TL;DR
- Microsoft just made the official Windows 11 downloads available.
- That’s a day earlier than expected. The originally announced launch date was October 5, 2021.
- If you have newer hardware, you might see the update available very soon. Older hardware might take a while.
Months ago, Microsoft officially revealed it would launch the latest version of Windows on October 5, 2021. Two weeks ago, it launched a bunch of new hardware that supports the new Windows, all of which is slated to release on October 5, too.
If you have a newer Windows 10 PC, you might be able to check Windows Update and see if Windows 11 is there waiting for you. If you can’t find it — or have an older PC — you can try to upgrade manually using the Installation Assistant.
Unfortunately, those of you who have older PCs and don’t want to manually upgrade will need to wait quite a while. Although Microsoft plans to give as many people as it can a free upgrade to the new Windows, it’s giving itself until the second half of 2022 to complete the rollout. As such, it could be a year or even longer before some folks are able to upgrade automatically.
Do note that this surprise launch of the software does not affect the previously announced Microsoft hardware. The new Surface tablets and laptops are still landing tomorrow.
