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Windows 11

2021 → today · Windows

Released in October 2021 as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs. As of November 2026, it is still getting new versions.2, 5

Info only Sources See every Windows version →

Released
5 October 20212
Upgrade
Free for eligible Windows 10 PCs2
Needs
A TPM 2.0 security chip and 4 GB of memory (as of November 2026)4
Newest version
26H2, from September 2026 (as of November 2026)5

What was new

Microsoft simplified the design and called the result "modern, fresh, clean and beautiful". It put Start at the center to make it easier to find what you need.1 Every app window got rounded corners.3 New Snap Layouts helped you organize your windows on the screen.1

A Windows 11 desktop with a light blue wallpaper of soft blue waves. The Start menu sits in the middle above the taskbar: a search box, a grid of 18 pinned apps, a Recommended list of files and, at the bottom, the user name and a power button. Behind it, a File Explorer window with rounded corners shows Quick access. The light taskbar has its icons in the center and the clock on the right.
Illustration · not a screenshot Our drawing of Windows 11 as it looked at launch in 2021: the centered Start menu with pinned apps and recommended files, and File Explorer behind it. See the real screen

Softer corners

Windows 11 rounds the corners of every app window.3 Windows, menus and dialogs get an 8-pixel curve, and buttons a smaller 4-pixel one. The corners stay square when a window is snapped to the side or fills the screen.3

Close-up of the top left of a Windows 11 File Explorer window with rounded corners: the title 'File Explorer', a command bar with New, Sort and View, an address bar reading 'Quick access', a navigation pane with Quick access, Desktop, Downloads, Documents and Pictures, and large folder icons for Desktop, Downloads, Pictures and Music.
Illustration · not a screenshot Close-up of our drawing: File Explorer in Windows 11, with its rounded corners, command bar and Quick access folders. See the real screen

Key moments