What just happened? The long-running rumors that Windows 12 would be arriving in the near future appear to be untrue after Microsoft announced that the next version of Windows 11 is coming this year. Version 25H2 of the OS has already been rolled out in its Insider Preview Build form, so Insiders can try it now.
Microsoft's Jason Leznek writes that Windows 11 25H2 is now available to the Windows Insider community ahead of its wider release in the second half of 2025.
Leznek confirms that Windows 11 version 25H2 shares the same servicing stack as version 24H2. That means updating to the next version of Windows 11 should be as quick as installing a normal cumulative update: just a few minutes to download and install, followed by a system restart.
It appears that the preview build of Windows 11 version 25H2 doesn't include any exclusive new features or changes yet. Tom's Hardware notes that the changelog for the build is identical to the 24H2 preview build released in the Beta Channel. But the new features will arrive for 25H2 in time, and will also make their way to the earlier 24H2 version.
"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," Leznek writes.
With Windows 10's end-of-support date set for October 14, expect Microsoft to roll out Windows 11 25H2 broadly around the same time or just before then. The company will likely hope a new version will help encourage some Windows 10 holdouts to make the switch.
Leznek finishes with confirmation that version 25H2 will increase Windows 11 support lifecycle. Starting from the date of update's general release, enterprise and education editions of Windows 11 will get another 35 months of support, while consumer and pro editions receive another 24 months.
Confirmation of a new Windows 11 version arriving this year means Windows 12 isn't going to arrive for at least another year. Reports of Windows 12 go back to 2023, including several claiming it would land sometime in 2024. Microsoft is having a hard enough time moving people from Windows 10 to Windows 11, so adding Windows 12 into the mix anytime soon won't be a priority.
In other Windows news, it's been revealed that the OS has lost 400 million users over the last three years as mobile, Macs, and Linux have become more popular. Microsoft has also been boasting about Windows 11 being twice as fast as Windows 10, but its testing methodology was misleading.