- Microsoft is dropping Windows 10X development, according to a rumor.
- Instead, the company will work to bring 10X features to Windows 10.
- The first wave of Windows 10X features are expected to arrive with Windows 10 21H2.
Microsoft no longer has plans to release the Windows 10X variant of its desktop operating system. According to a recent report from Petri, sources familiar to the project, the software giant won’t bring Windows 10X to market this year. The report even suggests that it may never happen.
Windows 10X was originally introduced back in 2019. It was supposed to be a new lightweight operating system with a new modern user interface for dual-screen and foldable devices to compete with the ChromeOS. Then the company refocused the project as a single-screen experience for education and first-line workers with the promise to bring it to other form factors later. But after multiple plan changes and delays, it appears that Microsoft is now dropping the development entirely (at least for now).
However, the intentions of a new version of Windows 10 with an interface redesign still in the works, as the company is still expected to bring a much-needed UI refresh with version 21H2 (a project currently known as “Sun Valley”), including with many elements previously planned for Windows 10X.
This is not the first time Microsoft fails to create a modern version of the desktop operating system since we have already seen other failed projects, including Windows RT and Windows 10S, and now the latest attend with Windows 10X. So, it may seem like that the future of Windows 10 will always be just trying to improve the version we have since every attempt by the company, up until now, has failed.
However, there are many reasons why the company will not even try to bring Windows 10X to market. According to the Petri report, the “timing and market conditions” do not favor Microsoft at this time, and sources say that people are not currently looking for a solution that the new variant would fix or improve. Instead, they want those 10X features ported to Windows 10.
While this may come as a surprise and disappointment to many, perhaps it is a good decision from the company to halt the project now, before it backfires.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].