Just when you thought it was over, Windows 12 rumours surface

Windows 12 fake final final logo
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Windows 10 was meant to be our lot. Then Windows 11 stormed in, arms flailing. And just when we thought Microsoft was through churning out new operating systems, rumours have surfaced that a Windows 12 may well be in development.

Computerbase reports that "developments on the new operating system are already set to begin," according to a now-redacted tweet from security expert SwiftOnSecurity.

The original post has been taken down now, with the tweet having "not been well received by Microsoft," says Computerbase. But the fact this came from a user who's touting an official 'Most Valuable Professional' (MVP) award, coupled with the fact Microsoft took notice all, adds yet more plausibility to Deskmodder's claims that work on Windows 12 would be starting from March this year.

SwiftOnSecurity had apparently joked in their original post about Windows 12 requiring two TPM modules. Imagine the uproar that would cause (if it were actually possible), especially after the state the internet was in after Windows 11 announced the TPM requirements for Windows 11, then swiftly revealed how to bypass them just to calm everyone down.

Should these claims of an incoming Windows 12 OS be true, Microsoft is likely to be moving away from the infrastructure used in Windows 10, as  WindowsUnited  suggests. 

We're of the opinion that Windows 11 should have just been released as a Windows 10 update, anyway, but Windows 12 we'd welcome as a standalone OS. That is, provided the company does do a full overhaul and not just update some of the Windows 11 UI.

As usual, take claims like this with a pinch of salt. 

Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been demystifying tech and science—rather sarcastically—for three years since. She can be found admiring AI advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. She's been heading the PCG Steam Deck content hike, while waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.