Leak Shows Off 'Windows 11' Ahead of Next Week's Microsoft Event

A copy of Microsoft’s next-gen OS has been allegedly leaked online.

On Tuesday, a user on the Chinese site Baidu Tieba posted screenshots taken from the updated operating system, which is being referred to as Windows 11. A download link for the “Windows 11 build 21996.1” then surfaced on forums and social media.   

We downloaded a copy, ran it on a virtual machine, and found that it works. The OS asks you to install either a Windows 11 Home, Education, or Pro copy. It then notes this particular build was updated this month.

The user account we created for the OS also sent us a two-factor authentication code through Microsoft's servers.

As The Verge points out, the leaked Windows 11 build adopts the interface Microsoft used in Windows 10X, which the company designed for dual-screen devices but shelved earlier this year. 

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As you can see, the Windows 11 build places the Start button and taskbar icons at the bottom-center of the screen. The Start menu has also been simplified to emphasize pinned and recommended apps instead of offering an entire catalog of your installed programs.

To access the other programs, you can click on the Start menu's "All apps" button in the right corner.

And if you don’t like center placement, you can move the Start button and taskbar apps to the left-hand side by going into the settings function.

Other changes include a new startup sound, an Xbox app directly integrated into the OS, and rounded edges for the digital windows. The taskbar also contains a dedicated button to view and add widgets, although it currently only displays the weather, sports scores and an expanding list of news articles.

File Explorer has gotten new icons. Meanwhile, old-school Windows features, such as the Control Panel and Task Manager, still exist in the OS. 

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However, the leaked Windows 11 build hasn’t been updated with an overhauled Microsoft Store, a feature that the company has hinted is coming to the OS.  

So far, Microsoft hasn’t directly commented on the alleged leak. But the company’s official Windows Twitter account said on Tuesday afternoon, “This is just the Start. Tune in on June 24th at 11 am ET to see what's next,” which is when Redmond officially unveils the OS.

Still, if this leak is real, then Windows 11 is poised to keep the existing Windows formula intact.

Microsoft Windows 11 Preview