Windows 11’s new Black Screen of Death is now rolling out

Microsoft is now starting to change its Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to a newly designed black version. It’s the first major change to the BSOD since Microsoft added a sad face to the screen in Windows 8, and Microsoft is now removing that frowning face and QR code in favor of a more simplified black screen.

The new BSOD is rolling out to Windows 11 Release Preview users today, meaning it should appear for all Windows 11 users in a matter of weeks. The simplified BSOD looks a lot like the black screen you normally see during a Windows update.

It will list the stop code and faulty system driver, making it easier for Windows users and IT admins to see what’s causing a BSOD on a PC. “This is really an attempt on clarity and providing better information and allowing us and customers to really get to what the core of the issue is so we can fix it faster,” said David Weston, vice president of enterprise and OS security at Microsoft, in an interview with The Verge in June.

Microsoft did briefly turn the BSOD to a black screen in test builds of Windows 11 in 2021 , but this time it’s making the change permanent. The change to the BSOD arrives as part of an update to Windows 11 that also includes Microsoft’s new Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) feature, which is designed to quickly restore machines that can’t boot properly. QMR is part of larger effort by Microsoft to improve the resiliency of Windows in the wake of last year’s CrowdStrike incident.