Microsoft Kicks Off Windows 11 26H2’s Phased Release

Before joining Directions, Mary Jo has worked as a technology journalist for 40+ years and has focused on covering Microsoft... more

Microsoft kicked off the release of its next Windows feature update, Windows 11 26H2, on Sept. 29.

Version 26H2 includes enhanced Windows Hello Sign-In Security; Administrator Protection via administrative privilege and profile separation; various management and deployment enhancements; and enablement of some features that previously were not on by default, like Windows settings backup. The release also includes updates to Windows Search, taskbar customization, AI actions in File Explorer, and multi-app camera support, among other features.

The 26H2 update bundles together a number of features Microsoft has been delivering monthly. Because it is an incremental — not a major — release, 26H2 is available as an enablement package. As a result, those already on Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 can update to 26H2 more quickly because 26H2 is on the same servicing branch and underlying code base as those previous releases. (The enablement package works because Microsoft already downloaded most of the new features to Windows 11 users’ PCs, but they are just not activated yet.)

Those with PCs on 25H2 and 24H2 have the option of proactively downloading the 26H2 release by using Windows Update. It also is available via Windows Autopatch and the Microsoft 365 Admin Center for customers interested in piloting and/or deploying it. Over the coming months, Microsoft will deliver 26H2 more broadly as a controlled feature rollout, starting with devices that are not expected to encounter possible compatibility issues. Enterprise customers should begin targeted deployments now to test applications, devices, and workflows in their organizations before starting broader rollouts.

Windows 11 262 will be supported for 36 months for Enterprise and Education editions and 24 months for Home and Pro editions.

The 26H2 update, as Microsoft previously stated, is for most of the eligible Windows 11 PC base. The latest Windows 11 release for devices running Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 and future next-generation silicon is a separate branch of Windows, 26H1, which won’t be updated to a new release until 2027. The coming wave of Windows devices from Microsoft and others due this fall based on the NVIDIA RTX Spark Arm superchip, are expected to require Windows 26H1, as well.

by
Mary Jo Foley

Before joining Directions, Mary Jo has worked as a technology journalist for 40+ years and has focused on covering Microsoft exclusively for the majority of her career. Mary Jo holds... more