Microsoft makes Windows 11 available

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Microsoft will make Windows 11 available from Monday. The company is thus starting the phased distribution of the operating system. By mid-2022, every Windows 10 PC that is eligible for Windows 11 should have been offered the upgrade.

Windows 10 users can check via Windows Update whether Microsoft offers Windows 11 as an update from Monday. Installation via the installation assistant or the ISO is also possible from 4 October. The PC Health Check app allows users to pre-check their system’s eligibility.

Microsoft uses the update mechanism that it also deploys for Windows 10 updates. This means that it will be a phased distribution and systems where Microsoft expects the least problems will be the first to go. For example, the company reports that at least new systems that are still supplied with Windows 10 are the first in line for an upgrade. In addition, from Monday, the first systems that are delivered directly with Windows 11 will also be available.

The October 4 release marks the start of the 24-month support period for the Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations- Pro Education editions. That period is 36 months for the Enterprise and Education editions. Administrators can use Endpoint Manager to check their organizations’ readiness for the transition, then initiate upgrades through Windows Server Update Services, Windows Update for Business, and the Volume Licensing Service Center.

Windows 11 21H2, as the version is called in full, contains many innovations compared to Windows 10. For example, the start menu has been placed in the middle instead of the left and it no longer shows Live Tiles. Snap Layouts and Groups allow users to quickly position windows in a half or corner of the screen. Skype has been replaced by Teams as a communication tool and there is a view with widgets that can show personalized feeds. Also new are Auto HDR, to offer SDR games an HDR display when using a supported monitor, and the DirectStorage storage API, which should provide an acceleration of loading times. The announced arrival of Android apps in the Microsoft Store will come at a later time.

  • You can read more about the installation in the article Upgrading to Windows 11?
  • More about the innovations of Windows 11 can be found in the Windows 11 Preview – Fresh start should give OS new impetus.
  • In a video we explain the most important new features: Eleven new features in Windows 11 – First experiences with preview build.

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