EmberOS
New · Windows-based OS

EmberOS

Windows underneath. Yours on top.

EmberOS is a lean, redesigned system for people who play and people who build. Windows stays the engine that runs every app and game you already use. Ember replaces everything you see and touch with a fast, glassy, keyboard-first shell.

  • Runs your Windows apps & games
  • Lean by design
  • Windows Update & Defender untouched
Follow the build on DiscordSee what's inside
21:42
ember

$ ember dev

✔ git

✔ node

✔ python

✔ wsl 2

✔ ollama

· cuda: winget install …

$ ember profile

hardware FULL

$

Gaming
  • UEFI
  • Secure Boot
  • TPM 2.0
  • DirectX 12
Atom
Atom · measuring
Illustrative render of the Ember desktop.

Status of each capability

  • In test builds
  • In development
  • Planned

“In test builds” means the code exists and has been exercised in a controlled setup. Ember as a whole hasn't been validated on real hardware yet.

The core differentiator

Atom, built into the core

Atom is the optimization engine at the heart of EmberOS. It is designed to live inside the Ember ecosystem, wired to Ember Core, the Control Center and the Launcher, instead of sitting beside the system as a separately installed app.

Atom already runs as a standalone Windows engine on a development PC. Its native integration into Ember is in development.

See Atom on its own
Frametime

Measured before and after every intervention

  • Frametime
  • 1% lows
  • Latency
  • Processes
Game profilesVALORANTCS2

Planned. Profiles will follow Atom's rule of never touching anti-cheat.

Illustration of the method. Not a benchmark result.

  1. 01

    Hardware-aware optimization

    Detects your CPU, GPU, RAM and storage, and only tries changes that make sense for that machine.

  2. 02

    Per-game profiles

    Profiles tuned for specific titles, starting with VALORANT and CS2.

  3. 03

    Benchmarks before and after

    Every intervention is measured against a baseline, so a change has to prove itself.

  4. 04

    Real metrics

    Frametime, 1% lows, latency and process count, not just an average FPS number.

  5. 05

    Snapshots and rollback

    The previous value of everything Atom touches is journaled first, so harmful changes can be reverted.

  6. 06

    Consistency first

    Built to favour stability and low latency over a headline maximum FPS.

How the pieces fit

Three layers. Each one depends only on the one below it.

Ember Shell

In development
  • Shell
  • Control Center
  • Launcher

The interface. Everything you see and touch, and how you interact with the system.

Ember Core

In test builds

Shared services. Permissions, configuration and coordination. The single point the layers above talk to.

Engines and modules

Atom Engine

In development

Optimization, benchmarks and rollback.

System Monitor

In development

Telemetry, processes and performance metrics.

System modules

In test builds

Updates, recovery, hardware detection and other components.

Simplified diagram of the target architecture.

Everything around Atom

Select a capability to see what exists today and what doesn't.

  • A shell of its own, built step by step on top of Windows. It's an interface, not a visual theme.

    • Launcher with app and command search, opened with Alt+Space
    • Floating Dock and workspaces
    • Ember Files, a file explorer of its own
    • Control Center with a premium glass design
    • Transparency, blur and materials inspired by modern desktops
    • Global shortcuts and consistent navigation

One base, several experiences

Experiences are profiles on a single Ember install, not separate operating systems or ISOs.

In development

Built to play

Your library, ready before you queue.

  • Finds your games

    Steam, Epic and Riot libraries are detected automatically, no manual setup.

  • Launch-ready checks

    UEFI, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 and DirectX 12 verified up front, with a clear VALORANT readiness report.

  • Session history

    Records every play session, only while you have it switched on. Nothing runs in the background.

  • Atom-ready

    Hands each session off to Atom, the Aeros performance engine, to measure and tune safely.

  • Hands off anti-cheat

    Designed to leave Secure Boot, TPM, drivers and the kernel exactly as Windows ships them.

Lean by design

Targets and measurements, not promises.

≤ 60
idle process target, being validated on virtual machines
30
services tuned in the lean profile
25
scheduled background tasks quieted
3
Ember-owned power profiles

Where it stands

Honest status, no vapor.

  1. 0.1

    Base image

    Done

    Reproducible Windows 11 base with a lean, scripted setup.

  2. 0.2

    Core apps

    Done

    Ember Core, Control, Files, Gaming and Developer tools.

  3. 0.3

    Glass shell

    Done

    Baked-glass visual language, workspaces and optional tiling.

  4. 0.4

    Ember is the shell

    In progress

    Own desktop, tray and installer. Code complete, now in virtual machine testing.

  5. Beta

    Public preview

    Next

    Real hardware and anti-cheat validation first, then a public download.

Open to collaborators

Collaborate with Ember

Ember is a small, independent project. If you write code, design interfaces, test on unusual hardware or simply care about a better Windows experience, we'd like to hear from you.

Get in Touchember@aerosdev.com

Be there when it lights up

Follow the build, see early screenshots and get the first beta the moment it's ready.

Follow the build on DiscordBack to Aeros