There is more than a week left until it is released, but the first build of Windows 11 has been leaked in the form of an ISO . Microsoft‘s operating system confirms its new name and radical design change, and we’ve had access to the leaked Windows ISO so we can test it out for you. In this first test of the system we have realized something very important: that Microsoft has not learned anything.
This build shouldn’t have arrived until at least the end of June. Microsoft has paused for weeks the updates for Insiders to launch this one at once with all the changes that come to the system, and the interface change is radical. So radical, that they have basically joined Windows 10X with Windows 10, and the result we have is Windows 11 .
The installation process is similar to the one we had since Windows 8, with the particular purple background. But everything changes when we boot the system for the first time, where we have a completely new design from the initial installation.
Radical interface change: Windows 11 is Windows 10X
The interface, as we say, looks a lot like Windows 10X, and it makes sense, since Microsoft claimed that they were going to abandon the system and use everything they learned in it to apply it on their desktop operating system. From 10X we have the same base design, the new start menu, and the taskbar. And the truth is that, on a personal level, we find it beautiful.
The taskbar brings all its icons to the center, although luckily Microsoft allows it to be taken to the left as in previous versions. Some shortcuts have changed, where for example the taskbar no longer has the shortcut to the Task Manager. Nor can we move the taskbar to the top or side: now it will have to be down by noses.
Although the start menu has changed, some things at the base design level continue to work practically the same, as is the case of search, which has the same functionalities. The off button is now on the right, making it easier to find. We also see that there are new applications installed by default, such as Netflix, Spotify or Photoshop Elements. The latter may be announced in the form of some new agreement with Adobe at the June 24 conference.
With a style reminiscent of Apple, the widgets return to Windows with a rounded, fluid and modern design, integrating excellently with the system interface. We also have light mode and dark mode, but we cannot test it without activating it, and joining the Insider program does not allow us to use those functions either. The entire taskbar customization area requires activating the system, as confirmed a few months ago that it was going to take to Sun Valley.
The file explorer remains the same as always, with changes in the icons as we had seen in previous builds, and with slight changes such as a larger space between the folders, which is totally unnecessary.
The corners of the windows are rounded , as long as we have the drivers installed and 3D acceleration. In the images, we are running the system in a virtual machine, where the video drivers are not installed. In the following image we see how they are once we have a graphics card with acceleration.
Windows 11 already shows some changes for the worse
When using the system we see one of the most important changes: the windows are not grouped below nor can they be separated at the moment as we have now, where we can quickly go to the contents that we have open in the system and choose to display the full text in the same. This is one of the first failures that is going to make many people complain, since we have wasted space, and it takes longer to reopen the elements that we have open. These types of changes must be consensual.
The second is that the system still has elements of the old Shell32 interface, where only the rounded edges and button layout change. The Control Panel is still present in the system, and therefore Windows 11 continues to show that it is not easy to break with the past. Microsoft has limited itself to changing things that it could change more easily, but the hard core of the system remains the same.
Thus, Windows 11 is a very nice face lift, but it remains to be seen if the complaints will not pile up over the next few months. The company has until October or November to implement changes depending on the response it has among users. But the fact that in just 30 minutes of use there are already changes for the worse in some elements shows that they will have to back down in many things.
Finally, we have the new default wallpaper for Windows 11, which you can download at this link in 4K.