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Windows 11 Release October 5, Just 1 Month Away

By Laura Tucker
Windows 11 Release Featured

Have you been salivating over all the Windows 11 information we’ve been publishing here on Make Tech Easier? It’ll be here sooner than you think! Microsoft announced on Wednesday that Windows 11 would release October 5 – that’s just one month away!

Microsoft Announces Windows 11 Release Date

“Today, we are thrilled to announce Windows 11 will start to become available on October 5, 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin,” said Microsoft in a blog post. The company will release Windows 11 with a free upgrade that will roll out to eligible PCs already running Windows 11. Also on this date, PCs with Windows 11 preinstalled will begin to hit the shelves.

There’s an obvious attempt by Microsoft to satiate your life with Windows 11, and there is every reason to believe it will succeed, with the way home computing became a central force during the pandemic, expanding to work-from-home and remote learning customers.

Windows 11 Release Panes

The company pointed to several highlights of Windows 11 that it figures will “empower your productivity and inspire your creativity.” These include a new design, Start utilizing the cloud, more ways to multitask and optimize your screen, and Microsoft Teams integrated into the taskbar.

Joining those features are Widgets, new accessibility improvements, a new Microsoft Store, more opportunities for developers in the Store, and “the best Windows ever for gaming.”

Aside from the gaming aspect, it’s clear Microsoft hopes this Windows release will take advantage of the hybrid work trend. The company wants you to do more than just check in with Facebook, watch endless YouTube videos, and play Solitaire on Windows 11.

Microsoft’s Rollout of the Windows 11 Release

If you’re surprised to be so close to the Windows 11 release, you can thank the Windows Insider community, just as Microsoft did. The first Insider Preview Build was released at the beginning of summer, and as the leaves start to fall off the trees, you could be working with Windows 11 for the first time.

Windows 11 Release Getting Ready

You may not get Windows 11 on October 5, though – that’s just the start of the rollout. The first to see the release will be the owners of newer eligible devices. Next to see the update will be ‘in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device, and other factors.”

The hope is for all eligible machines to receive the Windows 11 update by mid-2022. Windows Update will be letting you know when it’s your turn. If you get anxious, you can also go to “Settings -> Windows Update” to check your eligibility.

While you wait for October 5, read up on how you can download and install Windows 11 now, the major improvements over Windows 10, and the questions you’re probably asking about Windows 11.

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Laura Tucker Avatar
Laura Tucker
Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.

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