Microsoft releases Windows 11 a day early

Windows 11 is now officially available to download. While Microsoft is launching Windows 11-powered hardware worldwide on October 5th, the company has made the OS update available early for eligible devices in New Zealand and beyond. If you’ve purchased a Windows 10 machine recently, that means you should be able to upgrade to Windows 11 right now.

For everyone else, the rollout of Windows 11 will be gradual. Microsoft says existing Windows 10 devices that are eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade will start to be able to upgrade today, but it will be mostly new hardware that will receive the upgrade immediately. Microsoft says, “We expect all eligible Windows 10 devices to be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.”

You can check to see if the Windows 11 upgrade is available in the Windows Update section in the Windows 10 settings area, or you may even be able to skip the queue and upgrade immediately using Microsoft’s new Installation Assistant.

Windows 11 includes a new user interface, a redesigned Start menu, an overhauled Microsoft Store, Widgets, Microsoft Teams integration, and lots more. Our full review is available here.

New Surface devices will start shipping on October 5th with Windows 11 preinstalled, alongside new PCs and laptops from Asus, Lenovo, and HP. Other PC makers like Acer, Dell, and Samsung will also be releasing new Windows 11 devices soon, too.