Windows 11’s next big update could arrive sooner than expected
Clues in Windows 11 suggest it’s time to get excited about the big 23H2 update
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Windows 11’snext big update, known as 23H2, could be coming sooner rather than later this year.
Or at least that’s the suggestion based off cluesWindows Latestpicked up on with the July cumulative update forWindows 11.
In that patch, the tech site notes that it has found references to several packages relating to ‘Moment 4’.
As you may be aware, thelast feature drop for Windows 11 was Moment 3, so it follows that this is the next feature update – except this is a full upgrade for the OS. In short, Moment 4 is the 23H2 update.
Windows Latest further observes: “We found thatMicrosoftis testing an enablement package named Microsoft-Windows-23H2Enablement-Package.”
This lines up with what we know about 23H2, asMicrosoft has already confirmed that it will be an enablement package. This means that the files for the upgrade will be preloaded to Windows 11 PCs, and can be sent live with a simple flick of an ‘enablement’ switch – a small download that’s easily applied at launch time.
Analysis: Early groundwork is a good sign
These clues being in place in Windows 11 now shows the groundwork for 23H2 is well underway, and this suggests we could see the annual update for the OS soon enough, maybe. Is there a chance it could keep pace with22H2and arrive in September? Maybe, though the rumor mill has been pointing to Q4 for 23H2, so October may still be a more realistic release date.
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We shall see, but the Beta channel for Windows 11 just got a bunch of new stuff – including aFile Explorer revamp, and RGB lighting hub– and again that suggests progress is ticking along nicely with the 23H2 update.
What could work against the ‘sooner rather than later’ theory is that Microsoft’s Copilot AI is still in a very barebones state, and it’s supposed to be included with 23H2. Our personal theory here, though, is this won’t make the cut for the 23H2 update – well, either that, or it’ll be a very limited version of Windows Copilot that’s released. And we don’t think the latter would be a very clever move for Microsoft in terms of making a good first impression with the AI (as we discussed recently in more depth).
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
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