Microsoft is expected to release Windows 11 during the second half of 2021, but even before the company officially announces the new OS, an early internal build (21996) leaked onto the web, giving us an early look at the upgrade experience from Windows 10 to Windows 11. In this hands-on video, you will see how the upgrade process has been updated.
The Windows 11 upgrade process hasn’t changed significantly since the OS is based on the same core available on Windows 10. In other words, Windows 11 is Windows 10 with more features and different skin.
In the process of using the Media Creation Tool, you still need to go through the same steps, except that you don’t get the option to upgrade or create an installation USB flash drive. However, this might be something that will change with the official release. Also, you have the option to keep your files, settings, and apps during the upgrade process from Windows 10.
The upgrade process takes less than 30 minutes, but the timing will depend on your hardware configuration.
Since the previous installation already had an account, you do not need to go through the out-of-box experience (OOBE). After the upgrade, you will be presented with the new desktop experience, which includes the new taskbar, Start menu, and many other features.
The video also shows that you can easily uninstall Windows 11 to roll back to Windows 10 using the same downgrade process previously available with the OS. It all takes less than 15 minutes.
This hands-on video is not meant to be an instructional guide to upgrade a device since the OS still not ready. At the time of this writing, it’s not recommended to upgrade to Windows 11.
Subscribe to the Pureinfotech YouTube channel and like the video if you find it insightful.
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].