Windows 10X

• Comment: Creating blank requests like this multiple times is disruptive. echidnaLives - talk - edits 01:44, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

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Windows 10X

Version of the Windows 10 operating system
Developer	Microsoft
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Working state	Scrapped
Source model	Closed-source
Initial release	2020 (planned launch)
Update method	Windows Update
Kernel type	Hybrid (NT)
Succeeded by	Windows 11 (2021)
Support status
No support was ever issued.

Windows 10X is a cancelled edition of Windows 10, a major release of the Microsoft Windows series of operating systems. Announced by Microsoft on October 2, 2019, it was developed as an operating system to support dual-screen devices, such as the unreleased Surface Neo. 10X was expected to be released in 2020, but Microsoft later announced that the project had been cancelled in May 2021. However, some features and design changes from 10X were integrated into the newer Windows 11.

Features

New and changed

Windows 10X introduced major changes to the Windows shell, abolishing legacy components in favor of new user experiences and enhanced security, as well as some notable design changes, which were integrated into Windows 11:

• The taskbar is now centered.
• The taskbar is automatically hidden, and can be clicked/tapped to be shown.
• New start menu: Microsoft redesigned the start menu with a focus on productivity, with the search box now at the top instead of in the taskbar like in other editions of Windows 10, as well as a section of pinned apps which is the successor to the Live Tiles from other Windows 10 editions and 8.
• The Action Center has been renamed “Quick Settings” and given a redesign. Network/Internet controls, volume controls and power options have been moved to Quick Settings. There also exists an area to check notifications and control music playing from a specific app.
• Window borders have been rounded.
• The Out-of-box setup has been updated to better fit the new user interface of 10X, with a more modern design, as well as Cortana no longer being an integrated feature.
• The default UI now uses a more light theme than a dark one.
• Windows Update improvements: The Windows Update method has been improved to complete faster. Feature updates now automatically install in the background and will only reboot when required to.
• Enhanced security: 10X introduces a new security system dubbed “State Separation”; instead of installing every file (including the user’s, the system’s, the applications’, etc.) into a single, accessible partition, which allows attackers and malware to easily access system files, 10X installs system, application and other important files into a read-only partition, while leaving the user files in a separate, accessible partition. Therefore, the users and apps can only access files in the user partition.

Cancellation

In May 2021, Microsoft said that they would be shifting development resources back to the usual Windows 10 editions, and that work on 10X was on the backburner.