When Microsoft released Windows 10 in 2015, it said it would be the final full release of Windows, with updates coming twice a year to keep it current

Windows 11 is real, and Microsoft hasn't even announced it yet

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2021-06-15 23:00:05

When Microsoft released Windows 10 in 2015, it said it would be the final full release of Windows, with updates coming twice a year to keep it current – similar to the approach Apple took with macOS 10. But it looks like those days are over, because Windows 11 has fully leaked online.

While you can't actually download the operating system yourself, videos are already starting to show up from well-known tech sites like our sister site Windows Central, who downloaded the new OS and took it for a spin.

From what it looks like, this is a total rework of the Windows UI, with the new taskbar being the most immediately striking difference. It kind of looks like macOS with a Windows twist, with most of the icons, including the start button being smack dab in the middle of the task bar. Luckily, you can go into the settings and move all the taskbar buttons to the left side of the taskbar, just like Windows 10.

A lot of the UI elements, like the volume rocker and the notifications display look pretty much the same as Windows 10, but that's likely because the new versions of those elements are still in development. But animations and movement seem to be a lot smoother.