Though a support document listed October 4, 2021 as the initial release date, Microsoft officially released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021, as an opt-in, in-place upgrade through either the Windows 11 Installation Assistant application (which can perform the upgrade, or generate an ISO image or USB install media), or via Windows Update in a phased rollout; Microsoft anticipated that Windows 11 would be available via Windows Update to all eligible devices by mid-2022. New installations of Windows 10 on eligible hardware may present an option to upgrade during the OOBE. Retail copies of Windows 11 (consisting of a license key and USB flash drive) were released on May 9, 2022, and digital licenses became available via Microsoft Store on July 28, 2022.
