Microsoft creates new lightweight version of Windows 10

Apr 23, 2018 05:34 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 Redstone 5 could bring more changes to Windows 10, and this time, they’re not just coming down to features and improvements.

It looks like the debut of Redstone 5 is seen by Microsoft as the perfect occasion to introduce what appears to be a new Windows 10 version currently called “Lean” and which could unveil as a stripped-down version of the operating system, without unnecessary packages.

A recent discovery made by Twitter user @tfwboredom indicates that the installer for Windows 10 Lean started shipping with build 17650 for the Skip Ahead ring as part of the Windows Insider program. “It seems to be heavily cut down,” he says, noting that an x64 clean install is 2GB smaller than the Pro sibling.

No wallpaper

This means Microsoft removed a lot of packages from the core operating system, and in a follow-up tweet, the same user reveals that “by default, there is no wallpaper.” Interestingly enough, while apps like the Registry Editor (regedit) are missing, they can be imported, so Windows 10 Lean doesn’t come with any restrictions regarding Win32 software installation.

It’s being speculated that Windows 10 Lean could be part of the Windows 10 S/S Mode project, though this doesn’t appear to be the case right now.

On the other hand, Microsoft was believed to be working on a stripped-down version of Windows 10 called Polaris that would eventually be used to power the company’s new “mobile device.” Polaris was supposed to be an evolved version of Windows 10 S/S Mode and come without the legacy Win32 components, though by the looks of things, Lean doesn’t appear to go in this direction. At least, not right now.

There’s obviously a lot more to discover on this front and Windows 10 Lean appears to still be in its early days, so expect more such information and details to surface as we get closer to the fall debut of Redstone 5.