First signs of Windows 11 25H2? Here’s what we know so far
More and more users are being switched over to Windows 11 24H2, the latest version of Windows 11 that became mandatory this year. And with Windows 10 support coming to an end, anyone who’s still lingering on an older Windows PC will want to upgrade to Windows 11 soon.
But maybe you want to hold off on Windows 11 24H2 for as long as you can because of all the issues we’ve been seeing, like broken Bluetooth audio, File Explorer bugs, and even system crashes. Maybe you’d rather wait for this year’s big 25H2 update instead.
In a blog post, Microsoft has announced that the Dev Channel for Windows 11 will be moving ahead to “26200 series builds,” which are based on 24H2 but will be getting “behind-the-scenes platform changes” that cause it to diverge from the Beta Channel builds. According to Windows Latest, this could be interpreted as Microsoft starting work on this year’s 25H2 update, though it isn’t explicitly confirmed.
Windows 11 25H2 remains unconfirmed
In the official announcement, Microsoft only confirmed that the 26200 build series is based on Windows 11 24H2. There’s no explicit mention of a Windows 11 25H2 version or Windows 11 2025 Update.
However, announcements like this in the Dev Channel are usually a sure sign that important changes are imminent. It’s unclear whether the presumed “Windows 11 25H2” update will be an enablement package (i.e., a cumulative update that turns on existing-but-hidden features) or an actual OS swap (e.g., similar to the jump from 23H2 to 24H2).
The probability of the latter is relatively low. Enablement packages are preferable because they’re smaller in size, easier to roll out, and make it possible to maintain feature parity across two Windows versions.
When will the 25H2 update be released?
Microsoft hasn’t officially mentioned Windows 11 25H2 yet, which means no insight as to the version’s development and release schedule. However, going by past years, the major Windows 11 2025 Update is expected to release in September or October and will continue rolling out through the end of the year.
With support for Windows 10 ending in October, that would be a great time for 25H2 to land—assuming it’s clean, stable, and improved.
Further reading: What to expect with Windows 10 hitting end of life