Microsoft is replacing its iconic "Blue Screen of Death" with a "Black Screen of Death" after over 40 years. The change, announced in a blog post, aims to improve Windows resilience following a major 2024 outage. The new black screen features a simplified error message and a restart progress indicator, providing a streamlined experience for users encountering unexpected restarts. This updated error screen will roll out later this summer on Windows 11 (version 24H2).

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.