Don’t install the leaked version of Windows 11. Here’s why.

In case you hadn’t heard, Windows 11 is coming. Many rumors have been circulating ahead of the big Windows event on June 24, and then just a few days ago, an early build leaked out.

Although it’s not a giant visual change from Windows 10, there are interface tweaks including more rounded corners, snap controls that let you pin a window to a spot in your screen, a new Widgets icon in the taskbar, an integrated Xbox app, and a new Windows setup experience.

We’re guessing you’re probably going to love parts of it and definitely not others. But this is also still a work in progress and, as we shouldn’t forget, an unofficial look. Microsoft hasn’t acknowledged anything about this build yet, but it’s very much Windows 11 regardless.

It’s easy to get carried away, and the urge to join in on the fun is probably eating at you day and night, but just slow down a minute. We’re here to have you proceed with caution.

Here’s the thing: You shouldn’t go and download it. There’s no shortage of press coverage of Windows 11, including our own, taking the risks so you don’t have to. For instance, this can be categorized as stolen software. Even if you activate it with a legitimate Windows 10 license code, don’t forget that this is a software you’re not supposed to have right now. Nobody outside of Microsoft is.

The other side of that coin is that you also can’t install Windows 11 through official channels (you won’t find it on the Windows Insider Channels), meaning you’d have to download it elsewhere—and hackers and phishers love to dupe unsuspecting users with malicious links masquerading as leaked software. It’s why many have opted to run Windows 11 in a virtual machine — essentially a PC within a PC. But running Windows 11 through a virtual machine greatly dampers its effectiveness, as software is being used to emulate hardware. 

Therefore, as your reliable and trustworthy experts in the field, we urge caution and ultimately to stay away. Of course, if you do go ahead and download it, make sure you’re not putting it on your only machine or one you rely on for work. It may also be wise to use a virtual machine to isolate it from anything important or irreplaceable. Just in case.

 

Good luck!