A leak of internal Microsoft materials revealed Project Aion, an experimental operating system that replaced the Start menu, desktop, and familiar way to launch programs with Copilot. A working prototype was created in 2024, but there are no signs of it being ready for release.
The internal documents were reviewed by Windows Latest. Microsoft has not confirmed the authenticity of the materials and has not publicly commented on Project Aion.
The prototype ran on a simplified Windows code base, internally called Win3. The removal of support for regular Win32 applications was intended to reduce system boot times and increase device autonomy.
Instead of a traditional desktop, Aion used a web shell based on a modified Microsoft Edge. The home screen contained a box for accessing Copilot, a selection of suggested tasks, and shortcuts to the web versions of Edge, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, Figma, and Visual Studio Code.
Each conversation with Copilot could be turned into a separate window with an automatically created icon. When closed, the dialogue was saved on the home screen so the user could return to the task later.
Spaces brought together messages, documents, websites, and web apps around a single purpose. In a demo, the system independently gathered travel planning materials from WhatsApp, Word, Expedia, Airbnb, and Turkish Airlines.
Project Aion also integrated with Microsoft 365. Copilot could search corporate emails and SharePoint, compose messages for Outlook, and attach colleagues and files to requests via Context IQ. For full desktop applications, the system offered to launch a cloud PC via Windows 365.
Aion itself wasn’t limited to Win3 computers. Internal materials describe it as a portable shell for devices based on AOSP, Windows 11, and other platforms. Microsoft has also been testing interfaces for tablets and touchscreens.
Some of Aion’s ideas later appeared in Project Solara, which Microsoft introduced at Build 2026. The official platform is also based on AOSP, uses AI agents instead of traditional applications, and can connect to Windows 365. This indicates a possible connection between the projects, but Microsoft did not call Aion a predecessor to Solara.
Recall that in June, Mezha already talked about Project Solara and two concept devices from Microsoft. At that time, the company called the platform an early concept and did not announce the timing of its commercial launch.
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