Microsoft Working on Windows 10 Lean Edition for Devices With as Low as 16GB Storage: Report

Microsoft is reportedly planning a new edition of Windows 10, apparently called 'Windows 10 Lean'. It is 2GB smaller in size compared to a regular edition of Windows 10 such as the Windows 10 Pro. The Lean edition is said to have been designed for devices with less storage and will reportedly be offered to OEMs to be used in low-end laptops and tablets.

The new Windows 10 Lean edition was first spotted by Twitter user Lucan, who found references in the latest publicly released Windows 10 test build (17650). According to Lucan, Microsoft is reducing the OS's storage space needs by getting rid of components that are unnecessary on low-cost devices, such as the Internet Explorer. Interestingly, as per the images shared, even Registry Editor appears to have been removed.

As usual, Microsoft has not revealed any official information about the Windows 10 Lean edition. Meanwhile, as per a Windows Central report, the upcoming SKU will be available for devices that have 16GB of storage. It is said to have been mainly designed to ensure these devices receive Windows updates. Usually, low-end device users download apps, media, and files that prevent Windows updates from getting the necessary free space to upgrade to future updates of the operating system. Microsoft is planning to fix it with the Lean edition.

The Windows 10 Lean edition is similar to the classic Windows OS, "just streamlined so that it better fits on devices with smaller internal storage." As per the report, Windows 10 Lean will not remove support for legacy apps, meaning it will still have full Win32 app support. It is not a part of Windows Core OS nor will it run on Andromeda.

The report adds that Microsoft is also working on Windows 10 Lean to ensure updates do not encounter rollbacks. This essentially means that the update install times could be slower on Windows 10 Lean to support higher install success rates.