Windows 11 is a major release of the
Windows NT developed by
Microsoft that was released in October 2021. Starting with
Windows 10, Microsoft described Windows as an "
operating system as a service" that would receive ongoing
updates to its features and functionality, augmented with the ability for
enterprise environments to receive non-critical updates at a slower pace or use long-term support milestones that will only receive critical updates, such as security patches, over their five-year lifespan of mainstream
support.
Overview
As with
Windows 10 (since version 20H2), mainstream builds of Windows 11 are labeled "YYHX", with YY representing the two-digit year and X representing the half-year of planned release (for example, version 21H2 refers to builds which initially released in the second half of 2021).[1]
^Five updates were released: "Moment 1" with build 22621.675 on October 18, 2022 "Moment 2" with build 22621.1344 on February 28, 2023 "Moment 3" with build 22621.1778 on May 24, 2023 "Moment 4" with build 22621.2361 on September 26, 2023 "Moment 5" with build 22621.3235 on February 29, 2024
^An update codenamed "Moment 5" was released on February 29, 2024 with build 22631.3235
^Windows 11 builds that have this color have reached their expiration dates and are no longer supported by Microsoft.
^Windows 11 builds that have this color are no longer the latest version of Windows 11, but are still supported by Microsoft.
^Windows 11 builds that have this color are the latest (by
SKU) public version of Windows 11.
^Windows 11 builds that have this color are Insider Preview builds, and are not the latest public version.
The original version of
Windows 11 (also
retroactively namedversion 21H2 and codenamed "Sun Valley") was released in October 2021.[2][3] It carries the build number 10.0.22000.[4] The first public preview build was made available to
Windows Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on June 28, 2021. Notable changes in this version include:
Most interfaces in Windows 11 feature rounded geometry, refreshed iconography, new typography, and a refreshed colour palette.[6]
Windows 11 also introduces "
Mica", a new opaque
Material that is tinted with the color of the desktop wallpaper.[7]
Significantly redesigned
Start menu, adhering to the principles of the updated Fluent Design System.[8]
Center-aligned
Taskbar, with new animations for pinning, rearranging, minimizing, and switching apps.[8]
The File Explorer has been refreshed with the Fluent Design System and the Ribbon interface has been replaced with a new command bar with a revamped user interface and a Mica background. It also introduces revamped context menus with rounded corners, larger text, and
Acrylic.
The Windows 11 2022 Update[10] (also known as version 22H2[11][12] and codenamed "Sun Valley 2") is the first major update to Windows 11. It carries the build number 10.0.22621. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Dev Channel on September 2, 2021.[13] As of build 22449, the version string has been changed from "Dev" to "22H2".
The update began rolling out on September 20, 2022. Notable changes in the 2022 Update include:[14]
Redesigned and new Efficiency mode feature in
Task Manager
Re-added the drag and drop feature on the taskbar
Improvement to the snap layout experience
New live captions feature
New Smart App Control (SAC) feature for blocking untrusted applications
Split "Focus assist" feature into "Do not disturb" and "Focus"
Included Clipchamp as inbox app
The first component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 1",[15] was released on October 18, 2022, with build 22621.675 and several further changes:[16]
New tabbed browsing feature and refreshed layout of the left navigation pane in the
File Explorer
The second component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 2",[17] was released on February 28, 2023, with build 22621.1344 and several further changes:[18]
The third component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 3",[19] was released on May 24, 2023, with build 22621.1778 and several further changes:[20][21]
New presence sensor privacy settings in the Settings app
New VPN icon on the taskbar
Added the ability to show a notification badge on the Start menu's user profile icon
Introduced live captions in more languages
Added the ability to create live kernel memory dumps in
Task Manager
Introduced Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) to desktop computers and battery powered devices
The fourth component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 4",[22] was released on September 26, 2023, with build 22621.2361 and several further changes:[23][24]
New Narrator natural voices in Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), Japanese, English (United Kingdom and India), French, Portuguese, German and Korean
New text authoring experiences in voice access
New Home page in the Settings app
Redesigned Windows Security notification dialogs
The fifth component update to Windows 11, version 22H2, codenamed "Moment 5", was released on February 29, 2024, with build 22621.3235.[25][26]
The Windows 11 2023 Update[27] (also known as version 23H2[28][29] and codenamed "Sun Valley 3") is the second and current major update to Windows 11. It was shipped as an enablement package for Windows 11 2022 Update and carries the build number 10.0.22631. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Beta Channel on May 25, 2023. The update began rolling out on October 31, 2023.[30] New features and changes from "Moment 4" has been enabled by default in this update.[31] As of build 25375, the version string has been changed from "22H2" to "23H2".
The first component update to Windows 11, version 23H2, codenamed "Moment 5", was released on February 29, 2024, with build 22631.3235 and several further changes:[32][8]
Improvements to Copilot in Windows
Improvements to voice access
New voice access in French, German, and Spanish
Added multi-display support
New voice shortcuts feature
Enhanced image consumption experience in Narrator
New share targets for sharing links through the Windows share window
Updates to the Cast flyout in Quick Settings
New suggestions feature in snap layouts
Improvements to Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch
New notification for prompting to open recent photos and screenshots from Android mobile device in Snipping Tool
The Windows 11 2024 Update[33] (also known as version 24H2[34][35]) is the third and upcoming major update to Windows 11. It carries the build number 10.0.26100. The first preview was released to Insiders who opted in to the Canary and Dev Channels on February 8, 2024. As of build 26052, the version string has been changed from "23H2" to "24H2".
24H2 notably introduces the first Windows 11 based LTSC editions, along with new subscription variants of
IoT Enterprise editions (both LTSC and non-LTSC).[36]
Furthermore, 24H2 introduces modified system requirements, for some systems, for the first time since the release of Windows 11, as follows:
Only affecting systems bypassing or exempt from the
TPM 2.0 requirement, a CPU supporting
SSE4.2 and
POPCNTCPU instructions is now required, otherwise the Windows kernel is unbootable.[37]
IoT Enterprise editions (non-LTSC and LTSC) have officially eliminated a TPM and
UEFI requirement and dropped the minimum
DirectX version down to 10 (version 12 was previously required on
23H2).[38][36]
The new IoT Enterprise LTSC edition drops the minimum required RAM down to 2 GB and storage space down to 16 GB.[38][36]
Windows Insider Preview builds are delivered to Insiders in four different channels. Insiders in the Dev and Canary Channel receive updates prior to those in the Beta Channel but might experience more bugs and other issues. Insiders in the Release Preview Channel do not receive updates until the version is almost available to the public but are comparatively more stable.
On February 3, 2022, Microsoft changed its plans on how they delivered builds for Windows Insiders, with Dev and Beta Channels being "parallel" active development branches, giving an option to switch from Dev to Beta Channel for a limited time. The Dev Channel builds are meant for upcoming and experimental features that may never release to general availability, whereas the Beta Channel builds are the "feature complete" builds that will make its way to the general availability for the specific Windows 11 release.[40]
On March 6, 2023, Microsoft announced that the Dev Channel will be rebooted, and existing insiders will be moved to the new Canary Channel.[41][42] Two days later, insiders transitioned from Dev to Canary received the first build in the existing 25000 series builds starting from
build 25314[43] while new insiders in the rebooted Dev Channel received the first build in the new 23000 series builds starting from
build 23403.[44]
Dev Channel
On September 2, 2021, Microsoft announced that Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel will receive builds directly from the rs_prerelease branch, which are not matched to a specific Windows 11 release. The first build released under this strategy,
build 22449, was made available to Insiders on the same day.[45]
Aside from the rs_prerelease (21H2 string) branch, Insiders in the Dev Channel would receive builds compiled from other branches within certain periods of time: ni_release (
builds 22557 to 22616 – 22H2 string in former Dev), ni_prerelease (
builds 23403 to 23620 – 22H2 string in rebooted Dev) and ge_release (
builds 26052 to 26100 – 24H2 string) and TBA (
build 26120 and later).
Canary Channel
Aside from the rs_prerelease (22H2 string) branch, Insiders in the Canary Channel would receive builds compiled from other branches within certain periods of time: zn_release (
builds 25375 to 26040 – 23H2 string), ge_release (
builds 26052 to 26100 - 24H2 string) and ge_prerelease (
build 26200 and later).