Windows 11 has been available to users since launching in September 2021. Despite moving towards being a mature operating system, Windows 11 still has remnants of its predecessor. There is plenty of legacy stuff from Windows 10 hidden in the Win11 OS. However, Microsoft is making moves to make changes to remove those defunct features.
According to WindowsLatest, Microsoft is planning a big overhaul of Windows 11 in 2024 despite the company also continuing development of Windows 12. A part of the reimagining of Windows 11 will be cleaning the OS of legacy tools.
Some of those are more obvious than others. For example, the old taskbar and system tray are still on Windows 11, while components of the old File Explorer are also still around. Of course, Microsoft has overhauled the File Explorer since Windows 10, but removing older components will further modernize Windows 11.
Over on the Canary Channel, Windows Insiders are currently testing Windows 11 Preview Build 25921, which is removing some of the legacy components. Specifically, the old taskbar and system tray are finally saying goodbye and heading into the sunset.
An Ongoing Process Extending into 2024
It is worth noting this is an ongoing process and Microsoft is at the start. You may notices some older parts of the OS are leaving, while others will stick around, and then some you may not even notice.
Either way, Microsoft will be culling components over the coming months and into 2024. For example, the taskbar from Win10 is still visible but the system tray is now non-functioning because Microsoft has removed infrastructure code for the feature.
If you are a Windows 11 user, you may be completely unaware of what's going on. You may not have seen the “old” File Explorer. That's because they are hidden even though they remain on Windows 11. Users can choose to switch to the legacy interface by going to the “C:” directory in the File Explorer address bar to switch to the Windows 10 version.
