The tech giant has confirmed plans to overhaul the BSOD in Windows 11, with the new design scrapping the well-known blue colour, QR code and frowning face in favour of a black screen.

In a blog post, Microsoft said: "We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible.

"We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen."

Instead of the traditional look, the new-style UI reads: "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart" alongisde a percentage complete update.

At the bottom in smaller text, is a 'stop code' and a line telling you 'what failed'.

It's not clear if the BSOD screen will remain black once the final version is shipped.

For Windows Insiders - who can try the new BSOD in test versions on the Beta, Dev and Canary Channels - it appears as a green screen before it's fully rolled out.

Microsoft added: "As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a 'green screen'.

"This is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

Back in 2021, Microsoft did briefly change the BSOD from blue to black for Windows 11, but it was soon reverted back to the previous version.

The version that used now - complete with the frown face and QR codes - have been used since Windows 8 over a decade ago.