Microsoft officially reveals Windows 11's release date, but most people won't get it then, and some will have to wait until next summer!
There has been quite a lot of speculation regarding the date when Windows 11 will be made available to non-Insiders with clues pointing towards October 20.
However, Microsoft today reveals when the OS will start to arrive, and that will actually be October 5. However, before you mark that date in your calendar and start counting down the days, there are caveats that mean you probably won’t get it then. In fact, you might not even get it until the middle of next year.
SEE ALSO: Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro at a big discount now... and get Windows 11 free later
Windows 11’s rollout will take a "phased and measured approach", Microsoft says. Words, that will no doubt strike fear into the hearts of Windows 10 users who’ve heard it before with regards to feature updates.
What that means, according to the software giant, is:
The free upgrade to Windows 11 starts on October 5 and will be phased and measured with a focus on quality. Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience. That means new eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first. The upgrade will then roll out over time to in-market devices based on intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, age of device and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022. If you have a Windows 10 PC that’s eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know when it’s available. You can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for your device by going to Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
It's quite likely the Windows 11 rollout -- a 9 month rollout no less! -- will be a bit a mess for users hoping to upgrade existing devices. Microsoft is well aware of this, and has dedicated the date announcement to listing many of the new PCs you can buy if you want to get the new OS first.
The company will release its updated PC Health Check app soon, so you can see if your PC can actually run Windows 11. It’s also adding this information to Windows Update.
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