Windows 11 leaked and looks a lot like Windows 10X

Windows 11 is real and details about it are leaking all over the internet. First, a Baidu user posted two screenshots of the operating system this morning, revealing a centralized Start menu with rounded corners. This insight gave us serious Windows 10X vibes, especially since this operating system (now defunct) also featured a Start menu with centered icons. Shortly after the appearance of these images, journalists were able to grab the first ISO of Windows 11 and install it themselves. Both Microsoft’s big launch event on June 24 (or maybe the company wanted to inspire some hype by sending Windows fans on a wild goose hunt).

Tom Warren at The edge dug into the leaked operating system and unearthed a few gems along the way. Windows 11 doesn’t look much different from Windows 10, from a design standpoint, but there are a few notable UI tweaks throughout. In addition to the rounded corners, there are new snap controls that allow you to easily move a window to a specific location on your screen. Seems a lot more convenient than dragging in an app and hoping Windows captures it correctly. Plus, the revamped app is built right into Windows 11, making it easy for you to find all of your Game Pass titles.

Now that we see what Windows 11 actually looks like, it makes sense that Microsoft has ditched 10X altogether. This operating system was originally intended for dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo, but last year Microsoft announced that it was rotate to typical single screen laptops. But Microsoft hasn’t had the best record with Windows 10 variants – remember just how The Windows 10 S fiasco has been. Now that we are six years from Windows 10 launch, it makes sense to switch to a whole new operating system. And I hope there will be some more optimizations to make Windows better on tablets, ARM devices, and dual screen PCs. (Seriously, where’s the Surface Neo, Microsoft ?!)