Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 24H2 with new features
Windows 11 24H2 has been released. The update is reaching the first users, but it's hard to estimate how long it will take before everyone receives the new features. Microsoft emphasizes that Windows 11 is a service, and fixes are pushed via Windows Update to those with "ready devices and an excellent update environment."
Windows 11 24H2 is theoretically the most important system update of the year from Microsoft. In past years, all users would have awaited this event eagerly, hoping for breakthrough features, interface improvements, and new options. However, the situation has been different for a few years now. Windows 11 receives updates regularly through the more frequently released Moment packages, which appear several times a year, albeit at somewhat unpredictable times.
As a result, Windows 11 24H2 is an important update primarily due to the update release cycle and the context of future developments; newer "versions" of Windows will inevitably lose further security update support later. Therefore, there's no doubt that it's worth downloading and installing the new release, but it turns out that not everyone can do this. Microsoft analyzes whether a given computer is prepared for this process (including whether it has been updated regularly so far) and only then offers the installation. This is an attempt to eliminate the most serious bugs.
However, Windows 11 24H2 also includes a handful of new features. In a brief announcement on the support page, Microsoft mentions the main changes. These include:
- new features on computers capable of supporting Copilot+, including live captions, co-creation in Paint, and new effects in Windows Studio,
- improvements related to the taskbar and File Explorer,
- new privacy control mechanisms related to Wi-Fi, including tech support for Wi-Fi 7, computer power management improvements, and enhancements for Bluetooth LE,
- enhanced switching between accounts in the Microsoft Teams app, notification fixes, and more efficient functioning of Remote Desktop.
Unfortunately, as usual, users can also expect issues after implementing the update. So far, the only identified bug concerns the initial computer setup. Microsoft states that you may encounter untranslated interface elements regardless of the selected language. However, this problem is supposed to occur only on computers where the optional September update (KB5043178) was not installed previously.
Windows Update settings
If Windows 11 24H2 hasn't yet been offered for download, it's worth being patient, as it's being "pushed" to Windows Update in batches according to Microsoft's algorithm. Of course, it's also worth checking the settings—whether updates have been paused or if manually checking them manually with the "Check for updates" button would bring an additional result.
Remember, you can also find a valuable slider to include your computer in the earliest possible update batch in Windows Update. This setting applies not to security patches but to updates that bring new features. It will likely influence the installation of the latest Windows 11 24H2.
