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Windows 11 is meant to bring you closer to what you love at a time when the PC is playing a more vital role in our lives.

Windows has long served as a platform for global innovation. It’s where scrappy companies become household names, and it’s been the backbone of worldwide enterprises. On Windows, the internet was born and grew up. It’s where many of us wrote our first email, played our first computer game, and coded our first line. Windows is the platform that people use to create, connect, learn, and achieve – a platform that over a billion people use today.We don’t take the responsibility of designing for so many people lightly. We went from fitting the PC into our lives to trying to fit our entire lives onto the PC during the last 18 months. Our phones weren’t just for meetings, lectures, and getting things done; they were also where we went to play games with pals, binge watch our favourite shows, and, maybe most importantly, interact with one another. We found ourselves digitally replicating office talk, hallway banter, workouts, happy hours, and holiday parties in the process.The transition in the PC we saw and felt — from something utilitarian and useful to something personal and emotional – was really profound. This is what motivated us to create the next iteration of Windows. To offer a familiar environment for you, where you may create, learn, play, and most importantly, connect in new ways.

I’m honoured and delighted to introduce you you Windows 11, the operating system that brings you closer to the things you care about.To boost your productivity and stimulate your creativity, we’ve simplified the design and user experience. It’s modern, fresh, tidy, and lovely. Everything was done with the purpose of putting you in control and bringing a sense of peace and ease, from the new Start button and taskbar to each sound, typeface, and icon. We put Start in the centre to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Start uses the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files regardless of what platform or device you were viewing them on previously, including Android and iOS devices.Windows has always been about allowing you to work the way you choose, with many windows and the ability to snap apps together. Snap Layouts, Snap Groups, and Desktops are all new in Windows 11 and give an even more powerful method to multitask and remain on top of what you need to get done. These are new tools that will help you manage your windows and maximise your screen real estate so you can see just what you need in a visually appealing layout. You may also build separate Desktops for different aspects of your life and configure them to your preferences — for example, a Desktop for work, gaming, and education.

Windows 11 removes the complexity and replaces it with simplicity.

Another important aspect of becoming closer to what you enjoy is getting closer to the people you enjoy. In the last 18 months, we’ve seen a shift in how we make meaningful digital connections with individuals. We want to make it easier for individuals to stay in touch with each other no matter where they are, even as we begin to return to more in-person engagement. And we don’t want your device or platform to be an impediment.We’re delighted to bring Chat from Microsoft Teams in the taskbar with Windows 11. You can now communicate with all of your personal contacts instantaneously by text, chat, voice, or video, regardless of their platform or device, on Windows, Android, or iOS. If the person on the other end of the line hasn’t downloaded the Teams app, you can still communicate with them via two-way SMS.

Through Teams, Windows 11 gives you a more natural way to communicate with friends and family, allowing you to mute and unmute instantaneously, as well as start presenting directly from the taskbar.

Delivering the best PC gaming experiences yet

If you’re a gamer, Windows 11 is designed specifically for you. Gaming has always been central to the Windows experience. Hundreds of millions of people play games on Windows now, bringing joy and connection to their loved ones and friends. Windows 11 unleashes the full power of your system’s hardware, allowing you to take use of some of the most cutting-edge gaming technology. Such as DirectX 12 Ultimate, which allows for spectacular, immersive graphics at high frame rates; DirectStorage, which allows for faster load times and more complex game worlds; and Auto HDR, which allows for a wider, more vivid range of colours for a genuinely compelling visual experience.Our dedication to hardware compatibility hasn’t changed — Windows 11 supports all of your favourite PC gaming attachments and peripherals. With Xbox Game Pass for PC or Ultimate, gamers get access to over 100 high-quality PC games, with new games introduced on a regular basis, and it’s still easy to find people to play with, whether they’re on a PC or a console.