When discussing Windows, one of the first things that often comes to mind is the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Microsoft is making a notable change to this long-standing feature after almost four decades, transitioning from the recognizable blue error screen to a new black screen for error messages.

In a recent blog post, Microsoft announced that users will encounter a black screen instead of the traditional blue one when their devices face unexpected issues. This change is part of a broader update initiative prompted by significant incidents like the CrowdStrike outage last year, which disrupted around 8.5 million Windows devices across various sectors, including businesses and airports.

To address issues like these, Microsoft launched the Windows Resiliency Initiative aimed at enhancing the stability and security of Windows devices. This initiative includes the introduction of a fast system recovery feature designed to manage unexpected restarts, thereby reducing downtime for users.

Although the announcement mainly highlighted improvements in user interface (UI), it underscored the end of the BSOD era. The new black screen design, which users will soon see, aligns better with the overall aesthetic of Windows 11 while still providing essential technical information when needed.

The company noted that the Windows 11 24H2 release has also improved crash dump collection, allowing for an average downtime of about two seconds during unexpected restarts. Microsoft confirmed that this design change will roll out to all Windows 11 version 24H2 devices later this summer.

This marks the end of the Blue Screen of Death, a feature that has been part of the Windows experience since its introduction with Windows 3.0 in 1990.