Big enough for Microsoft to skip an entire version number, even. Maybe the shift from Windows 10 to Windows 11 feels subtle because the jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10 was so gigantic. That's mostly because Windows 11 feels more like Windows 10.5 than a generational leap - not that there's really anything wrong with that. So sorry, no Spinal Tap 'goes to 11' puns here.

And that user is you, sitting in front of a laptop keyboard or tapping on a phone screen. Before you decide whether or not to install the new OS, let's talk about what we like and don't like about the upgrade.Īn operating system, whether it's MacOS on your MacBook or Google's Wear OS on your smartwatch, gets better the more transparent it is to the user. If you have Windows 8, you'll have to get the free upgrade to Windows 10 first, then download Windows 11.

5 on a rolling basis as a free upgrade to most Windows 10 users.

Microsoft made Windows 11 available on Oct.