Microsoft is changing how your Windows laptop tells you it’s crashing

Microsoft is shaking things up with some new changes to Windows and while some are aimed at making your experience smoother and faster, others, like the removal of the option to set up a new PC without signing in with a Microsoft Account, might ruffle the feathers of Windows 11 users who prefer a bit more freedom. And there is another change that might not sit well with everyone.

Microsoft has announced it is revamping the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). The classic blue background, frowning face and QR code are gone, replaced by a simpler error screen in black.

However, it is still unclear whether the black screen will stick around in the final update or if it will eventually turn green, as users on the beta, dev and canary channels are seeing the test builds with a green background instead. Time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – BSOD is getting a makeover.

We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”.

This marks the biggest change to the BSOD since Microsoft first added the sad face back in Windows 8. The redesigned error screen still shows the faulty driver or error message but keeps things simple with just a “your device ran into a problem and needs to restart” message.