Microsoft said on Monday that its new operating system Windows 10 will be available on July 29.

It will be offered as a free upgrade to those currently using Windows 7 and 8.1.

The platform is touch-friendly and will see the return of the start bar and the debut of a new browser called Edge.

The company said tablets and PCs running Windows 10 will go on sale from the July date, while phones running the OS will arrive later in the year.