Windows 11 (original release)

Windows 11 is the next major version of Microsoft Windows that will succeed the Windows 10 series. The initial release is based on the Cobalt codebase and is related to the Sun Valley user interface refresh effort.

Rumors of a new major version of Windows were initially sparked by comments made by Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, and Satya Nadella, chairman of Microsoft, both talking about a next generation of Windows. "Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators. I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows. Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look forward to sharing more very soon."

- Satya Nadella at Microsoft Build 2021

The aka.ms/windows11 redirect has also been found to exist in late May 2021, similarly to redirects for other major Windows releases. At the moment, the link merely redirects to the Microsoft homepage, while non-existent links are redirected to Bing. References to a potential new version have leaked in Microsoft documentation weeks before the official announcement, including a mention of "Windows Sun Valley" in a description alongside Windows 10, telemetry documentation showing two separate updates both bearing the 21H2 version number, or a Windows 11 reference in accidentally published internal Azure taxonomy documentation.

A special event was held on 24 June 2021 where Microsoft officially announced Windows 11. Despite the company's great efforts to prevent any leaks prior to the event, build 21996 was shared online on 15 June, nine days before the keynote. The build includes Windows 11 branding, as well as a new Start menu and taskbar reminiscent of Windows 10X together with redesigned user interface widgets. However, the Cherry Hill experience pack, which also forms a big part of the user experience redesign, was not included with the leak.