Microsoft announce the General Availability of Windows 11

Slightly earlier than expected, today Microsoft announced the General Availability of Windows 11 for both for new devices pre-loaded with Windows 11 and as an upgrade for eligible Windows 10 devices.

You can get Windows 11 now by purchasing new devices pre-loaded with Windows 11, and new devices still shipping with Windows 10 will be the first to be offered the upgrade.

For existing Windows 10 devices, Microsoft will begin to offer the upgrade to eligible new devices first. Then, as with previous rollouts, Microsoft will study device health data and other signals to determine the pace at which Windows 11 is offered via Windows Update.

Over time, Microsoft will make Windows 11 available to existing (in-market) devices based on hardware eligibility, reliability metrics and other factors that impact the upgrade experience. If you have a Windows 10 PC that’s eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know via the Windows Update Settings page when it’s available. Microsoft expects all eligible Windows 10 devices to be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.

Oct. 4, 2021 also marks the start of the 24-month lifecycle for the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11.

If you are running Windows 10 today, you can check to see if your device is eligible (i.e., meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 11) to upgrade using the PC Health Check app.  You can then check to see if the Windows 11 upgrade is ready for your specific device by opening Windows Update settings (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and selecting Check for updates. If your device is eligible and the upgrade is ready, the option to download and install will appear: If you are ready to install Windows 11, simply select Download and install. For more information on the Windows 11 upgrade experience, watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHGILbr189s