Don’t Install a Leaked Build of Windows 11
An unfinished build of what will supposedly be Windows 11 has leaked online and people are installing it. Based on first impressions, it looks like Windows users are facing a major overhaul, with screenshots showing an all-new macOS-like desktop layout, a revamped Windows Explorer interface, new Start menus, and some of the best built-in Windows wallpapers ever.
Some people are excited about the changes, others not so much, but it’s safe to say that everyone is at least interested in learning about Microsoft’s still technically unannounced operating system (the upcoming Sun Valley update for Windows 10 is expected to be renamed Windows 11). That said, you probably shouldn’t install the leaked Windows 11 update.
The reason is the same as when we warn against installing beta builds of other operating systems and test applications such as Chrome Canary: Windows 11 unfinished and unstable. The Windows 11 leak is also technically unofficial, so if you install it and something breaks, Microsoft won’t help you fix it – and something is likely to break given how notorious bugs are in official Windows updates.
You also can’t install Windows 11 through official channels (you won’t find it on Windows Insider Channels), which means you’ll have to download it elsewhere, and hackers and phishers like to trick unsuspecting users with malicious links masquerading as leaked software.
I won’t deny that trying new products early is fun, but there’s a reason Microsoft hasn’t announced Windows 11 yet, let alone a beta release. Developers, journalists, and high-end users will probably be able to try Windows 11, but regular users should stay away until Microsoft releases an official beta.
Quite frankly, you should probably also avoid official previews, for many of the reasons we’ve covered, unless you have a secondary PC that you can test on and keep your primary PC reliably running Windows 10.
Other Windows 10 users might want to try Windows 11 to “prepare” their PC’s operating system for the future, but fear not. Leaking Windows 11 will not only be an incomplete experience compared to Windows 10, Microsoft recently confirmed that it will support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025, so even after the official launch of Windows 11, Windows 10 will continue to receive important security updates for several years. …
Of course, this does not affect any forced update strategies that Microsoft may be pushing to move users to Windows 11 even if Windows 10 is still active, but in theory you should be able to safely use Windows 10 for a while if you want to. And for the foreseeable future, sticking to Windows 10 is exactly what you should be doing.
[ Tech Radar ]