Well, it’s finally official. After years of inaction, many missteps, rumors, and leaks, Microsoft today finally unveiled the next major version of Windows. Which, yes, is called Windows 11.
Here are some of my key takeaways from the unveiling, many of which were not part of the public launch.
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There’s no beta today, sorry. Anyone hoping to sign in to the Windows Insider Program today and enroll a PC to begin testing Windows 11 will be disappointed: That’s not happening yet, for reasons that are unclear.
Free upgrade. Windows 11 will be free for those with a Windows 10 PC that meet the new system requirements…
The system requirements are changing. Windows 10, like Windows 7 and 8, had lower system requirements than its predecessors, in part because of years-long ongoing componentization and optimization. But time marches on, and with Windows 11, Microsoft is making small upwardly mobile changes to the system requirements: It requires at least a dual-core 1 GHz CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage. It’s also making one major change to the system requirements…
Windows 11 will be 64-bit only. Here’s one major blocker for some upgraders, though it will be cheered by many: Windows 11 will only be available in 64-bit form on both Intel-style x64 and ARM systems. Windows 10, by contrast, came in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. A moment of silence, please, as technology races forward and leaves the past behind.
Windows 11 Home will require a Microsoft account. Confirming what I saw last week when I installed both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro in clean install and upgrade configurations, Windows 11 will controversially require both an Internet connection and a Microsoft account (MSA) during the initial Setup. This is a curiously tone-deaf decision, given that Home is the mainstream Windows 11 version and Microsoft’s history with this kind of thing. (Anyone else remember the “submarine” episode ahead of the Xbox One launch?)
Windows Updates improvements. Windows Update will be faster and more efficient with updates that are 40 percent smaller and install in the background.
Snap layouts. We saw this is in the leak but didn’t know the name.
Snap groups. This is new. When you create Snap layouts, they’ll be saved in the taskbar as Snap groups you can reapply at any time later. Nice.
Multi-monitor improvements. Now, when you disconnect a secondary display, any open apps will minimize to the taskbar on the laptop so they don’t get in the way. When you reconnect, everything goes back to where it was. Very nice.
Teams integration. A new Teams panel will replace the Meet Now feature from Windows 10.
Windows widgets. We learned about this new feature from the leak, but it is a personalized feed powered by AI curated content, and it will support third-party content from developers.
Windows without a keyboard. In the latest attempt to make Windows feel good on a tablet, Microsoft is making UI changes in tablet mode, with more space between icons, bigger touch targets, and subtle visual cues. Snap supports rotate so snapped windows feel more natural, plus the exact same gestures as with a touchpad for familiarity. Smart.
Gaming. Auto HDR is coming, which we already knew, but now new games load faster with Direct Storage technologies from the Xbox Series X|S. And Game Pass will be built in via the Xbox app, which will now be included, as will be Xbox Cloud Gaming.
New Store with Android apps. The new Store will be much simpler, but the big news is the addition of new commerce capabilities for third parties both big (Adobe, with Creative and Document Clouds) and small and, yep, Android apps. Curiously, however, WSL has nothing to do with that: Microsoft is using “Intel bridge technology” to bring Android apps to Windows through the Amazon App Store, which will be part of the Windows Store. Welp!
Yes, I’m writing a book. And thanks to Microsoft for creating the perfect version break that I needed: The Windows 10 Field Guide will conclude this summer with version 21H1 and I’ve already started working on the Windows 11 Field Guide, which will be a new book (from a purchasing perspective) with completely updated content.
dftf
<p>Hmm, odd… I was able to install the leaked (21996.1) build inside <em>VMWare Player</em> and it installed fine, so maybe when it detects a VM it doesn’t require a TPM (or <em>Secure Boot</em>) then?</p><p><br></p><p>If the final version will require both then both my laptops will be stuck on <em>Windows 10</em>: one is legacy BIOS only, with no TPM; and the other does have a TPM, but in-order to boot from the SATA drive-bay, you have to change from "UEFI" mode to "Legacy BIOS", which doesn’t then allow for Secure Boot</p><p><br></p><p>So compared to the dropping support for 32-bit kernels, I think this change is going to limit how many devices can run it compared to Windows 10…</p>
dftf
<p>As an update: according to </p><p>docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 , it’ll require a minimum of a v1.2 TPM chip; v2.0 is just recommended</p>
dftf
<p>If you mean during Windows 11 Setup, as-long-as you’re installing "Pro" or higher (not "Home") just click "I don’t have Internet" and you can then setup a local account</p>
dftf
<p>I wonder what will happen to anyone on Home right-now with a local account who tries to upgrade to Win11… will it force converting the account first, or not force the requirement for existing local-accounts, only on clean installs, or if you try to add a new account post-upgrade?</p>
dftf
<p>Leaving aside the new no-local-accounts requirement, I’ve never otherwise understood why people push-against the Home version.</p><p><br></p><p>Average home-users have no-need for the extra features in "Pro". The only useful thing really is BitLocker.</p><p><br></p><p>But as Windows 11 will require all new devices to ship with a TPM, that means they will all offer the "Device Encryption" option in the Settings app. Which essentially is just BitLocker, but doesn’t allow for any extra config other than "on" or "off". Which is the kind of simplicity one would expect in the Home version.</p>
dftf
<p>If using Group Policy Editor would be "huge for you", then upgrade to Pro… most home-users won’t even be aware there is such a thing!</p>
dftf
<p>BitLocker is the only thing in Pro I think would actually be useful for an average home-user: currently, in Windows 10, you only get "Device Encryption" (which is essentially BitLocker behind-the-scenes), but this only works on 64-bit CPUs, with a TPM and with Secure Boot enabled.</p><p><br></p><p>I never said Pro has no-other features compared to Home. I’m aware it has things like "Remote Desktop"; "Windows Sandbox"; "Hyper-V"; "Business Store"; "Encrypting File System"; "Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer"; "Ability to join a Domain", and hardware-wise allows for 2TB of max RAM, not 128GB; 2 physical CPUs, not 1; and 128 maximum cores on a CPU, not 64.</p><p><br></p><p>But of those how many do you think your average home-user will even <em>understand </em>let-alone <em>ever use</em>?</p><p><br></p><p>The <em>Home </em>edition should deliberately be kept simple. Pro is there for people who want more (or "Pro for Workstations", which allows up-to 6TB of RAM, up-to 4 physical CPUs and a total of 256 cores, along with allowing Windows to be installed on the new ReFS file-system)</p>
dftf
<p>Oh really…? That sucks, I just assumed they were compressing the updates with a more-modern algorithm than the LZX they do currently in their CAB format, such as 7-Zip…</p>
dftf
<p>Yeah, I wondered the same thing.. by "background" I assume they mean "rarely will a reboot be required", as currently all updates do happen in the background, and you only see anything pop-up once it informs you a reboot is required. If they can do an in-place kernel-reboot this would be a major change, especially for servers…</p>
dftf
<p><em>Microsoft Office </em>has used its own internal "widgets set" for ages… so the UI elements, like buttons, scrollbars, tick-boxes, radio-buttons are not always matching with Windows itself. As such they might need to program rounded-corner support into <em>Office </em>specifically (which will probably mean shipping a number of bitmap images at the different scaling-sizes to overlay in the corner areas).</p><p><br></p><p>Not the only <em>Microsoft </em>app to ever do this… back-in-the-day, <em>MSN Messenger </em>had XP-style buttons when running on <em>Vista</em> for a while, and then later <em>Windows Live Messenger </em>would have Vista and 7 style buttons and controls even when running on <em>Windows XP</em>. It would really help if they just stuck with the system controls, rather than implement their own!</p>
dftf
<p>For new devices, with Windows 11 preinstalled: by the end of this year</p><p><br></p><p>As a download to upgrade existing Windows 10 installs: during the first half of next-year</p>
dftf
<p>For new devices, with Windows 11 preinstalled: by the end of this year</p><p><br></p><p>As a download to upgrade existing Windows 10 installs: during the first half of next-year</p>
dftf
<p>If you run the leaked build of Windows 11 right now (21996.1), both the legacy "Snipping Tool" and the newer "Snip & Sketch" both come-preinstalled, and if you go into "Optional features" you can only remove both together. I’m still puzzled why "Snipping Tool" ships, given "Snip & Sketch" seems to have all the same features (and also the addition of an on-screen ruler and protractor)</p>
dftf
<p>I can’t speak for iPhone or iPads, but I think it’s still possible to setup an <em>Android </em>device without a <em>Google Account</em>, though unless you’re happy to obtain the APK files manually to install apps, you won’t be able to do much on them as the <em>Play Store </em>does require a <em>Google Account</em>. (I guess you could install the <em>Amazon App Store</em> and use an Amazon account; or on <em>Samsung </em>devies, create a <em>Samsung Account</em> and use their own store, though you’ll not find all the same apps you would in the <em>Play Store</em>).</p><p><br></p><p>I would think that <em>ChromeOS </em>requires a <em>Google Account </em>though, given it’s web-app based? And I’d imagine all the current-gen games-consoles would too, as many games require a download from their respective stores, as the physical-media copies sometimes don’t include the entire game…</p>
innitrichie
<p>Yes you can setup Apple devices without an Apple ID/account, which is great if you only want to run stock iOS apps on iPhone and iPad.</p>
dftf
<p>Can you still do the "Software Update" without an Apple ID linked (I know on Android phones you can).</p><p><br></p><p>Though as I doubt this would update Safari, or the WebKit engine (I’d guess both get updated via the Store, like their Android equivalents?) then it would still be unsafe to use online</p>
dftf
<p>I never heard this bit in the stream, but yeah, while I agree it does make-sense for many home-users, it’s a pity to make it a forced-requirement. I just wonder if you have local accounts on a Win10 Home install right-now must these change to a Windows Account if you upgrade to Win11, or will this requirement only apply to clean-installs, or if you ever add a future new account?</p>
innitrichie
<p>I’m hoping it’s more along the lines of…. by forcing people to connect their Windows 11 PC to Microsoft Accounts, they’ll make it easier for others to sell content, IAPs, and other digital services directly within the Windows experience.</p>
dftf
<p>It’ll be released sometime in the second-half of this year, according to the "Get Ready" section on microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11</p><p><br></p><p>I’ve no-idea what happens now with Windows 10: given many devices won’t be able to run Windows 11, due to the UEFI, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 requirements, I’d expect to see some feature-backporting for a while. And all of the "Store apps" should remain feature-identical: so Calculator, Mail, Groove and so-on shouldn’t work differently on Windows 11 to 10</p>
dftf
<p>Some replies to Paul’s points:</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Free upgrade:</strong> I’ve read on other sites a Windows 7 or 8 key can still be used during Windows 11 setup to activate it — are you able to confirm? Also, will it be possible to "upgrade" a Win10 install to Win11 "over-the-top", and will it do so in future in the same way major Win10 updates have?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The system requirements are changing</strong>: I can’t imagine many devices still use a single-core CPU. And even the cheapest PCs now all ship with 4GB minimum, so no big issues here.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Windows 11 will be 64-bit only</strong>: this is MAJOR news. Though I did not hear this in the stream myself, so where was this mentioned? I assume this means 32-bit apps will still run on the 64-bit kernel versions, just that there will no-longer be an x86 and ARM32 kernel versions?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Windows 11 Home will require a Microsoft account</strong>: again, I didn’t hear this in the live-stream myself. If you do an "in-place upgrade" of Win10 to 11, will this be forced for anyone currently using local-only, or only affect new-installs, or when new user-accounts get added?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Windows Updates improvements</strong>: I’m guessing they’re using something like 7-Zip to now compress the packages, not LZX (CAB)?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Teams integration</strong>: isn’t the <em>Skype</em> brand being discontinued?</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Windows widgets</strong>: I never used the <em>Gadgets</em> back in <em>Vista</em> or <em>7</em>, so can’t see me using these either, personally. (Not to mention, <em>Gadgets</em> got discontinued in those OSes due to security issues… hopefully Widgets won’t see the same fate!)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>New Store with Android apps: </strong>a major addition, but a few things I think need clarifying: (1) what happens with apps that require a <em>Google Account</em> sign-in, such-as <em>WhatsApp</em> for its backups; (2) what about apps that require <em>WebView </em>to render content; and (3) what about apps that rely on <em>Google Play Services</em>? I can’t help but think compared to <em>iOS</em> and <em>iPadOS</em> apps on <em>macOS Big Sur</em> this is going to be more-limited in-comparison…</p>
dftf
<p>You should be able to… if you run the leaked Windows 11 build right-now (21996.1), and select "Pro" as the edition during the install, then on the Network screen choose "I don’t have Internet" you do get an option of "Continue with limited setup", which allows a local account. If you pick "Home", however, it forces you to connect to the Internet to continue the Setup</p>
dftf
<p><em>I suppose W11 does execute x64 and x86 software.</em></p><p><br></p><p>That’s what I’m assuming too… while it makes-sense to finally ditch the 32-bit (x86) and ARM32 kernel versions of Windows, I think 32-bit app support within 64-bit OSes will be needed for a while yet. Even some current apps, like <em>VMWare Workstation </em>and <em>Player </em>are still 32-bit only!</p>
dftf
<p><em>"[…] the OS itself will only ship a 64-bit version with no 32-bit versions (which you can still get W10 in). I don’t think this really impact anyone and pretty much all other major OS platforms are 64-bit only now as well."</em></p><p><br></p><p>I’m sure there will be some users who will come here and moan something similar-to "how dare they get-rid of the 32-bit kernel support; our enterprise has this massively expensive production-control system, with only 32-bit drivers and a 16-bit database connector we purchased back in the late 1990s…"</p><p><br></p><p>To which I’d say: just run those PCs on an isolated network (not Internet connected!) and shove something like Windows XP on them. Why must you run 32-bit Windows 11 on them specifically?</p><p><br></p><p>As for your second part: iOS, iPadOS and recent versions of macOS are all 64-bit only; some Linux distros, like Ubuntu and Mint only officially offer a AMD64 kernel (Intelx86 can only be found in community-produced versions) and I think Android is supposed to only be offering 64-bit install images from late 2023…</p>
dftf
<p>In some cases, yes: the "Windows Security" app in Windows 10 21H1 right-now offers way-more features than "Microsoft Security Essentials" or "Windows Defender" did. And new Services are required for some of the newer features, such as to support Xbox or things like Hyper-V.</p><p><br></p><p>There are ways to reduce the RAM use though: in <em>Task Manager</em> check the Startup tab and see if there is anything you don’t need to run; in <em>services.msc </em>you could set some to "Manual" or "Disabled" if you’re sure you don’t need them; and for the "Modern UI" apps, go to Start > Settings > Privacy > Background Apps and turn-off any that you don’t want to keep running after you close the app off-screen</p>
dftf
<p>I must have missed that bit in the live-stream, but yeah… a lot of older devices will be out then!</p><p><br></p><p>Dropping the 32-bit kernel editions was sensible, as very-few really need to use them thesedays (and large-enterprises can use one of the LTSC editions instead if they need it). But my older laptop has no TPM, so that’ll be stuck now on Windows 10. And my newer one does have a TPM… but in-order to use a SATA SSD drive, the firmware has to be on "Legacy BIOS" mode, not "UEFI", as the SATA bay cannot be used to boot in UEFI mode. And "Legacy BIOS" doesn’t offer Secure Boot support. So that also rules-out my newer device…</p>
dftf
<p>Microsoft have confirmed only these Surface models will be eligible for upgrade to Windows 11:</p><p>Surface Book 3</p><p>Surface Book 2 (only models with an 8th-gen Intel CPU)</p><p>Surface Go 2</p><p>Surface Laptop 4 (13.5" and 15")</p><p>Surface Laptop 3 (13.5” and 15")</p><p>Surface Laptop 2</p><p>Surface Laptop Go</p><p>Surface Pro 7+</p><p>Surface Pro 7</p><p>Surface Pro 6</p><p>Surface Pro X</p>
dftf
<p>I would think there will be some changes before launch, yes.</p><p><br></p><p>Currently their <em>Surface Studio 2</em>, coming in at-around £3500, on-sale from late 2018, also fails due to the CPU:</p><p><br></p><p>theregister.com/2021/06/25/windows_11_processor/</p>
dftf
<p>"We all live in a Yellow Submarine"</p>
dftf
<p>"Windows 10 2019 LTSC" is supported until Jan 2029; I wonder if after Home and Pro end-support in 2025, if you’ll see people setting-up their own licencing servers on the Internet and then selling LTSC licences, so people go that route</p>
dftf
<p>It might be that your device is running in "Legacy BIOS" mode, rather than "UEFI". If Windows boots from a SATA-type SSD, often "Legacy BIOS" mode has to be used.</p><p><br></p><p>Beyond that, check if any BIOS or TPM firmware updates are available for your device</p>
dftf
<p>In the Windows Security app, click "Device Security" and see if you have a "Secure Boot" heading; if not, this is not enabled (or supported) on your device, and needs to be</p><p><br></p><p>Beyond that it might be that your CPU is less-than an eight-generation Intel (or equivalent) which is currently "recommended" for Windows 11, but it seems in the Health Check tool it is treating that as "required" instead. A new version of the tool may get released, try rechecking then</p>
dftf
<p>An updated version of the Health Check Tool has been released that will now tell you what the issue is: bit.ly/3x3XxJq</p>
dftf
<p>According to docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 an 8th Gen Intel CPU will be treated as "recommended", not "required"</p>
dftf
<p>According to docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11/ it says the 8th Gen CPU requirement (and TPM 2.0) are recommended, but not required. Not sure if that page is incorrect, or if the tool is</p>
dftf
<p>Just because something is there by-default doesn’t necessarily mean people will use it.</p><p><br></p><p>I rarely see anyone ever doing remote-support via "Quick Assist", compared to something like "TeamViewer". Many use something like "VLC Media Player" instead of "Windows Media Player" or "Groove". And according to <em>StatCounter</em>, looking only at desktop and laptop devices, "Edge" sits at around 8% market-share globally, behind "Safari" on 9.8% and "Google Chrome" on 68.3%. (It is ahead of "Firefox" though, on 7.4%)</p>
dftf
<p>Yeah, I an’t imagine in Windows 11 you’ll suddenly find "Program Files (x86)" and "SysWOW64" missing, and no 32-bit apps running. That would kill loads of current apps and older games… even the main shell of the current version of <em>VMWare Player </em>is still 32-bit only!</p><p><br></p><p>Not to mention many large companies and enterprises run 32-bit editions of Microsoft Office (of which the latest <em>Office 2019 </em>and <em>Office365 </em>versions are still offered in!) as they have some sort-of add-on or macro that doesn’t work in the 64-bit version</p>
dftf
<p><em>"Picky: would 64-bit only Windows 11 replace System32 with System64"</em></p><p><br></p><p>There is no 64-bit only version of Windows 11 planned. The "32-bit kernel editions" have gone (the ones that run 32 and 16-bit apps, and use 32-bit drivers). But the AMD64 kernel version will still run Intel32 apps, and the ARM64 will run ARM64, ARM32, AMD64 and Intel32 apps, just like today. So no folders will change name.</p><p><br></p><p><em>"…plus a junction point System32 for backwards compatibility)?"</em></p><p><br></p><p>You mean a Symbolic Link: those are what do redirects (such as "Documents and Settings" going to the User’s folder). Junction Points are where you can link a volume (such as a partition on your drive) to an empty folder, thus avoiding it appearing like a drive (no icon for it inside This PC) and it gets no drive-letter assigned.</p>
dftf
<p>Can you get Adobe Acrobat on macOS — and if so, how, as recent versions only support 64-bit apps</p>
innitrichie
<p>There’s already 64 bit versions of Adobe DC/DC Pro in some markets. I have no idea if Adobe has released them to the US/Canada yet, but they certainly will before Windows 11 arrives.</p>
dftf
<p>Using the official <em>Google Play Store</em> though would likely mean having to (1) force users to setup a <em>Google Account</em> and (2) would mean users complaining about a futher erosion of privacy in <em>Windows 11</em> as a result: people already dislike the telemetry in <em>Windows 10</em> sending device data just to Microsoft. I can’t imagine users will suddenly want such info shared with <em>Google </em>also!</p><p><br></p><p>Maybe in the <em>Amazon</em> hook-up, they’ve done some sort-of connector-service that will just allow a <em>Mirosoft Account </em>to be used, and not require an <em>Amazon </em>login?</p>
dftf
<p>Seems a bit extreme to move to an iPad… did no Samsung tablet take your fancy?</p>
dftf
<p>Google may now be trying to address that:</p><p><br></p><p>arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/google-to-android-devs-support-more-form-factors-get-a-higher-sales-cut/</p>
dftf
<p>It sounds like 32-bit apps will still run on 64-bit Windows 11, it’s just the <em>32-bit kernel </em>versions that have been dropped; the official "Windows 11 Specifications" page says the minimum requirement is "a 64-bit CPU which must be at-least dual-core". So no 32-bit x86 or ARM32 CPUs, and all 64-bit CPUs must be at-least two-core</p>
dftf
<p>I wonder how many motherboards in cheaper desktops and laptops sold targeting home-users and small-businesses actually have a TPM chip on them? Seems mad you could buy a new device right-now and find Windows 11 won’t work on it… it’ll be like the "Vista Capable" thing all-over-again!</p>
dftf
<p>Oddly, according to docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 it says only a 1.2 TPM is actually required; 2.0 is just preferred</p>
dftf
<p>Yeah, it does make me wonder… do all cheap home-user targeted desktops and laptops come with a TPM chip on the board? I can’t imagine they all do, which means right now people could buy a brand-new device that won’t be capable of upgrading to Windows 11…</p>
dftf
<p>Another way to check if your device has a TPM, and if so, what version, is via the<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> "Windows Security" app: inside it, click "Device security" then click "Security processor details"</span></p>
dftf
<p>8th Gen CPU or later is only recommended, not required</p>
dftf
<p>To check if your device does have a TPM, go into the "Windows Security" app, click "Device security" then click "Security processor details"</p>
dftf
<p><strong>Interesting "feature depreciations and removals" for Windows 11:</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Cortana </strong>will no-longer be part of the Windows 11 Setup process, nor will be pinned to the Taskbar for a new install or new user account</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Internet Explorer </strong>will be removed from the <em>Home </em>version; the rendering-engine will remain, for backwards app compatibility, but the "iexplore.exe" executable (and some other files) will go and there will be no option to add it back in</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Math Input Panel </strong>has been removed</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Microsoft News </strong>app will be depreciated, in-favour of a "full-screen" UI option for the "News & Interests" Taskbar (currently, neither <em>Microsoft News </em>or <em>Weather </em>adhere to your accent-colour in Windows 10, so this doesn’t surprise me: both seem to lack any recent development)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>S Mode </strong>will only be available in the <em>Home </em>edition</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Snipping Tool </strong>has been removed; the modern <em>Snip & Sketch </em>tool will be renamed to <em>Snipping Tool</em></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Start Menu: </strong>(1) no groups can be created; (2) the "All Apps" list will be an entirely flat, alphabetical list; no folders will appear; (3) Pinned Apps and Sites will not move-over from Win10 during an upgrade; (4) Live Tiles are removed; Widgets replace them</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Tablet Mode </strong>has been removed (Win11 will just auto-adjust itself)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Taskbar </strong>no-longer allows any of the following: (1) a screen-position other-than the bottom (sorry those who like it at the side, or top of the screen!); (2) the option to use the small button size has been removed, as has (3) the option not to combine multiple windows into one button; (4) folders and toolbars can no-longer be added (sorry anyone who likes the old Quick Launch!); (5) you cannot replace PowerShell with Command Prompt when right-clicking the Start button</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timeline </strong>has been removed</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Wallet </strong>has been removed</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The following apps will no-longer get installed on a fresh (clean) install of Windows 11: </strong>3D Viewer; Microsoft News; OneNote for Windows 10; Paint 3D; Skype</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Unconfirmed (seen on other news sites):</strong></p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Character Map</strong>" will be removed; either a new Modern UI app will replace it, or the "Emoji Panel" will be revamped to cover the same functionality</p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Disk Cleanup</strong>" will be removed; all functionality will move into Start > Settings > System > Storage</p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Private Character Editor</strong>" will be removed by-default and have to be added via "Optional features"</p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Problem Steps Recorder</strong>" may get replaced with a Modern UI app</p>
dftf
<p><em>"Windows 11 will be 64-bit only"</em></p><p><br></p><p>In-terms-of the kernel, yes: it will only be available in AMD64 (x86-64) and ARM64 kernel versions, not Intel32 (x86) and ARM (32-bit ARM). Both 64-bit editions though should still be able to run 32-bit apps, yes.</p><p><br></p><p><em>"But x86 support is not going away any time soon. And for compatibility reasons, they are required to test and ship x86 versions of the operating system libraries just like before."</em></p><p><br></p><p>Getting-rid of the 32-bit kernel versions though does mean not having to support or test 32-bit drivers, or do any maintenance around 16-bit app support. So there is at-least that.</p>
dftf
<p>According to docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 the 8th Gen CPU is considered "recommended", not "required". (As is a TPM 2.0 chip; 1.2 is the minimum actually required)</p>
dftf
<p>According to docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 the 8th Gen CPU is considered "recommended", not "required". (As is a TPM 2.0 chip; 1.2 is the minimum actually required)</p>
dftf
<p><em>"Maybe manufacturers will release new BIOS updates for some of these not-very-old motherboards …"</em></p><p><br></p><p>With some newer CPUs, it might be possible to add a "virtual TPM" type option, yes. But for older ones, you may just be out-of-luck. Unless some-other solution was possible, such as a USB-based security drive, or if your laptop has a SC (Secure Card) slot, Microsoft could issue some credit-card type card you can use in that instead?</p>
dftf
<p>Yeah, I’d be surprised if many low-price laptops and desktops aimed at home-users actually have a TPM chip; maybe even not a connector to fit one in some cases.</p><p><br></p><p>Seems mad people could buy a brand-new laptop or desktop right-now and find out won’t run Windows 11.</p><p><br></p><p>Not to mention two other issues: (1) on some devices, you have to switch from UEFI to BIOS mode to boot off a SATA type drive, and (2) if you use full-disk encryption other-than BitLocker (e.g. Becrypt, McAfee, Sophos or VeraCrypt) don’t you have to disable Secure Boot for the pre-boot loader to work?</p>
dftf
<p>Take a look at docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11</p><p><br></p><p>Apparently the 8th Gen CPU is "preferred", but not "required" (as is a TPM 2.0; only 1.2 is required at minimum)</p>
dftf
<p><em>"… only to find out they can’t because their 5-year-old computer doesn’t support TPM, doesn’t have a Gen-8 or later Intel processor …"</em></p><p><br></p><p>If you refer to <strong>docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/windows-11 </strong>(as has already been mentioned at-least twenty-or-so times in the previous comments already!) you can see that having an 8th-gen Intel CPU or later is not required; likewise a v1.2 TPM chip is also allowed, not only a v2.0 one.</p><p><br></p><p>If you have an older CPU, or a v1.2 TPM chip, your existing Windows 10 install will not be auto-offered Windows 11 in future; you’ll have to manually choose to upgrade it via something like the "Upgrade Assistant" tool, or the "Media Creation Tool" via the "Upgrade this PC now" option. But if you do a clean install, via either DVD or USB media, it’ll work as-long-as none of the "hard floor" requirements aren’t met</p>