26H2 – Coming Soon – What You Need To Know

The Windows 11 26H2 update will start rolling out very soon, most likely on October’s Patch Tuesday.

According to Microsoft, 26H2 is an “enablement package”, meaning new features – such as a moveable Taskbar – which have been delivered via earlier updates but not activated, will be activated by installing 26H2.

Mind you, with Microsoft’s insistence on rolling everything out gradually, I suspect not everyone will receive the 26H2 update in early October and, even if they do, it is not guaranteed that all new features will be enabled immediately.

Rolling out everything gradually is Microsoft’s way of avoiding the potential for widespread mayhem caused by the mass deployment of a buggy Windows update. By rolling everything out gradually, if a bug pops up, Microsoft can temporarily stall the rollout, fix the bug, and then start rolling out again… and so on.

In other words, we have all become Windows Update testers.

26H2 Size & Installation

Windows 11 26H2 is a smallish update that should only take a few minutes to install, with a single restart. One of the reasons for this, as explained earlier, is that all the files relating to new features have already been installed, and 26H2 will merely enable those new features – apart from the promised new features, there isn’t much else.

Another reason is that 26H2 is based on the exact same core as 24H2 and 25H2, which means that users who are running 24H2 can, if they choose, skip 25H2 and update directly to 26H2.

NOTE: Users who are still running 23H2 do not have the option to perform an in-place update to 26H2; the only way they can move to 26H2 is via a clean/fresh install.

26H2 Extends Lifespan

One of the most important aspects of the 26H2 update is that it extends Windows 11’s end-of-life date. 25H2 is due to reach end-of-support in October 2027 and, if Microsoft follows the traditional 2-year lifespan, installing 26H2 will extend that date by a further 12 months, until October 2028.

BOTTOM LINE:

Considering Windows 11’s long list of buggy updates, one can understand Microsoft’s cautious approach to rolling out new updates. However, as well as the frustration with buggy updates, users are also being frustrated by the continual promise of things to come that never seem to actually arrive.

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