Windows 11's next annual upgrade is about to roll out, as Microsoft is now making the final preparations to unleash the 25H2 update.
Windows Latest reports that Microsoft is now uploading Windows 11 25H2 to its servers and that the latest build (version 26200.6584) is apparently now the final RTM (release to manufacturers) candidate.
What this means is that the 25H2 update is done and ready for PC makers (to install on new machines going forward) – and given this, it should be made available to everyone running Windows 11 very soon.
In theory, that could mean we see Windows 11 25H2 rolling out in a week, or possibly two, but it's surely imminent (barring any last-minute disaster). Previously we were anticipating a late September or early October rollout, so this fits that timeline. It also means the newest version of Windows 11 will be deployed before the curtain falls for Windows 10's end of support deadline in mid-October.
Windows Latest also points out something interesting in that the best thing about 25H2 could actually land first for Windows 11 24H2 users. Confused? Let me explain.
Analysis: A truly lukewarm upgrade
As Microsoft has made clear before, the 25H2 update is a minor upgrade. All of the features for this update are in place within Windows 11 24H2 already, and 25H2 is what's known as an 'enablement package' which simply flicks the switch to turn on those capabilities.
The twist with 25H2, though, is that all those features are coming to those on 24H2, as well. The biggest change with 25H2 is the redesigned Start menu that streamlines the layout to a single panel (and allows you to jettison the recommended section, a big step forward in terms of dispensing with Microsoft's various nudging and promotional bits and pieces).
This overhauled Start menu is coming to both 25H2 and 24H2 via a phased rollout, Microsoft told Windows Latest, meaning it may not arrive for those who grab the 25H2 update right away – and folks staying on 24H2 might even get it first (it's a roll of the dice when it turns up, at least to some extent).
As Windows Latest clarifies, every new feature inbound for 25H2 – the Start menu rejig included – is coming to 24H2, which is an unusual situation. (At least as far as I can recall, anyway – while some features may be delivered to the previous incarnation of Windows, there's usually something exclusively new for those making the upgrade).
You may now be asking: what's the point of 25H2, then? Well, inevitably, version 25H2 is not going to be exactly the same as 24H2. I'd be surprised if there weren't some minor additions in the way of new features exclusive to this latest version, frankly, if only small bits and pieces.
And even if not, there's likely to be work done under the hood with 25H2 to smooth over the inner workings of Windows 11 – and maybe even boost performance in some respects. Granted, on the latter front, early testing suggests that there's no performance uplift with 25H2, but that benchmarking didn't use the final version of the update (not quite) – and it doesn't rule out certain bits of the interface potentially running more smoothly.
You'll also have a longer timeline for support on 25H2 (an extra year) but ultimately, there's not much to tempt Windows 11 users to upgrade here. The upshot is that while Windows 11's next annual update is certainly imminent, there won't be much of a rush to get it – as it doesn't do much.
And indeed, the biggest change, that new Start menu layout, might come to those who stick on 24H2 first, anyway – it's the luck of the draw, based on your particular hardware and software configuration and which way the update winds are blowing.
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