What Was the Windows 10 Aesthetic?

Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 today, ten years after its release, and the end of support could also mark the end of a distinct "Windows 10 aesthetic" that can be studied now as a form of archaeology. Apps such as Maps, Paint 3D and Windows Mail had already been removed starting in 2024, and Windows 11 arrived in 2021 with a new visual style. To define the aesthetic, the text examines the default wallpaper, a laser installation by Bradley Munkowitz (GMUNK), the matte acrylic material of Fluent design, and nondescript hardware such as the 2018 HP EliteBook 840 and Acer Swift 3.