Microsoft is rolling out its annual Windows 11 update (known as version 25H2) today. After testing the update in the Windows Insider Release Preview ring last month, version 25H2 is now starting to roll out to all Windows 11 users through Windows Update. The 25H2 update isn’t a huge one, so it won’t take long to install — Microsoft is delivering it as a small “enablement package.”
“This means that it contains all the recently announced features in Windows 11, version 24H2,” explains John Cable, vice president of program management for Windows servicing and delivery. “Both versions use a shared code base and servicing branch, streamlining the update.”
This shared code base also means Microsoft will continue to release new Windows features monthly to both 24H2 and 25H2 versions of Windows 11. Version 25H2 does have some improvements behind the scenes, though. “Version 25H2 includes significant advancements in build and runtime vulnerability detection, coupled with AI assisted secure coding,” Cable says. “We’ve designed version 25H2 to address and mitigate security threats in adherence to a robust security development lifecycle (SDL) policy and requirements.”
The update is also a little leaner thanks to the removal of PowerShell 2.0 and the Windows Management Instrumentation command-line (WMIC).
If you want to get 25H2 today, then all you need to do is ensure the “get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option is toggled on in Windows Update. “If we detect that your device may have an issue, such as an application or driver incompatibility, we may put a safeguard hold in place and not offer the update until that issue is resolved,” Cable says. Microsoft will expand the rollout over the next few months and share known issues and device incompatibilities on its Windows release health hub.
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