Microsoft's Windows operating system has a trail of mysteries that people are eager to see solved, and they're not limited to Google searches for Blue Screen of Death error codes, either.
From "Whatever happened to Windows 9?" to "How did we get an artificial intelligence, before decent Windows Search performance?" Everybody is looking to Microsoft for answers.
But according to one Microsoft employee manning the official Windows account on X, one question looms larger than most, humorously posting earlier this week: "It's always 'when is Windows 12 coming' and never 'how are you doing person who runs the Windows account."
Shockingly, this might count as the first official mention of Windows 12 by the Redmond-based company, even if it was only used to spice up a social media post.
When I saw it, I could only mutter "Don't do that." And not in a Hawkeye crying in the Tokyo rain, Marvel's Avengers Endgame, "Don't give me hope" way either.
I was happy when people weren't talking about Windows 12. Microsoft, especially. Nobody should be talking about Windows 12. That path only leads to disappointment. Here's why.
it’s always “when is Windows 12 coming” and never “how are you doing person who runs the Windows account”May 9, 2025
Holding out for a hero? Windows 12 isn't your savior
I've heard it time and time again from Windows 10 holdouts who refuse to upgrade to Windows 11, even as its October 14, 2025, end-of-support date rapidly approaches: "No thanks, I'll wait for Windows 12."
No doubt, those people are old enough to recognize a peculiar pattern. One where every other Windows release stumbles before being replaced by a supposedly superior alternative.
It all feels a little superstitious, but the evidence is undeniable: Windows 95, good. Windows 98, bad. Windows 98 SE, good. Windows ME, bad. Windows XP, good. Windows Vista, bad. Windows 7, good. Windows 8, bad. Windows 10, good. Windows 11, kill it with fire.
Logically, the next major milestone release, presumably Windows 12, is destined for greatness — except it isn't. If you're unhappy with the direction of Windows 11, I can guarantee that if Windows 12 exists, and whenever it arrives, you'll be equally as unhappy still.
Be careful what you wish for
Thankfully, I won't, based on a single post by one bored social media manager, that this is some dog-whistle for the supposed future operating system's imminent arrival. There's been no official-official word of Windows 12 from anybody in a position of authority at Microsoft so far, and I hope it stays that way.
If Windows 12 arrives — and I do stress the if — it'll bring with it the kind of hardware requirements that make TPM 2.0 look as trivial as insisting a keyboard includes a spacebar.
Microsoft's multi-billion-dollar AI push all but guarantees that the next milestone Windows release will be designed for the Copilot+ PC experience, demanding hefty investments from users to adopt the latest NPU-equipped hardware.
Given the operating system's current heading, Windows 12 wouldn't simply lean on AI, it would practically collapse into it, leaving hundreds of thousands of Windows 10 users wishing they'd have been more careful about what they asked for as their previously dated hardware is left looking like it should be gathering dust on a museum shelf next to the Antikythera mechanism.
If you're not happy with Windows 11, the last thing you want to be doing is haranguing Microsoft to release Windows 12. In my opinion, not even playfully.
Let's keep Windows 12 well and truly out of the discourse, at least until Microsoft is finished with its experimental AI phase and starts setting its sights on fixing what has turned so many away from its current flagship operating system in the first place..
In the meantime, there's always Linux.
