Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 operating system has leaked online today. The new Windows 11 user interface and Start menu look very similar to what was originally found in Windows 10X.
Windows 11 is projected to come with all kinds of new features, and the build that got leaked to the web earlier today confirms several of them.
Windows 11 doesn’t appear designed to run on dual-screen devices, either. That was the original point of Windows 10X when it was originally announced, after all: A new interface for a new type of device.
Microsoft has centered the app icons here, cleaned up the tray area, and included a new Start button and menu. The Start button and pinned taskbar icons are now in the center of your taskbar. As you open and pin applications, the Start button gradually moves to the left on your taskbar. As you close and unpin them, it gradually moves to the right.
Microsoft is also improving the Xbox experience in Windows 11. The new Xbox app is now integrated into Windows 11, offering quick access to Xbox Game Pass games, the social parts of Xbox network, and the Xbox store. The Xbox Game Bar and Windows Game Mode all remain the same as Windows 10 in this early leaked build.
According to a report in The Verge, Windows 11 will bring more changes to the built-in apps within Windows. The report says that a large part of the operating system feels finished, so a beta can be expected to arrive shortly for Windows Insiders to test out.
Windows 11 widgets
So what are widgets in Windows 11? An option in the Windows 11 settings screen allows users to “show widgets button” on the taskbar, though this time, Microsoft is actually referring to the news and interests experience that’s already available in Windows 10 and which will get an interface makeover when the next OS goes live.
What if Windows 10’s Weather widget didn’t actually show the weather on your taskbar and was just a “Widgets” button that would open the News and Interests feed?
That’s the question Microsoft is answering with the “Widgets” button that appears to the right of the Task View button. In the leaked build, clicking the button shows widgets over your open applications windows or the desktop. It’s called the “Windows Dashboard.” We think it looks cleaner with a background.
Microsoft is also using rounded corners throughout Windows 11. These are visible in context menus, and around apps and the File Explorer. The Start menu itself also includes rounded corners. This is still an early version of Windows 11 that has leaked, so not everything is included yet.
Will There Be a New Store App?
There’s been a lot of chatter that we’d see a new Microsoft Store app with more of a focus on desktop apps. It’s something that we wish Microsoft had originally done with Windows 8 rather than spending a decade trying to make Metro, Modern, and then Univeral Windows Platform apps happen.
Windows 11 will be announced on June 24, while the launch is projected to happen in the fall of the year.
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