The software giant started testing its new design changes in a Windows 11 preview earlier this week, but the Black Screen of Death isn't fully enabled yet.

The black screen will match the new black logon and shutdown screens.

It's the first major change to the BSOD since Microsoft added a sad face to the screen in Windows 8 in 2012, and QR codes in 2016. Microsoft first introduced the BSOD in Windows 3.0, offering a way for IT professionals and support personnel to diagnose hardware and memory faults.

A BSOD is Windows' own kernel error or bug check, and it usually includes a dump of data that can help system administrators analyze what system fault caused the blue screen. While Microsoft is switching to a Black Screen of Death in Windows 11, the screen is identical to the one found in Windows 10 otherwise.

The sad face remains, as does the stop code and crash dump. The current preview of Windows 11 includes a green BSOD, a colour that Microsoft has been using for Windows Insider builds since 2016.