Microsoft has officially announced that the next version of Windows 11 is in development and is set to launch this fall as Windows 11, version 26H2. This release will be made available as an update to all Windows 11 users on 25H2 and 24H2, and is based on the same platform release as those versions, codenamed Germanium.
That means the update will be a small enablement package style release, taking only a few minutes to download and install. This also means that 26H2 will share the same featureset as 25H2 and 24H2, with the only differences being minor surface-level differences and platform enhancements.
Microsoft is now testing 26H2 preview builds in the Insider Experimental channel under the 26300 series of builds.
Windows 11 version 26H1 shipped earlier in 2026, which is based on a newer version of the Windows platform, codenamed Bromine. This release is not intended for existing Windows 11 users, and is only be available on new PCs that ship with Snapdragon X2 and NVIDIA RTX Spark SoCs.
Release date
As is often the case, Microsoft is planning to ship the next version of Windows 11 in the second half of this year. "Windows 11, version 26H2 represents our yearly second half major update as part of our standard annual Windows 11 update cadence." Usually, the company ships new Windows 11 version updates in the September or October timeframe, and we expect the same to happen this year.
Availability will vary depending your device and region. Microsoft likes to use a "measured and phased" approach to the rolling out of new versions, which means not everyone will see the update right away. With that said, when the update does land on your PC, it will install like a normal monthly security patch via an enablement package which should only take a couple of minutes.
New features
Like with version 25H2 and 24H2, Microsoft is going to keep version 26H2 at feature parity with older supported versions of Windows 11. That means when version 26H2 launches, there will be no new features that aren't also available on the current 25H2 release. This is because version 26H2 and 25H2 share the same platform release, codenamed Germanium.
Over time, this will likely change as the older version of Windows 11 reaches end of support. But until that happens, I suspect both versions will remain identical on the surface.
Platform changes
Microsoft has already confirmed that it intends to make further "behind the scenes platform changes" to Windows 11 this year, and those changes are being tested in the 26300 series builds that are expected to make up the version 26H2 release.
As the 26H2 release is built on top of the same platform release as version 25H2 and 24H2 before it, this new release will share the same updates and features. "As Windows 11, version 26H2 shares the same servicing branch as Windows 11, version 25H2, the update is implemented through an enablement package (eKB). This means your device will be updated to the next version through a single restart – providing a familiar, fast, and reliable update experience."
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