Microsoft Windows 11 preview is now officially available to download for testing for Windows Insider members ahead of its public launch sometime in the fall of this year.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Microsoft has made Windows 11 available for testing.
- The preview is available to Windows Insider members.
- Window 11 is officially launching later this year.
Microsoft Windows 11 preview launches
The Windows 11 preview build 22000.51 is now available to download for Windows Insiders, according to a blog post on the official Windows Insider blog. The official Windows 11 preview includes features like Snap layouts, multiple desktops, new themes, a redesigned Start menu, dark/light mode improvements and a refreshed Microsoft Store.
You will get to try many, but not all, of the new features we showed last week in this early preview. We will bring more features such as Chat with Microsoft Teams and Android apps in the Microsoft Store over the coming months as they are ready for you – we are just getting started on this journey together.
You can enroll in the Windows Insiders program at insider.windows.com.
Windows 11: Features, availability and more
Microsoft on June 24, 2021, announced Windows 11 as the next major iteration of its desktop operating system (curiously, the company planned to make Windows 10 the last major update).
Windows 11 includes a major visual overhaul of the user interface with a refreshed Start menu in the bottom center of the screen, an updated Microsoft Store with new features aimed at creators, multitasking enhancements, smaller updates and more. Microsoft is also bringing new apps into the mix, including Android apps like TikTok, via the Amazon Appstore.
Microsoft has boosted the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11.
As per a support document on the Microsoft website, you’ll need at least a 1GHz or faster 64-bit chip with at least two processing cores, four gigabytes of RAM and at least 64 GB of storage. In terms of Intel CPUs, Windows 11 generally speaking supports all 2018 or later chips.
Microsoft has also made another important change that will benefit the Windows ecosystem for years to come: Windows 11 requires a motherboard that supports Secure Boot capabilities and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 to keep confidential information like your encryption keys, facial data and more safe from hacking.
Windows 11 is a free update for those who are running Windows 10.