14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 11 will launch later this year with a massive UI overhaul, as Microsoft has decided to embrace a more modern approach and give its operating system the visual refresh users have been waiting for.
Earlier this month, however, several reports indicated the software giant was planning another change for Windows: switch to the dark mode enabled by default on all new devices.
But as it turns out, this isn’t true, as Microsoft told MSPU in a statement that the company wouldn’t change anything regarding the default visual style in Windows 11. In other words, the light mode will continue to be offered as the default setting, though OEMs would still be allowed to make any changes they’d want in this regard.
What this means is that some devices that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 could still sport a dark mode enabled by default, yet this is something only the manufacturer of the PC can decide.
“We are aware that inaccurate information about Windows 11 shipping in dark mode on by default to all commercial SKUs was recently shared and apologize for the confusion. As with all of our products, we will continue listening to customer feedback to ensure Windows 11 meets customers’ needs, wherever they are in their computing journey,” Microsoft explained.
Windows 11 coming in October
Microsoft’s overhauled interface includes rounded corners, a redesigned taskbar that now aligns icons and the Start button to the center of the screen, as well as a new Start menu that borrows the design from Windows 10X. The new Start menu gives up on live tiles for a simplified approach, with Microsoft explaining on several occasions that all changes are based on feedback received from users.
Windows 11 is expected to be released in October this year, and preview builds are already available as part of the Windows Insider program.