирилица, Босна и Херцеговина) - Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia & Herzegovina); Српски (ћирилица, Србија) - Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia); Татар - Tatar; Українська - Ukrainian; ქართული - Georgian; Հայերեն - Armenian; עברית - Hebrew; ئۇيغۇرچە - Uyghur; اردو - Urdu; العربية - Arabic; فارسی - Persian; አማርኛ - Amharic; कोंकणी - Konkani; नेपाली - Nepali; मराठी - Marathi; हिन्दी - Hindi; অসমীয়া - Assamese; বাংলা - Bangla; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Punjabi; ગુજરાતી - Gujarati; ଓଡ଼ିଆ - Odia; தமிழ் - Tamil; తెలుగు - Telugu; ಕನ್ನಡ - Kannada; മലയാളം - Malayalam; ไทย - Thai; ລາວ - Lao; ខ្មែរ - Khmer; ᏣᎳᎩ - Cherokee; 한국어 - Korean; 中文 (简体) - Chinese (Simplified); 中文 (繁體) - Chinese (Traditional); 日本語 - Japanese;
Update method	Windows Update; Windows Server Update Services (WSUS);
Package manager	.exe, APPX, appxbundle and APK-based (deprecated in March 2024, scheduled for removal in March 2025)
Platforms	x86-64, ARMv8.1
Kernel type	Hybrid (Windows NT kernel)
Userland	Native API; Windows API; .NET Framework; Universal Windows Platform; Windows Subsystem for Android; Windows Subsystem for Linux
Default; user interface	Windows shell (graphical)
Preceded by	Windows 10 (2015)
Official website	www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-11
Support status
	See § Versions for more details.

Windows 11 is the latest major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released on October 5, 2021. It succeeded Windows 10 (2015) and is available for free for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 system requirements.

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. Internet Explorer (IE) has been replaced by the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge as the default web browser, like its predecessor, Windows 10, and Microsoft Teams is integrated into the Windows shell. Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via the Microsoft Store and to support Android apps on Windows 11 (including a partnership with Amazon to make its app store available for the function).

Citing security considerations, the system requirements for Windows 11 were increased over Windows 10. Microsoft only officially supports the operating system on devices using an eighth-generation Intel Core CPU or newer (with some minor exceptions), a second-generation AMD Ryzen CPU or newer, or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 ARM system-on-chip or newer, with UEFI and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 supported and enabled (although Microsoft may provide exceptions to the TPM 2.0 requirement for OEMs). While the OS can be installed on devices with unsupported processors, Microsoft does not guarantee the availability of updates. Windows 11 removed support for 32-bit x86 and ARM CPUs, and devices that use BIOS firmware.

Windows 11 has received a mostly positive reception. Pre-release coverage of the operating system focused on its stricter hardware requirements, with discussions over whether they were legitimately intended to improve the security of Windows or as a ploy to upsell customers to newer devices and over the e-waste associated with the changes. Upon release, it was praised for its improved visual design, window management, and stronger focus on security, but was criticized for various modifications to aspects of its user interface that were seen as worse than its predecessor; some were seen as an attempt to dissuade users from switching to competing applications.^[18]

As of March 2024^[update], Windows 11, at 26% worldwide,^[19] is the second most popular Windows version in use, with its predecessor Windows 10 at 2.5 times the market share. Windows 11 has an estimated 19.75% share of all PCs (the rest being other Windows editions and other operating systems such as macOS and Linux), and an estimated 7.8% share of all devices (including mobile, tablet and console)^[20] are running Windows 11.

To comply with the Digital Markets Act, Microsoft is allowing users in the European Union to remove the Edge browser, Bing search engine, and advertisements to comply with users' interests.^[21]^[22]^[23]

^ Warren, Tom (June 15, 2021). "Windows 11 leak reveals new UI, Start menu, and more". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ Poloboc, Alexandru (May 11, 2023). "Rust is now up and running in Windows 11 kernel". Windows Report. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
^ Claburn, Thomas (April 27, 2023). "Microsoft is busy rewriting core Windows code in memory-safe Rust". The Register. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
^ Tung, Liam. "Programming language tools: Windows gets versatile new open-source terminal". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
^ "Microsoft is open-sourcing Windows Calculator on GitHub". ZDNet. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
^ "GitHub – microsoft/Windows-Driver-Frameworks". GitHub. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
^ "windows forms". Microsoft. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
^ Panay, Panos (October 4, 2021). "Windows 11: A new era for the PC begins today". Windows Experience Blog. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ "April 23, 2024—KB5036980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
^ "Releasing Windows 11 Builds 22621.3520 and 22631.3520 to the Release Preview Channel". Windows Insider Blog. April 11, 2024.
^ "April 23, 2024—KB5036980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3566 (Beta Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. April 26, 2024.
^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100 (Canary and Dev Channels)". Windows Insider Blog. April 3, 2024.
^ "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200 (Canary Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. April 19, 2024.
^ "Available Language Packs for Windows 11". Microsoft Learn. January 7, 2022.
^ "Language Packs for Windows 11". Microsoft Support.
^ "Windows 11 Minimum Hardware Requirements" (PDF). Microsoft. June 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
^ Warren, Tom (August 18, 2021). "Microsoft is making it harder to switch default browsers in Windows 11". The Verge. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
^ "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
^ "Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
^ No Bing, no Edge, no upselling: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
^ The EU will finally free Windows users from Bing
^ Microsoft will let users uninstall Edge, Bing, and disable ads on Windows 11 as it complies with the Digital Markets Act

[1] Warren, Tom (June 15, 2021). "Windows 11 leak reveals new UI, Start menu, and more". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.

[2] Poloboc, Alexandru (May 11, 2023). "Rust is now up and running in Windows 11 kernel". Windows Report. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

[3] Claburn, Thomas (April 27, 2023). "Microsoft is busy rewriting core Windows code in memory-safe Rust". The Register. Retrieved July 5, 2023.

[4] Tung, Liam. "Programming language tools: Windows gets versatile new open-source terminal". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.

[5] "Microsoft is open-sourcing Windows Calculator on GitHub". ZDNet. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2020.

[6] "GitHub – microsoft/Windows-Driver-Frameworks". GitHub. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2020.

[7] "windows forms". Microsoft. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.

[win11release-8] Panay, Panos (October 4, 2021). "Windows 11: A new era for the PC begins today". Windows Experience Blog. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[9] "April 23, 2024—KB5036980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.

[10] "Releasing Windows 11 Builds 22621.3520 and 22631.3520 to the Release Preview Channel". Windows Insider Blog. April 11, 2024.

[11] "April 23, 2024—KB5036980 (OS Builds 22621.3527 and 22631.3527) Preview". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.

[12] "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3566 (Beta Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. April 26, 2024.

[13] "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26100 (Canary and Dev Channels)". Windows Insider Blog. April 3, 2024.

[14] "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200 (Canary Channel)". Windows Insider Blog. April 19, 2024.

[15] "Available Language Packs for Windows 11". Microsoft Learn. January 7, 2022.

[16] "Language Packs for Windows 11". Microsoft Support.

[17] "Windows 11 Minimum Hardware Requirements" (PDF). Microsoft. June 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2022.

[18] Warren, Tom (August 18, 2021). "Microsoft is making it harder to switch default browsers in Windows 11". The Verge. Retrieved January 10, 2023.

[19] "Desktop Windows Version Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[20] "Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[21] No Bing, no Edge, no upselling: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon

[22] The EU will finally free Windows users from Bing

[23] Microsoft will let users uninstall Edge, Bing, and disable ads on Windows 11 as it complies with the Digital Markets Act

Windows 11 information

and 28 Related for: Windows 11 information

Windows 11

Windows 11 version history

Microsoft Windows

Windows 10 version history

List of Microsoft Windows versions

Internet Explorer 11

Features new to Windows 11

Minecraft

Windows 10

List of features removed in Windows 11

Microsoft Windows version history

Windows 7

Windows Update

Windows key

Windows Media Player

Windows NT

Windows 10 editions

Windows Management Instrumentation

Windows on Windows

Microsoft Paint

11

Outlook for Windows

Windows IoT

Windows Task Scheduler

Windows Media Player 2022

Windows 10X

Windows Subsystem for Linux

Windows Server 2022