Windows 11 version 26H1: Everything you need to know about Microsoft's special OS release coming this spring

Microsoft is gearing up to ship a new version of Windows 11 very soon, but this time things are going to be quite different. Instead of waiting until the second half of the year like most new version updates, Microsoft will ship a new version of Windows 11 much earlier, which will only be available next-gen Arm silicon.

The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon X2-based SoC and NVIDIA N1X platform requires platform changes that aren't currently available in version 25H2, and the work needed to light up Snapdragon X2 and N1X devices is shipping as part of the next Windows platform release, codenamed Bromine.

Unlike 25H2, which is based on the same platform release as version 24H2 (codenamed Germanium,) the next version of Windows 11 looks to be based on the newer Bromine platform release. This means it's a full OS upgrade, and will only be available on new PCs with Snapdragon X2 chips at launch.

Microsoft has confirmed that this version of Windows 11 will be denoted as version 26H1, and that it won't be released as a feature update for existing Windows 11 PCs. It exists specifically to support next-gen silicon that's expected to begin shipping in the spring.

Here's everything you need to know about version 26H1.

Release date

Windows 11 version 26H1 is expected to start shipping on the first wave of Snapdragon X2-powered devices this spring. It's based on the Bromine platform release, which was finalized internally at Microsoft in November 2025 at build 28000. Since then, the company has been working to ensure version 26H1 is at feature parity with version 25H2, as both version will co-exist in the market together.

Microsoft has confirmed that version 26H1 won't ship as a feature update for version 25H2 users, meaning it won't reach general availability. You can only acquire version 26H1 by buying a new PC with a Snapdragon X2 processor, or manually installing the version 26H1 ISO media which is available online, though discouraged by Microsoft.

New features

Thanks to Microsoft's current development strategy for Windows, most in-support versions of Windows 11 are often at feature parity with each other, even when based on different platform releases. This is expected to remain the case between Germanium and Bromine for the foreseeable future.

Platform updates

Where things differ between platform releases is what's happening under the hood. Bromine is a much newer release of the Windows platform, and as such is likely more performant and efficient compared to the current version of Windows 11. We also know that it includes necessary changes that allow Snapdragon X2 devices to function.

This isn't the first time Qualcomm's next gen chips have required Microsoft to push forward a new version of the Windows platform. In 2024, Microsoft launched version 24H2 on the Germanium platform release, months before it was ready to roll out to all Windows 11 PCs. This is because Snapdragon X was launching in June, and required Germanium to function.

It seems like the same thing may be happening here. Bromine is launching early for Snapdragon X2, though this time it's currently unknown if Bromine will eventually make its way to all other Windows 11 PCs.

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