The future of Windows: Do you like the name Windows 11?

By Robert Carnevale
published

Does the name Windows 11 excite you?

Windows 11 Tease
Windows 11 Tease (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • At Microsoft Build 2021, Satya Nadella teased the future of Windows was on the way.
  • Next, a formal Windows event was announced for June 24.
  • Lots of speculation surrounds the event and whether Windows 11 will be announced at it.

We've all known that something big was in the works for Windows for some time now, though anticipation has really heated up in the past week.

Ever since Windows 10X got put on ice so that Windows 10 desktop could continue its eternal sprint toward the future, it was clear that something big was cooking. Then, during his Build 2021 keynote, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella explicitly said huge news was coming. And now, there's officially an event on June 24 that's set to reveal all (or something, at the very least).

Expectations for what's to be revealed are all over the place, though lots of folks are thinking Windows 11 is going to be the bombshell announcement. Not everyone's happy with the idea of Microsoft abandoning its "Windows 10, forever updated" strategy in favor of releasing a new name and iteration, but others like the idea of a clean break from the longstanding name. What's your thought on the potential Windows 11 namedrop?

As can be seen in our previous poll, a lot of Windows Central readers thought that Microsoft should just cut the numbers altogether and reduce the OS name to "Windows." There would be a timeless simplicity in that option, one that would be missing in a hypothetical Windows 11. But there's something charming about new numbers. The Windows Central Discord community has already been hard at work thinking up logos for the potential future of Windows.

See more

Let us know your thoughts on the rumored name both in the poll and in the comments, and be sure to check back here for all the latest Windows coverage.

Robert Carnevale
Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.

56 Comments
  • I'm liking it more and more.
  • HI
    I strongly support a new name, especially if this new version will be common to all processors including the Neo. 10x's failure to support traditional apps made it a disastrous notion only useful to Microsoft neophytes. Thank goodness it has gone
    Roger Stenson
  • "Windows" is a name. "11" is just a version. (And now when I think of "Windows", I think of "aversion.")
  • Windows 11 really make sense. It's simple, logical and predictable. Not the confusing mess that current Windows 10 versioning system is.
  • Exactly. Windows 11.1, Windows 11.2 and so on, I think that would be a clear way to identify future updates.
  • Yeah, much easier and not as vague as 20H2, 21H1, etc. Then they can just make a fancy nickname for every release, instead of these Month + Year naming scheme that don't always followed what month they exactly are and not as exciting.
  • In that case why name it 11 at all?
    How about 10.1, 10.2 etc?
  • Really, where're the quality articles?
  • You mean multiple articles talking about the name of Microsoft's upcoming Windows release isn't quality?
  • I would like windows becuse no one say I use windows 10 every one say I use windows, android, Linux and so on. So just have build number that's starts on 11. Would be enough. So just call it windows home edition pro or business. In the end Microsoft won't care what the community think about the name.
  • Windows is the name. 11 is the version. Android is the name, 12 is the version. iOS is the name. 14.5 is the version...
  • Windows 10 is name now and they will have it windows 11. If you going to buy windows it's windows 10 not windows. If you buy a phone it's android and version what ever. They don't use the number like buy a phone you will get android 12.
    Windows is like that buy a computer and you get windows 10.
  • I would do what they are doing on the server side and just name it by year from now on? Then you can get rid of all the build nonsense. Windows '22 sounds good.
  • That will work until the year 2095. Then it is Y2K all over again.
  • Y3K - MS will release Win 30 and codenamed as Y3K.
  • Windows Server has their own naming conventions since forever. They don't follow the regular desktop branding. Windows Server remains unchanged.
  • I don't care what the name is, it is still going to be the same OS with some GUI changes. Maybe MS should concentrate more on reliability and stop adding rubbish to it, also get rid of the spying, but I doubt that will happen
  • MS does less of this than any other major tech company. Apple is very privacy focused too, but they actually take more personal information than MS, they just keep it internal to Apple. Maybe you're just saying that all tech companies are bad, but at least acknowledge that MS is not in the same ballpark as Google or Facebook on use of personal data. Compared to others, MS is vastly better.
  • I would slightly prefer they not change the name to Windows 11, regardless of how big the changes are in Sun Valley. If they need to change it at all, drop the 10 in the marketing material so it's just Windows. But ultimately, HOW MS executes any brand change will matter far more than WHAT the name change is. They could go a good or bad job with any of these, regardless of the name.
  • If the update is worthy of being called Windows 11, then yes. This is such a circumstantial question.
  • I am neutral on this. I don't like Windows 11 but got tired of Windows 10. I would like to see just Windows, version 11. But in that case everyone will just call it Windows 11.
  • Windows 10 as it envisiged six or seven years has moved on from then. Ms Edge is a totally new product replacing the 2015 version. Live tiles I like them and was previously a wp user but MS reckoned they're being used, on work computers they're not being used, also friends/family don't look at them or customise them. Also pwa apps seem to be in favour over uwp. It's already changed a lot so they should change the name.
  • It should be Windows 9. This is the perfect chance to fill in that version gap!
  • They skipped Windows 9 because it would have confused the internal code with the similarity to 95 and 98.
  • And besides, 7 "ate" 9
  • Windows Nine, then. Problem solved!
  • Love it! I feel like the 11 gives a much more modern feel than the 10.
  • No, not liking it.
  • I could care less what it's called, just make it awesome.
  • exactly , just not only on visual side but
    also need removal of every Inconsistency or Inefficiency under the hood at the core of OS We need better Optimizations , compatibility , efficiency and Consistency overall
    Maybe not at the release but soon with time atleast This time i am positive and lets hope for the best
  • Spoiler Alert: its still called Windows 10.
  • And it will continue to be called like that and in a short time it will enter the select group of old versions of Windows. The new windows will be called Windows 11.
  • Or, you know, it's now Windows 11.
  • How about Windows 21 for the year?? Works in the cell phone industry.. Though if the only changes are in eye candy and bling forget it.
  • Anything to forget the Windows 8 and Windows 10 user experiences. New version names of any product offer a tabula rasa of sorts: Sometimes doing very little other than getting people to take a successful second look (Windows 7) or sometimes it backfires and proto-clickbait journalists disparage something really fantastic (Windows Vista). Sometimes it's just a bad product that no amount of branding can save it and all those involved should be ashamed of their substandard work (Windows 8 and the majority of Windows 10). Each new version demanded at the very least giving it a fair shake and Windows desperately needs that right now because I doubt Windows 10 has very high esteem with any tier of user. Even if they radically change Windows 10 for the better with Sun Valley (which looks to be the case), if they continue to call it Windows 10 it will always be associated with the string of failures that Microsoft has been known for during its Windows 8 and Windows 10 periods.
  • The big problem with "the last version of Windows" is the complete mess they made of naming the updates. Flip-flopping between YYMM, "May 2020", 21H1, Creators Update etc. Actual major release names have one really important purpose - it's easy enough for regular users to understand that their older PC is stuck on, say, XP because it cannot run Vista. But trying tell someone that their Windows 10 PC can't run the latest software because it's on an older version of Windows 10 to the current version of Windows 10 is a bit backwards. Bring on 11, and hopefully a much simpler minor version number scheme to go with it.
  • Didn’t Microsoft say that they were going to let Windows 10 be the last version and not release any new ones but just keep evolving Windows 10? In which case it would make much more sense to drop the 10 and just fo with Windows. This is what I’m expecting for the future of the operating system.
  • Personally, I do like it. Professionally, I think having a new version number will give a bunch of software providers an excuse to limit support to Windows 10, much as 10 was maligned while 7 was still prevalent.
  • Windows 11 is good.
    it tell there is a progress from Window 10.
  • I'm not sure ICONs and a new UI is progress. You can already change ICONs to whatever you want on your own. You can also download UI software if you don't like the UI. Unless there are other big changes it's really just Windows 10 with a facelift.
  • No, I do not like the name. And I believe that Microsoft might stick with Windows 10 - which is a better name and more logical
  • Hello!
    So, on 24th, Microsoft will end the legacy of Windows since Windows 95? Or will i5 just be another Windows 8 and Windows 10?
    Microsoft likes teasing projects that they'll finally let down.
    So no matter if it will Windows 11 or Windows 20 or simply Windows, I think they'll create more problems for consumers.
  • 'the future of Windows' can be Windows as a service
  • Just like "macOS 11 Bug Sur"
    We want to have "Windows 11 Sun Valley"
  • I hope this is not one of the those Tok moment
  • If they name it Windows 11, it's just a reminder to you that Microsoft do not keep to their word.
    "10 will be the last version of Windows" "we will keep making Windows phones" etc.
  • I like it; Windows 11 it is.
  • WinOs11 Your welcome.
  • What's the point in calling Windows 10 or 11, when the number means absolutely nothing. There are maybe 8 different versions of "Windows 10" now. They should just remove the number entirely and call it "Windows".
  • Just "Windows" please. For versioning, build numbers like 21H1 is fine. The majority of users don't care about versions anyway, just us techs.
  • Usually an OS upgrade is more than just new ICONs and UI refresh. They can call it whatever they want. To me it would make more sense at this point to just call it Windows with no number. Going to just have to wait until the 24th to see what the announcement entails.
  • keep it at windows 10 it'll feel stagnant.
    make it only Windows, it will feel old. Windows 11 will be great.
  • I just wish they’d bring back the NT branding. We’re ready for Windows NT 6.5
  • I think it should be Windows One to end meaningless numerical sequence. Just like in Xbox One when MSFT thought of converting the console into one home entertainment center. I think the parallel lights in the logo don't signify 11, but two parallel Windows from hereon -- Windows One (free upgrade from Windows 10) and it's subscription-based twin, Windows 365 (which may be bundled into MSFT 365), where all the subsequent premium features will be put, going forward.
  • Why doesn't the poll have an option, "Whatever".
  • Microsoft Windows or Windows One.