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. A previous revision of Windows 10 telemetry documentation also indicated that Microsoft intends to release both the Vibranium-based Windows 10 version 21H2 and a Cobalt-based 21H2 release, the latter of which would be the initial release of Windows 11. A 22H2 feature update based on Copper, the development cycle that will take place in the first half of 2022, was also mentioned in the document. Another page on Microsoft documentation mentioned "Windows Sun Valley" in a description alongside Windows 10.

On 4 June 2021, a reference to "Windows 11" was added to Microsoft's Docs Taxonomy repository. The entire repository was set to private on 20 June 2021, but a screenshot was saved.

A special event is set to be held on 24 June 2021 where Microsoft is expected to officially announce 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.