For most people, Windows 11 will arrive at the end of the year. However, if you can't wait for the next version of Microsoft's operating system, you can always sign up to get the Insider Preview Build (beta) directly from Microsoft.

You may be tempted to try out Windows 11. It's a pretty substantial update, with a new Start menu, productivity features like integration with Microsoft Teams, new widgets, improvements to the Microsoft Store, etc. Android apps will also be able to run on Windows 11.

Here's what you need to know about the availability of Windows 11, including instructions for joining the Windows Insider Program to get early builds of the updated software.

According to Microsoft, Windows 11 will be available "starting this holiday" for new PCs and as an upgrade for qualified PCs running Windows 10. That probably means during the last three months of 2021 for the holiday shopping season.

Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for owners of eligible Windows 10 PCs. (See below for details.) It is also expected that many new systems will ship with Windows 11 pre-installed later this year.

Microsoft has prepared a tool that can be run on a Windows 10 PC to verify that it supports Windows 11. The method is as follows.

1. go to Microsoft's Windows 11 page.

2. scroll down to Windows 11 Features and go to the Verify Compatibility section.

3. click on the link to download the PC Health Check app. If so, Microsoft says you can upgrade for free when the final version is ready.

Microsoft also lists the minimum system requirements for Windows 11. It requires a laptop or desktop computer with a compatible 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with at least two cores and 4 GB of RAM. A graphics card must have DirectX 12 compatible graphics/WDDM 2.x and at least 64 GB of storage. The screen must be at least 9 inches and have a resolution of at least 720p. Trusted Platform Module 2.0 is also required.

Yes! Windows Insider Program members will receive it starting next week; subsequent builds of Windows 11 will follow until its release later this year.

Microsoft warns that the initial build of Windows 11 to be released next week is not final and may be missing some of the features promised at the Windows 11 launch event. The missing features are expected to appear in subsequent releases of Windows 11.

To get an early build of Windows 11, you must sign up for the Windows Insider Program. Participation is free, and all you need is a Microsoft account. If you use email, Microsoft Office, OneDrive, or other services, you should already have one.

Simply go to the Windows Insider Program page and click the sign up button; you will be asked to sign in with your Microsoft account and password, follow the instructions.