Nearly six years on from the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has finally unveiled the Windows 11 operating system, featuring a cleaner, more Mac-like design and a bunch of new features. Windows 11 will be available as a free download for existing Windows users during the 2021 holiday season, according to a Microsoft blog post published after a virtual event on Thursday.

Microsoft on June 24 announced that the next generation of Windows will have a new user interface, Windows Store, and improvements to performance. The latest Operating System was launched at Microsoft's much-hyped virtual event Thursday. It was hosted by Chief Product Officer Panos Panay.

The free upgrade will begin to roll out to eligible Windows 10 PCs around the holidays (so likely November or December), and will continue into 2022, the post said. No specific date was announced. To find out if your computer is compatible, check out Microsoft's PC Health Check app.

If you haven't updated to Windows 10 yet, you can still take advantage of a trick for downloading Windows 10 free that still works. Now would be a good time to make the switch to prepare your machine for the Windows 11 upgrade.