[Windows 11] indospot:
Welcome to the official thread for discussing all things leaks/rumors related to Windows 11. We're currently expecting Microsoft to announce Windows 11 on June 24, and before we get started, you may want to take a look at what we already know about the new OS. Now, onto the leaks and rumors.

Windows 11 will have rounded corners​

Alright, so this is mentioned in our dedicated Windows 11 page, but we've actually gotten a look at these rounded corners a couple of times. All the way back in November 2020, Microsoft added some mockups of apps with rounded corners to the Tips app on Windows 10, which Windows Latest was quick to spot. We can see it in places including a Wi-Fi connection flyout and the Settings app. One thing that's interesting about this particular leak is that there are some other UI elements we have yet to see. For example, the Settings app has its own icon in the title bar, but currently, apps only show their name here.

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Later, in April of this year, Microsoft posted a tweet with a picture of Windows Terminal running. Once again, the app had rounded corners, which aren't officially available. The tweet was then deleted, but not before the aforementioned Windows Latest spotted it.

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And we've seen it yet again in a blog post ahead of this year's Build event, where Microsoft included a tiny "Hello world!" app window using rounded corners.

Windows Central's Zac Bowden has also shared some mockups of what the rounded corners might end up looking like in "Sun Valley", which is the codename for the visual refresh that we're expecting with Windows 11. This also includes a floating Start menu, instead of it being right next to the taskbar. We've also heard that there may be a whole new Start menu entirely, but what that looks like is a mystery. It's reported to be inspired by what we saw on Windows 10X before it was cancelled.

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Revamped Action Center​

Another thing we've seen in leaks is a new Action center design, which seems to be designed to improve the experience for touch screens. In this animation captured by Windows Latest, you can see how it will apparently be possible to drag to expand the quick actions panel in the Action center.

We've also had the chance to see a new Action center in Windows 10X, and Microsoft says it's bringing some elements of Windows 10X to regular Windows, so it's possible it will look a bit more like this image from Windows Central:

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In fact, in some Windows Insider builds, it's been possible to enable an Action Center that looks more similar to this (though it requires some tinkering), so it's also safe to assume we'll see something along these lines.

More customization​

One thing that was spotted very recently is support for changing the appearance for the touch keyboard in Windows 11. Based on the leaks, you'll be able to set a background image your the keyboard, but also change the color of the key overlays, labels, and borders. This makes quite a bit of sense as Microsoft owns SwiftKey, a popular Android and iOS keyboard that also offers customization options in this vein.

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On the topic of customization, Twitter user Albacore also noted that you might be able to use Windows Spotlight as your desktop background. Right now, Windows Spotlight is only available for Windows 10 on the lock screen, and it lets you see a different image every day, sometimes themed around holidays around the world.

And beyond visual customization, Albacore also spotted a "Device usage" page in the Settings app, which lets you specify how you plan to use your computer. Windows 10 already asks you about this when you set it up for the first time, but it looks like you might be able to change it whenever you'd like with this feature.

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Battery usage details​

One more feature uncovered by Albacore towards the end of last year was a new design for the battery usage page in the Settings app. This will give users more detailed insights into how battery has been used during the last seven days or 24 hours. You can also see the screen-on and screen-off time, and time spent in sleep mode.

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A new Microsoft Store​

According to a report from Windows Central, Microsoft is planning to overhaul the Store to allow unpacked Win32 apps to be published on the Store. It will also allow developers to use their apps and updates on their own content delivery networks, and it'll also be possible to use third-party commerce platforms. This should help the more reluctant developers transition to the Store, and make it a hub for all the apps you're used to installing.

Of course, the Store app itself will also be updated visually to fall in line with the rest of the UI elements in Windows 11, but we have yet to see that in action.

Microsoft itself might have teased some improvements to the Microsoft Store. A few weeks ago, the company talked about the gaming experience on PC on its Xbox Wire blog, and promises improved "install reliability and faster downloads". Currently, installing games using the Xbox app on Windows 10 uses the Microsoft Store to power downloads and installs behind the scenes, so this announcement could be hinting at some improvements on that front. It's true that downloading apps from the Microsoft Store can be a clunky experience, so hopefully, this also turns out to be true.

That's all the stuff we've seen for now, but we're bound to see more and more over the next few months. Once Microsoft acknowledges Windows 11 and begins releasing preview builds, more and more bits will likely begin to surface.