Windows 11 is available to download now, even though it comes out tomorrow

Windows 11 logo on a blue, folded backdrop
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Windows 11 is officially supposed to be available for download on October 5, but it seems like the new operating system is available earlier than expected. 

The download page for Windows 11 is live now, which means you can download the operating system, either using a local installation wizard or by creating install media, like an .iso file or by using a thumb drive. This means you can likely bypass the high standards of the operating system and install it now and won't have to wait for Windows Update to yell at you. 

If you don't want to go through that process, you can check if it's available for you through Windows Update, but there's a pretty good chance it won't be at first, as Microsoft tends to release new operating systems in waves. We know our PC doesn't have it in Windows Update yet, but we're totally downloading it right now anyways.


Analysis: should you download Windows 11 early?

Windows 11 is a free upgrade for anyone that's using Windows 10, which means there's no barrier to entry for the new operating system beyond Microsoft's own system requirements – and even those seem to be more guidelines than rules. 

But with the operating system releasing officially tomorrow, this is about as early adopter as you can get, and you have to ask yourself whether it's really worth upgrading this early. While in our brief time with it, it's been relatively smooth, it's still the early days of an entirely new operating system and there are some bugs that could pop up. 

Our advice would be to avoid it on your main machine until the operating system has had at least a couple of updates, just to see if anything goes catastrophically wrong with Microsoft's latest operating system. 

If you are lucky enough to have multiple computers that are eligible for the new operating system, absolutely go for the upgrade, but do it on a machine that won't inconvenience you too terribly if something breaks. 

This is a developing story...

Via the Verge

Jackie Thomas

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. Previously, she was TechRadar's US computing editor. She is fat, queer and extremely online. Computers are the devil, but she just happens to be a satanist. If you need to know anything about computing components, PC gaming or the best laptop on the market, don't be afraid to drop her a line on Twitter or through email.