Microsoft has promised that the final version of Windows 11 will be available by the end of the year, probably in late October (coinciding with the arrival of Intel's next-generation CPU Alder Lake). But what if you upgrade and immediately regret it?

This fact is buried 20 lines deep in Microsoft's FAQ for Windows 11 (via Guru3D) and can only be seen by pressing the 'Show more' link to expand the section.

"If I don't like Windows 11, can I revert to Windows 10 after the upgrade?"

"You can revert to Windows 10 for 10 days after installing the Windows 11 upgrade.

After the initial grace period, if you absolutely do not like Windows 11, you will need to manually back up your data and perform a clean install of Windows 10, according to Microsoft.

In a way, one could think of it as a short-term trial period: 10 days is quite short, but it is better than 7 days or no trial period at all. At the very least, it is enough time to get a feel for Windows 11 and get a little familiar with the changes being introduced.

There are quite a few changes as well: Windows 11 includes major updates to the Microsoft Store (support for Android apps), improved integration of Xbox apps, and perhaps best of all (for gaming), Microsoft's DirectStorage API, along with support for the API, brings a new flavor to the user interface.

DirectStorage is the same technology injected into the Xbox Series X/S, allowing developers to better utilize today's ultra-fast NVMe interface SSDs, including both PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 models. DirectStorage is still new, but aims to improve game load times and enable faster texture processing, which could lead to more expansive game designs. Expect to see more of this in the future, but it is currently a Windows 11-only feature on PCs.

If you're on the fence about upgrading your PC to Windows 11 with only one foot in the door, you might want to wait a bit. Although technically a new operating system, it is essentially a major update, and as we have seen many times in the past, bugs and annoying quirks tend to slip through. For example, Windows 10 updates have caused files to go missing on some PCs, and updates have destroyed frame rates before Microsoft could distribute a fix.

Microsoft intends to support Windows 10 for another four years (until October 2025), so there is certainly plenty of time if you want to be patient. And if you want to go in quite the opposite direction, you can check out Windows 11 right now by installing the official Insider Preview build.