Windows 12 predictions are already swirling, and honestly, what I think is coming next from Microsoft is going to annoy a lot of people. Windows 10 is now officially unsupported, and Windows 11 is rapidly approaching its fifth anniversary, which usually signals the end of its mainstream life. All signs point to the next major version of Windows—which we’re calling Windows 12 for now—landing sooner than we realize. So, what can we realistically expect? If Microsoft’s history is anything to go by, we are in for some irritating changes.
Everything Old Becomes New (and Annoying)
If you want to guess what Microsoft is planning next, just look at the ideas they tried and failed with in the past. They love to bring back old, unpopular concepts, polish them up, and try again.
Think about the original Edge browser. It flopped. They scrapped it and replaced it with a version built on the open-source Chromium, keeping the same name, and now it’s a key part of Windows 11. Or remember Cortana, their attempt at a digital assistant? It belly-flopped after a huge launch. Now, the idea lives on as the much more prominent and deeply integrated Copilot.
My biggest fear? That Microsoft will revive concepts from their biggest, most disastrous failure: the Surface RT. That tablet ran Windows RT, which could only install a tiny selection of apps from the Windows Store. People hated it. But Microsoft has tried to revive this restrictive “Store-only” model twice since then. They had the much-disliked Windows 10 S in 2017, and then the ill-fated Windows 10X, which was designed to run legacy Win32 apps in sandboxed containers. They paused 10X to focus on Windows 11, but I have a strong feeling that the core idea of a locked-down, Store-centric operating system is still brewing behind the scenes for Windows 12.
Get Ready for AI-Only Hardware
Artificial Intelligence is the new obsession, and Microsoft is shoving its Copilot features into every corner of Windows 11. Running these powerful AI tools takes a lot of computing power, and that power is expensive. So, I fully expect Windows 12 to be built around a strict hardware requirement that forces you to buy a new PC.
I predict that the next version of Windows will require a system that meets the new Copilot+ PC standard. This means you’ll need a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), along with higher minimum standards for memory and storage. This requirement, just like the strict rules for upgrading to Windows 11, will leave a huge number of older, perfectly good machines unable to install Windows 12. It’s a guaranteed way to drive new PC sales, and you know Microsoft loves that.
Your Trusted Apps Might Be Blocked
Why does a company want you to only use apps from its own store? For security and stability, of course. Apple has been very successful with this model on the iPhone and iPad. Microsoft would absolutely love to have that level of control over the Windows ecosystem because it blocks the most common sources of viruses and crashes. The downside? It might stop you from running that one specific, essential program you rely on.
The good news is that the Microsoft Store and Winget repository now contain a massive number of apps. The bad news is that I predict the Home version of Windows 12 will only let you install apps from a trusted source, effectively blocking traditional Win32 installers. If you want to use external, classic Windows applications, you’ll likely have to upgrade to a Pro or Enterprise edition. And even then, those apps will probably run in a secure sandbox or even in a remote, cloud-based Windows 365 environment, all designed to limit their ability to damage your core system.
Advanced Features Will Require a Subscription
Ten years ago, I was confident that a Windows subscription wasn’t going to happen. Now, I think Microsoft has finally set the stage to introduce a monthly fee for certain features.
The standard Windows that comes preinstalled on a new PC won’t go away—let’s call it Windows Core. It will be the baseline, and you can stick with it, but Microsoft will constantly try to push you towards their paid services like Microsoft 365 and Xbox Live.
The real change will be in the Pro edition. I predict the traditional, one-time license purchase for Pro will disappear. Instead, it will be replaced by a subscription package that gives you all the advanced features for a monthly fee. I can see them calling it Microsoft 365 Pro and bundling it with a ton of credits for Copilot AI usage to justify a price tag of $10 or $20 a month. This is exactly how they charge their big business customers (Microsoft 365 E3/E5), and it’s a very safe bet that they will move this profitable model down to the average Pro user.
When Will It Land?
If the Windows 11 timeline is an indicator, here’s how I think the launch will play out:
- 2026: Windows 11 development slows down as Windows 12 accelerates internally.
- 2027 (Mid-Year): The final, minor feature update for Windows 11 arrives.
- 2027 (Summer): We’ll see the first official preview of Windows 12.
- 2027 (October): My money is on the official launch of Windows 12.
While they could just call it Windows 12, Microsoft loves a “game-changer” name—think Windows XP or Windows Vista. Given the push to AI and hardware changes, the final name could be something entirely different.
