In an effort to shed its square image, Microsoft will be cutting corners next year with the next major release of its Windows 10 operating system. Rather than sharp, angular corners on windows within Windows 10, Microsoft is looking at an updated design that will have curved corners.
An image of a search window with rounded corners was posted by Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden on Twitter. He claimed that the updated look is now in testing with build 20H1. The operating system update is expected in 2020.
Though this is just a minor aesthetic change, it does bring a more modern feel to Windows. Microsoft began experimenting with rounded corners inside the latest version of its Edge browser powered by Chromium. Now, it looks like Microsoft will soon be ready to bring this design to the entire operating system.
For comparison, Apple has used rounded corners on windows in MacOS for years, and more recently, Google adopted a similar design aesthetic for Chrome OS. With Microsoft adopting this new look for Windows 10, the rounded corner design will also hit other Microsoft products, including Xbox.
“The rounded corners are coming to Fluent Design. You’ll see it all over Windows, Xbox, Office, and other products in the coming months [and] years,” Bowden said.
Microsoft has larger changes planned for Windows 10 in 2020 as well. File Explorer will reportedly get a big visual overhaul and some new functionality as part of the Fluent Design update. Though the final look of File Explorer is unknown at this time, early reports suggest that Microsoft will add some sort of app integration, leading to speculation that users will be able to search across services like Outlook and OneDrive from within the File Explorer app without having to fire up the dedicated apps.
Windows 10 faithfuls who want to experience Microsoft’s new design and get an early taste of build 20H1 can sign up for Microsoft’s Insider Preview program. Insider members will be able to test early builds and releases of Windows prior to the consumer release. For most users, running an Insider build isn’t advisable, as these early releases often contain bugs.
