Summary
- Windows 11 25H2 rolls out in weeks, mostly an enablement package, not a big feature update.
- Handhelds get an ‘Xbox mode’ gaming boost; desktops mostly see Start menu tweaks.
- It’s tiny and partly already on your PC — don’t rush; more removals (like PowerShell 2.0) than additions.
As per tradition, Microsoft is getting ready to release Windows 11 25H2 to the public. The company has released one of these “XXH2” updates annually for a while now, and they come in various shapes and sizes. For instance, Windows 11 24H2 introduced some interesting new features, while this year’s update is shaping up to be a little calmer on the feature front.
Regardless, it appears that Microsoft is preparing the final stages of releasing Windows 11 25H2 to our computers. Fortunately, if you’re on Windows 11 24H2, you won’t need to do a huge update to get the newest patch on your system.
Windows 25H2 is mere weeks away (if that)
As spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has begun preparing Windows 11 25H2 for a general release. The website believes it’ll arrive in a week or two, if that. Before you get too excited, Windows 11 25H2 isn’t a huge update; in fact, it’s more of a checkpoint if anything. There are some nice changes to the Start menu, and some people on the test branches think the operating system runs better, but there hasn’t been any rock-solid evidence of that just yet.
In fact, it seems the biggest winners with Windows 11 25H2 are handheld gamers. People have discovered that loading the preview build for the update onto a handheld console lets them boot into a special “Xbox mode” which puts more focus on gaming, likely as a bid to try to keep up with SteamOS and its performance-boosting powers. As for people on desktop and laptops, you may coo at the new Start menu and…that’s about it, really.
Fortunately, before you concern yourself with a huge update coming down the pipeline in the near future, there’s a good chance you already have the update on your PC, technically. The way Microsoft handles these updates differs from simply cramming it all down the internet cable on release day; instead, it releases parts of the update over time. Then, when it’s time for the patch to release, Microsoft gives everyone a final “Enablement Package” that essentially “flips the switch” and activates all the code that has been sitting dormant on your PC.
Again, as I (and Windows Latest) would like to repeat, 25H2 is not a huge update. In fact, more stuff is getting removed than added, like PowerShell 2.0. As such, don’t sweat trying to download it ASAP; take your time and let it arrive when it’s ready. You really won’t miss out on much at all by waiting. In fact, the update is so boring that one of our editors, Joao, believes it wraps around to being interesting again, which is the kind of weird paradox you’d expect only to come from using Windows, I suppose.