Windows 10X 18941: the Windows 10 that almost looked like Windows 11

Windows 10X 18941 has been leaked, and at a first look you’ll be surprised just how similar it looks to Windows 11. Thanks to Windows Insider enthusiast, @techosarusrex, who spotted this Windows 10 iteration, we have some images of it.

Based on Windows 10 1903, the Windows 10X 18941 version sports a taskbar similar to the one currently present in Windows 11: centered, with a squared Windows logo and a Desktop Manager button. When clicked, the Start button opens a Start page virtually identical to the one in Windows 11, although with slightly modified app icons.

The taskbar is very light: we can only see the hour and two icons. The Settings area, however, does not resemble the one from Windows 11. Instead, it follows the design of Windows 10.

Elsewhere, the same enthusiast posted images of the leaked Windows 10X 18985, based on version 1903. It features a similar design that brings it closer to Windows 11 but keeps the classic Windows 10 theme for its Settings page and some of its icons.

Windows 10X was still a version of Windows 10 that was supposed to be released in 2020 after Microsoft announced in 2019 that it would be an operating system for dual-screen devices, such as the Surface Neo, a now-unreleased touchscreen 2-in-1 PC.

In May 2021, Microsoft canceled it, but as you can see, many of its designs were incorporated into Windows 11, which would be released later that year.

However, if we are to trust the numbers, Windows 11 is still performing poorly three years after its release. With Windows 10 reaching EOS in less than a year, it seems that Windows 10X might have been a good idea after all—if not for the general audience, then maybe as a bridge between Windows 10 and 11.

Photo credits: @techosarusrex