Just yesterday, the Windows community got plenty of buzz around Microsoft teasing a floating taskbar for Windows 11. The UI change showed up during Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's keynote at Ignite 2022. Well, now it seems that it is not a Windows 11 UI at all, but rather a glimpse into the future and Windows 12.
According to Windows Central, the UI on the display is actually a leak of Windows 12. With Windows 11 only a year old, it is easy to think it is too early to see the next generation of the OS. However, Microsoft has apparently decided to go to a tighter upgrade schedule with new Windows platforms arriving every three years.
If that is the case, we are around 2 years away from seeing Windows 12. There is no doubt that Microsoft will already be deep into development on that future build. That may also explain why the UI shown at Ignite is a mashup of both Windows 11 and a never seen taskbar and desktop experience.
Microsoft started developing Windows 12 in March, so it is not a surprise if the basics of the UI are in place. The company is developing the new generation OS under the codename “Next Valley”. Of course, it is also still entirely possible this is an update for Windows 11 with new desktop elements.
Details
Those elements include the floating taskbar, a translucent bar on the top of the screen that looks like Apple's menu bar for macOS. Importantly, there are likely to be many changes between what Microsoft showed at Ignite (main image) and what is finally released.
Even so, the folks at Windows Central put together a clearer mockup to highlight the new UI components (above).
Tip of the day: File History is a Windows back up feature that saves each version of files in the Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and Offline OneDrive folders. Though its name implies a primary focus on version control, you can actually use it as a fully-fledged backup tool for your important documents.
