Virtually each Home windows person has encountered the legendary “Blue Display of Loss of life” (or BSOD for brief) no less than as soon as. Greater than anything, the notorious error display screen is characterised by its shiny blue colour, the unhappy smiley face, and the bluntly plain “An error has occurred” message, which mix to make the display screen so immediately recognizable.
However Microsoft is now altering the design of the blue error display screen and breaking with 40 years of BSOD custom. In reality, it received’t be referred to as a “blue display screen” anymore as a result of, no less than within the present preview model of Home windows 11 24H2, the error display screen is now utterly black. (For Home windows Insiders on check variations, the error display screen might be inexperienced as a substitute.)
Replace: In response to The Verge, Microsoft will finalize the transition to the brand new Black Display of Loss of life for present Home windows 11 customers “later this summer time.”
Microsoft
It’s not simply the colour. Different iconic components are additionally apparently being eliminated, as Home windows Newest has found. For instance, it not shows a tragic smiley face or a QR code. The QR codes have been part of the blue display screen error design since 2016 with Home windows 10, and are meant to direct customers to related troubleshooting ideas.
The textual content has additionally been modified. It now says “Your gadget bumped into an issue and must restart,” which is far shorter and fewer ominous or overwhelming. It additionally says “gadget” as a substitute of “PC,” which broadens it to extra than simply desktops and laptops. The particular cause for the crash (and the error code) is displayed on the backside in a lot smaller textual content.
It’s been coming for a very long time
Microsoft allegedly developed a brand new system crash display screen again in the course of the preliminary improvement of Home windows 11, however apparently discarded these adjustments—or no less than postponed them for a later launch. Maybe that point is now, with preview builds already utilizing the brand new design.
Why does Microsoft even need to change the BSOD within the first place? That’s anybody’s guess. It’s attainable that Microsoft doesn’t like the enduring repute of the blue error display screen, which in some methods symbolizes the quite a few issues that usually include Home windows updates.
If that’s the case, it’s exhausting to see the redesigned error display screen as an enchancment—the brand new look is now much more harking back to a funeral, because it’s utterly black and white. And regardless of the accrued baggage, the acquainted blue display screen will definitely be missed by long-time Home windows customers, because it has lengthy been a historic a part of the Home windows expertise.
It’s not but recognized precisely when the brand new system crash error display screen might be rolled out to the general public model of Home windows 11. We haven’t but been capable of uncover it within the official Home windows 11 roadmap, however the change will in all probability be launched in an upcoming Patch Tuesday.
Additional studying: Each Microsoft Home windows working system, ranked
Editor’s be aware: This text was initially printed on April 5, 2025, however was up to date when Microsoft made BSOD’s retirement official.
This text initially appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
