Microsoft kills the long-lasting Home windows ‘Blue Display screen of Demise.’ It seems like this now

Nearly each Home windows consumer has encountered the legendary “Blue Display screen of Demise” (or BSOD for brief) no less than as soon as. Greater than anything, the notorious error display is characterised by its brilliant blue coloration, the unhappy smiley face, and the bluntly plain “An error has occurred” message, which mix to make the display so immediately recognizable.

However Microsoft is now altering the design of the blue error display and breaking with 40 years of BSOD custom. In actual fact, it gained’t be known as a “blue display” anymore as a result of, no less than within the present preview model of Home windows 11 24H2, the error display is now utterly black. (For Home windows Insiders on take a look at variations, the error display shall be inexperienced as a substitute.)

Update: In response to The Verge, Microsoft will finalize the transition to the brand new Black Display screen of Demise for present Home windows 11 customers “later this summer season.”

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 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 way 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 again in the course of the preliminary growth of Home windows 11, however apparently discarded these modifications—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 long-lasting fame of the blue error display, which in some methods symbolizes the quite a few issues that always include Home windows updates.

If that’s the case, it’s laborious to see the redesigned error display as an enchancment—the brand new look is now much more paying homage to a funeral, because it’s utterly black and white. And regardless of the accrued baggage, the acquainted blue display 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 shall 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 revealed on April 5, 2025, however was up to date when Microsoft made BSOD’s retirement official.