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Leak claims Microsoft will use macOS as inspiration for Windows 12 design.

Regardless of how recently Microsoft has introduced a new version of Windows or made a big update available, rumors regarding “the future edition of Windows” are perpetually circulating. However, the firm gave solid reason for people to start looking to and speculating about the future at the most recent Microsoft Ignite conference by allegedly revealing an update look for Windows — perhaps Windows 12?

There isn’t a lot of information available, but a still from the video of Ignite’s opening keynote speech depicts a different-looking version of Windows. a version of Windows that clearly takes design cues from macOS. a variation of Windows with a top-of-the-screen menu bar in the manner of macOS and a floating taskbar.

Microsoft — perhaps accidentally — shared footage showing a previously unseen look for Windows. In a video about Microsoft Teams and immersive experiences for Meta Quest, there is a very brief glimpse of a Windows desktop that looks very much like Windows 11, but with a few tweaks here and there.

The new look was shared on Twitter by FireCube Studios:

If you skip through the video below to the 42 minute 44 second mark, you can see what all the fuss is about.

Pretty much everything is unknown. It is not clear whether this is a concept that Microsoft is considering, or if it is the future design of the Windows desktop. It could be that whoever recorded the footage was using third-party tools to customize the look of their desktop, but as Microsoft has said nothing about it, we can only speculate.