After speculation about whether the next version of Windows would be Windows 12, Microsoft on Friday finally confirmed that the next version of Windows 11, coming later this year, will be version 25H2. The company has also rolled out the first Insider Preview build, meaning Insiders can already test the first 25H2 builds.
“Today, Windows 11 version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider community, in advance of broader availability planned for the second half of 2025,” Microsoft’s Jason Leznek wrote in an announcement post.
Windows 11 version 25H2 is not a major upgrade from a technical standpoint, as it shares the same platform release and servicing stack as version 24H2. This means that upgrading from version 24H2 to 25H2 will be “as easy as a quick restart,” and should take no longer than a typical cumulative update. This makes the transition much faster compared to the “OS swap” experience of moving from version 23H2 to 24H2, which involved replacing all your install files with newer versions.
New 25H2 features will be added to 24H2 later
Despite Microsoft rolling out the first Windows 11 version 25H2 preview build, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything new in terms of exclusive features or changes just yet. In fact, the changelog for the build is identical to the 24H2 preview build released in the Beta Channel. However, new features will obviously arrive, and as with previous versions, Microsoft plans to develop them for version 25H2 and eventually make them available to 24H2 and possibly even 23H2.
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Lenzek says, “New features we develop for Windows 11, version 25H2 are part of the version 24H2 branch. When the new code is complete, we include it in the monthly LCUs for Windows 11, version 24H2 in a Disabled state.” This isn’t anything new, as Microsoft has shared a platform release between two different versions before, including with Windows 11 version 22H2 and several times with Windows 10 as well.
Windows 11 version 25H2's launch may coincide with Windows 10's end of support
While there is nothing concrete yet about when version 25H2 might begin rolling out, we speculate that the September and October timeframe is a likely bet. This is because the release would coincide with another important event: the end of official support for Windows 10 in October of this year. And since we have already seen Microsoft trying hard to push users to make the switch, this move could work in their favor, prompting more users to upgrade to Windows 11, making version 25H2 an important update from that standpoint.
That being said, version 25H2 will once again reset the support clock back to 35 months for enterprise editions, and 24 months for consumer and pro editions. This means that if you want to keep your PC supported for as long as possible, you’ll want to update to version 25H2 when it comes out later this year.
