What's next for Windows 11? — Microsoft readies big feature updates for next month and beyond

Microsoft is readying its next big feature drop for Windows 11 users, which is expected to be made generally available in September. Thanks to the Windows Insider Program and the latest Release Preview build of Windows 11, we now have a pretty good idea as to what features will begin rolling out to users in the next handful of weeks, so let's dig in!

The next Windows 11 feature drop is expected to include a number of improvements to all parts of the system, including Copilot+ features like Recall and Click To Do, as well as non-Copilot+ features like the Taskbar, Windows Search, and the Lockscreen.

Let's start with the non-Copilot+ features first, as these will be available to all Windows 11 users. With the next feature drop, Microsoft is adding improvements to Windows Search that will better display photos in search results when you search for them. Now, images will show in a handy grid view.

Search will also now tell the user when files are still being indexed, giving you a heads up that results may not be entirely accurate while this process takes place.

Elsewhere, Microsoft is finally bringing customizable widgets to the lock screen on Windows 11. This feature first rolled out in the European Economic Area a number of months ago, and is now being made generally available globally, letting all Windows 11 users choose which widgets appear on the lock screen, including third-party ones.

This next feature drop will also include a redesigned Windows Hello interface. If you authenticate with biometrics on Windows 11, you'll notice a new interface that's a little cleaner and easier to identify than before.

There's also a lot of quality of life improvements coming with this next update, too. Lots of Settings and permission popups have been modernized, the Taskbar calendar flyout now has the option to display the time with seconds again, and the Task Manager has been updated to use standard metrics to show CPU workload consistently across all pages.

For those using a Copilot+ PC, there's quite a few updates coming your way too. Recall is getting a brand new landing page inside the app, which highlights a selection of recent snapshots and workflows it thinks you might want to jump back into. The timeline interface has been moved over to a separate page.

Click To Do is also getting some updates, including a new tutorial that teaches you how to use it if you've never done so before. The File Explorer is getting an AI powered Actions feature, which ties into Click To Do and lets you jump into an AI action directly from the context menu in File Explorer when right-clicking on an image or document.

If you're using an Intel or AMD powered Copilot+ PCs, this update will also enable the AI agent in the Settings app, something that first launched on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs a number of weeks ago. It's now available for all Copilot+ PCs!

We've just mentioned the highlights, but there's even more coming in the update to look forward to, including a whole bunch of fixes and general quality of life improvements. Be sure to check out the Windows Blog for an in-depth breakdown of everything that's expected to begin rolling out in the coming weeks.

That's not all that's left for Windows 11 in 2025, either. Microsoft is still working on a number of big features for Windows users that are expected to debut later this year, likely in the October or November timeframe. These features include a brand new Start menu that's more customizable and larger, letting you show more pinned apps and remove the Recommended area within Start.

There's also a better system-wide dark mode on the way that is compatible with more parts of the File Explorer, such as legacy file copy and deletion popups. There have also been hints of an AI companions feature coming to the Taskbar, though we're not sure if that's going to show up before the end of the year.

The company is also preparing the next big Windows 11 version update, known as Windows 11 version 25H2. Currently, we know version 25H2 will share the same platform release and servicing stack as version 24H2, which means we likely won't see any features specific to version 25H2, but I suspect the company will still be interested in timing the release of some new features alongside it.

In the meantime, what are you most looking forward to seeing on Windows 11 in the coming weeks as we head into the fall? Let us know in the comments below.