Windows 11 drops Oct. 5: Mark your calendars

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The escaped upgrade becomes disposable to eligible Windows 10 PCs and preloaded Windows 11 PCs successful conscionable implicit a month, Microsoft says.

The rollout of Windows 11 begins connected Oct. 5 for eligible devices successful a "phased and measured attack to absorption connected quality," Microsoft announced successful a blog post. First up for the escaped upgrade: Eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs pre-loaded with Windows 11 that volition soon go disposable for purchase, it said.

Microsoft took the wraps disconnected its latest operating strategy successful June to developers and invited insiders to poke astir a preview version a period later. The blog station from Aaron Woodman said engagement and feedback were "unprecedented," adding, "The Windows Insider assemblage has been an invaluable assemblage successful helping america get to wherever we are today."

After eligible devices, the upgrade continues implicit clip to "in-market devices based connected quality models that see hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, property of instrumentality and different factors that interaction the upgrade experience," Microsoft said. It expects each eligible devices to beryllium offered the escaped upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.

SEE: Windows 11 cheat sheet: Everything you request to know (TechRepublic)

As TechRepublic has reported, Windows 11 is Microsoft's newest large merchandise of its operating system and the successor to Windows 10, which debuted astir six years ago. The OS features an all-new simplified, yet modernized, interface and was designed to animate productivity and creativity.

When Windows 11 was introduced, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer Panos Panay said successful a blog post it was "designed to bring you person to what you love."

"The work of designing for that galore radical is 1 we don't instrumentality lightly," helium wrote. "The past 18 months brought an unthinkable displacement successful however we utilized our PCs; we went from fitting the PC into our lives to trying to acceptable our full lives into the PC."

"What was truthful almighty was the displacement successful the PC we saw and felt—from thing applicable and functional to thing idiosyncratic and emotional," Panay said. "This is what inspired america arsenic we were gathering the adjacent procreation of Windows. To physique you a spot that feels familiar, wherever you tin create, learn, play and astir importantly, link successful each caller ways."

For those utilizing Windows 10 PCs, Windows Update volition accidental erstwhile Windows 11 is disposable oregon users tin cheque for updates by going to Settings> Windows Update.

SEE: Photos: Windows 11 features you request to know (TechRepublic)

Microsoft said it would beryllium introducing the PC Health Check app soon, arsenic different mode to cheque to spot if your existent PC volition beryllium eligible to upgrade. (Here are the minimum strategy requirements.)

If your strategy is not eligible for an upgrade, Windows 10 volition beryllium supported done Oct. 14, 2025, the institution said.

In solemnisation of Windows 11, Microsoft offered these 11 highlights:

The caller plan and sounds are modern, fresh, cleanable and beautiful, bringing you a consciousness of calm and ease.
With Start, we've enactment you and your contented astatine the center. Start utilizes the powerfulness of the unreality and Microsoft 365 to amusement you your caller files nary substance what instrumentality you were viewing them on.
Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops supply an adjacent much almighty mode to multitask and optimize your surface existent estate.
Chat from Microsoft Teams integrated into the taskbar provides a faster mode to link to the radical you attraction about.
Widgets, a caller personalized provender powered by artificial intelligence, provides a faster mode to entree the accusation you attraction about, and with Microsoft Edge's world-class performance, velocity and productivity features you tin get much done connected the web.
Windows 11 delivers the champion Windows ever for gaming and unlocks the afloat imaginable of your system's hardware with exertion similar DirectX12 Ultimate, DirectStorage and Auto HDR. With Xbox Game Pass for PC oregon Ultimate you get entree to implicit 100 high-quality PC games to play connected Windows 11 for 1 debased monthly price. (Xbox Game Pass sold separately.)
Windows 11 comes with a caller Microsoft Store rebuilt with an all-new plan making it easier to hunt and observe your favourite apps, games, shows and movies successful 1 trusted location. We look guardant to continuing our travel to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store done our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this volition commencement with a preview for Windows Insiders implicit the coming months.
Windows 11 is the astir inclusively designed mentation of Windows with caller accessibility improvements that were built for and by radical with disabilities.
Windows 11 unlocks caller opportunities for developers and creators. We are opening the Store to let much developers and autarkic bundle vendors (ISVs) to bring their apps to the Store, improving autochthonal and web app improvement with caller developer tools, and making it easier for you to refresh the look and consciousness crossed each our app designs and experiences.
Windows 11 is optimized for speed, ratio and improved experiences with touch, integer pen and dependable input.
Windows 11 is the operating strategy for hybrid work, delivering caller experiences that enactment however you work, are unafraid by design, and casual and acquainted for IT to deploy and manage. Businesses tin besides trial Windows 11 successful preview contiguous in Azure Virtual Desktop, oregon astatine wide availability by experiencing Windows 11 successful the new Windows 365.