We have been talking for a long time about the great redesign that Microsoft is preparing for Windows 10 21H2 , the second update this year. While 21H1 is going to be a small update, by the end of the year we will receive the long-awaited big update of the operating system, an update that, as we see every so often, will arrive full of changes and news. And one of the aspects that will receive the biggest facelift is the operating system interface.
Microsoft has been gradually changing the appearance of Windows 10 since its launch in 2015. For example, one of the aspects that has changed has been the desktop background, going from the classic initial dark background to the light Windows background. It has also changed some elements such as the start menu to give them a much more modern look, the search engine or Cortana. All these changes have been part of the evolution of Windows 10 as an operating system, although to be honest they were minor changes.
The “Vibranium” branch of Windows 10 will end with the arrival of Windows 10 21H1, a small update of the operating system. And, with the arrival of 21H2, a new branch of development of the system will begin: “Cobalt”. And, with this new branch, big changes will come to the OS such as, for example, rounded corners throughout the interface and a series of floating elements never before seen in this system.
This is the floating start menu and round corners of Windows 10
The first of the changes that most caught our attention has been the new floating start menu that will reach the operating system. The operating system’s start menu has always been anchored to the taskbar. When you clicked the start button, it would be displayed next to it, and when you clicked it again, it would be collected. Without space.
Now, with the arrival of Sun Valley , this concept is going to change. Microsoft is going to add a space between the taskbar and the start menu that will make it appear that it is “floating” above said bar.
If you look closely, levitate the new start menu is not the only thing Microsoft has done. Until now, the corners of this menu were square, like those of the entire interface . However, in the previous screenshot we can see that the corners are round. And this change will also extend to many other elements of the operating system, such as, for example, contextual menus.
And we can also find these new rounded corners in the drop-down menu of the programs anchored to the taskbar. This drop-down menu will also be floating above the taskbar, just like the start.
At the moment we do not know if these round corners will reach other Windows elements, such as the Settings window, or any operating system window. What is certain is that major aesthetic changes are coming to Windows 10. And, as always, there will be followers and detractors of it.
When will these changes arrive
For now, not even Windows 10 Insider users can enjoy these news. Microsoft still considers them too experimental for users to work with. What we can know is thanks to leaks of the internal versions of the company itself.
However, 21H2 should already be in a fairly advanced stage of development. Therefore, it should not take too long to receive a new build that activates this new interface to all users targeted to the Insider program, within the Dev channel.
Windows 10’s next big update should reach users this fall, but literally nothing is known about its possible release at the moment. We will still have to wait a long time for it.
