A new edition of Windows 11 has been making the rounds over the weekend. Called Windows 11 Government Edition, screenshots of it were posted on Twitter by Andy Kirby (via Günter Born).
According to Kirby, the edition is "maximally debloated with all telemetry and Microsoft apps removed as well as no hardware restrictions".
Several screenshots show various apps and elements of the edition. The Start menu, for example, shows no pinned icons or recent items. All Apps, another section of the Start menu, lists just five apps and a folder.
The five apps include surprises, as Windows Backup appears to be installed. This cloud-powered backup option is not something that one would expect on government PCs running Windows 11.
Core apps, including Microsoft Edge or Microsoft Defender Antivirus, are not installed as part of the edition.
Furthermore, since the edition does not enforce Windows 11's new system requirements, the operating system can be installed on devices with older hardware.
The truth behind the government edition of Windows 11
Do governments get a special edition of Windows 11? While there is a possibility that Microsoft is making concessions, this particular edition is not an official version of Windows 11.
It is a custom build of Windows 11 that has been modified heavily. You may remember Tiny11, another custom build that removed many Windows 11 components to create a smaller and lightweight version of Windows.
The government edition is available via P2P. According to an analysis on MDL, it is using an unofficial Windows activation service for activation and is therefore fake.
Closing Words
While it is certainly possible that Microsoft is creating special editions for government, it would likely never remove apps like Edge or Defender.
While this government edition of Windows 11 is fake, it is still something that many users might want. Windows 11 without Telemetry, ads, and other unwanted features that Microsoft seems to add on a constant basis? It seems unlikely that the majority of users would be opposed to the idea.
Add to that the ability to install the operating system on older devices, and you end up with a highly desirable version of Windows, that is unfortunately fake.
Furthermore, even if the edition would exist, it would not be available to mere mortals. Consumers, businesses, and even the majority of Enterprise customers, would not gain access to a Windows 11 government edition.
Even if it may be tempting to download this Windows 11 edition from P2P and install it on a device, it is not recommended unless it is for testing or documentation purposes. Windows 11 ISO images on P2P have been used in the past to distribute malware, and the risk associated with installing and using such an edition is high.
What about you? Would you use such an edition of Windows 11, if it would be real and available for picking?
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