Windows 11 24H2, the biggest update in two years, starts rolling out today

Microsoft will begin rolling this year's annual Windows 11 update out to consumers starting today, the company announced at a Windows- and Copilot-centric event today. The Windows 11 2024 Update, also known as Windows 11 24H2, will roll out in phases, starting with Windows 11 PCs running versions 22H2 or 23H2 that have opted in to getting new feature updates faster.

New features in 24H2 include an Energy Saver feature that replaces the older Battery Saver settings, support for Wi-Fi 7 and 80Gbps USB4 Version 2.0 ports, text labels for common actions like copy and paste in the right-click/context menu, and tweaks to how the Quick Settings panels work.

For the handful of PCs that meet Microsoft's requirements for the Copilot+ program—16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS)—Windows 11 24H2 will eventually add support for the overhauled Recall feature, a better Windows Search function, a "super resolution" feature for the Photos app that offers to upscale older pictures, generative fill and erase features in the Paint app, and other features.

The 24H2 update is the biggest change to Windows 11 since the 22H2 update two years ago and may be the most significant update the operating system has seen since it was released in 2021 (credible rumors had it pegged as "Windows 12," though Microsoft ultimately decided not to change the branding). The 23H2 update was largely a continuation of 22H2 that reset the clock for security updates but didn't actually change the underlying operating system.

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