Short answer: There's no Windows 13 release date. Microsoft hasn't announced the product, and no build or ISO exists. The current version is 26H2 of Windows 11, out since September 29. Microsoft says the system keeps getting one feature update every year, so we'd stop waiting.
There’s no Windows 13 release date. Microsoft hasn’t announced the product, hasn’t shown it at any event and hasn’t shipped a single Insider build with that name. We’d treat any Windows 13 release date you see quoted as a guess. No Microsoft roadmap, blog post or release note has the name.
What it did ship in 2026 was more of the current system.
| Version | When | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 26H1 | February 2026 | New Arm PCs |
| Windows 11 26H2 | September 29, 2026 | Everyone |
This page goes through what Microsoft has said on the record and what the real roadmap looks like. We also show why the “Windows 13 LEAKED” videos are bogus.
And we explain why waiting for a phantom version is a bad plan.
| Point | Where things stand |
|---|---|
| What Microsoft has said | Nothing. As of November 2026, the name appears in no Microsoft roadmap, blog post or release note |
| Current release | Windows 11, version 26H2 (build 26300), available since September 29, 2026. Version 25H2 (build 26200) is still in service |
| The odd one | 26H1 (build 28000): released February 10, 2026, only for new devices, and not offered as an update to existing PCs |
| Cadence | Microsoft’s own release page says Windows 11 has an annual feature update cadence, with feature updates in the second half of each year |
| Videos and ISOs | Every “Windows 13” video or ISO is a mockup, a skinned Windows 11, or malware |
| If you need Windows now | Buy Windows 11: the next yearly version is free |
What Microsoft has said about the Windows 13 release date
Nothing at all. And that nothing tells you the most.
Microsoft hasn’t announced the product, so it has given no date. Its channels in 2025 and 2026 covered only three subjects.
- Feature updates to Windows 11
- Copilot+ PCs
- AI features
We went through everything we could find.
- The Windows Blog
- Windows Insider announcements
- The release health pages on Microsoft Learn
- The keynotes from Build and Ignite
Windows 13 doesn’t show up once. Not a single sentence mentions a successor by number.
The nearest thing to a stated position sits at the top of Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information page.
“Windows 11 has an annual feature update cadence. Feature updates are released in the second half of the calendar year.”
Read it twice if you need to. It commits to Windows 11 and doesn’t even hint at a next version.
There’s a reason to hammer this. Windows has been a rolling service since 2015, and version numbers stopped meaning much in engineering terms.
Shipping a “Windows 13” today would be a branding decision first.
Somebody in Redmond marketing would have to greenlight a whole launch story. So far nobody has.
Windows 13 release date and the real roadmap for 2026 and 2027
The real roadmap holds the current system only. No numbered successor appears anywhere on it.
Ignore the rumor blogs. What follows is the public record from Microsoft’s release health pages.
| Release | Build | Released | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 24H2 | 26100 | October 1, 2024 | New platform base, Copilot+ PC features |
| Windows 11 25H2 | 26200 | September 30, 2025 | Enablement package on the 24H2 base |
| Windows 11 26H1 | 28000 | February 10, 2026 | New devices only, not an update for existing PCs |
| Windows 11 26H2 | 26300 | September 29, 2026 | Current yearly feature update |
| Next Windows 11 update | Not announced | Second half of 2027 (expected from the cadence) | Next yearly feature update |
| Windows 13 / successor | None | Not announced | Unknown |
To compare your own PC with the table, press Win+R and type winver.
If Microsoft keeps its stated yearly cadence, another feature update follows in the second half of 2027.
Version 26H1 needs a quick explanation, because the setup is unusual. It ships preinstalled on devices that started reaching stores in early 2026.
Snapdragon X2 laptops led the way. On an existing machine you don’t get 26H1, and you can’t install it.
Microsoft states that it isn’t offered as an in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2. Its first cumulative update, KB5077179, arrived on launch day.
That release belongs on a page about a successor because it shows where the effort goes. Microsoft now services two code lines side by side.
| Code line | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| The first | Brand-new silicon |
| The second | Every other PC |
Servicing both and shipping yearly updates on top is plenty of work. A numbered successor stacked onto that in the same year isn’t realistic.
Windows 13 release date rumors: what leaked, and when
The rumors about 13 grew out of the rumors about 12. For years the conversation online has been noisy.
- Bad leaks
- Random analyst takes
- Wishful thinking
This is what really happened, in order.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Some Insider builds carried leftover strings that seemed to reference a post-Windows 11 release. Blogs immediately ran “Windows 12 or Windows 13” headlines. Microsoft stayed silent |
| 2023 | A chipmaker slide put “Windows 12” next to a new Snapdragon roadmap, and the codename “Hudson Valley” got attached to the story. Tech blogs ran with it for weeks |
| Late 2023 | Several outlets reported, from unnamed sources, that Windows 12 might arrive in the fall of 2024 |
| October 2024 | No Windows 12. Windows 11 24H2 landed on the new Germanium platform instead. Completely different from what the leaks said |
| September 2025 | 25H2 (build 26200) went out as an enablement package on top of 24H2 |
| February 10, 2026 | 26H1 (build 28000) shipped for new devices only |
| September 29, 2026 | 26H2 (build 26300) became generally available |
| November 2026 (now) | No 12, no 13. YouTube still cranks out new “concepts” every few weeks |
None of the predicted dates came true. Look at that timeline end to end, and the pattern is obvious.
Every “leak” of the past few years falls into one of two groups.
- Somebody mistook an internal codename or build number for a retail product name.
- Somebody invented a story for views.
What version history suggests about a Windows 13 release date
Version history suggests a long wait. Gaps between numbered releases have ranged from three to six years.
| Windows version | Release date | Gap from previous |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 | October 2009 | About 3 years (from Vista) |
| Windows 8 | October 2012 | 3 years |
| Windows 10 | July 2015 | About 3 years (9 skipped) |
| Windows 11 | October 2021 | 6 years |
| Windows 12 / 13? | Not announced | Already 5 years and counting |
The gap between 10 and 11 ran to a full six years. Microsoft spent that stretch telling everyone numbered versions were over.
Windows 11 turned five in October 2026, and it’s still Microsoft’s only consumer Windows.
A brand-new numbered Windows before 2028 looks very unlikely. It could be 2029 or 2030, and nobody outside Microsoft can say.
Also remember that Microsoft skipped Windows 9 entirely and went from 8.1 straight to 10.
A popular explanation involves old apps. They checked for a version name starting with “Windows 9” to detect 95 and 98.
A real Windows 9 could have confused them, and the other half was pure marketing.
They could skip 13 the same way. For the step that might bridge 11 and the next one, see our page on the Windows 12 release date question.
Why every video online is fake
They’re fake because there’s nothing real to show. Microsoft has released no build, no ISO and no Insider preview under that name.
People get scammed by this, so we’ll be direct. A YouTube search for the name returns hundreds of results.
- “Windows 13 First Look”
- “Leaked Windows 13 Build!”
- “INSTALL WINDOWS 13 NOW”, in all caps
Every one is fake. There’s no ISO, no Insider preview and no OEM preview under NDA.
If nothing exists, nothing can leak. So whatever is in those videos falls into one of three buckets.
| Bucket | What it is |
|---|---|
| Design mockups | A designer builds a Figma file of a wished-for look, records the screen and uploads it as a “concept demo”. Harmless, just bait for views |
| Modified Windows 10 or 11 installs | A normal PC with a custom theme and a taskbar swapped by a tool such as StartAllBack, called “Windows 13” in the thumbnail. It passes in a screenshot. Underneath, it is Windows 11 with makeup |
| Malware | Sketchy sites host “Windows 13 ISO” downloads, and what runs is a malware installer: sometimes a cryptominer, sometimes something worse |
The third bucket costs people real money. Threads from victims show up on Microsoft’s own forum regularly.
Windows only comes from Microsoft. This is the entire list of safe sources.
- The Windows Insider Program
- Windows Update
- The Microsoft Update Catalog
- microsoft.com/software-download
An ISO on Mega, a forum or a Telegram group sits outside that list. Close the tab.
Microsoft never distributes Windows as a torrent, a password-protected ZIP or a “pre-activated” image. If a download wants your antivirus off first, we’d walk away. It isn’t Windows.
Checking a claim yourself
Most claims fall apart after one quick check. The table pairs what you read with a way to verify it.
| What you read or see | How to verify it |
|---|---|
| A site prints a launch date | Look for the name on Microsoft’s release information page |
| A video shows a working desktop | Ask where the build comes from. Real Insider builds are announced on the Windows Insider Blog |
| A download claims to be the next version | Compare its source with the four safe ones above |
| A seller offers a key or a pre-order | No such product exists, so there is nothing to activate |
| A headline quotes a Microsoft keynote | Find the keynote itself and listen for the name |
What a real announcement would look like
A real successor would leave public traces long before launch day. We’d expect these five, roughly in this order.
- The name appears on Microsoft’s own blog, or at Build or Ignite.
- Insider builds for it show up in the Canary and Dev Channels.
- Microsoft publishes hardware requirements.
- The release health pages on Microsoft Learn list the version.
- Windows Update offers it to eligible PCs in stages.
None of the five has happened. Until the first one does, there’s nothing to plan around.
Common myths about the Windows 13 release date
A huge amount of wrong information floats around this topic. These are the claims that come up again and again.
| Claim | Status | What is true |
|---|---|---|
| “Windows 13 is launching in 2026” | Myth | Microsoft shipped Windows 11 26H2 on September 29, 2026. No Windows 13 came out this year |
| “Windows 13 beta is available on torrent sites” | Myth (and dangerous) | No beta exists. Every “Windows 13 ISO” is malware or a themed Windows 11 |
| “Microsoft confirmed Windows 13 at Build” | Myth | No Build or Ignite keynote in 2025 or 2026 announced Windows 13. The Windows news was about Windows 11, AI and Copilot+ PCs |
| “Windows 13 will require quantum chips” | Myth | This comes from fan fiction and mockup wikis, not from any Microsoft document |
| “Microsoft will skip 12 and go straight to 13” | Unclear | Microsoft might skip 12, skip 13, or use neither. Only a Microsoft announcement will settle it |
| “Windows 13 is an internal codename” | Myth | Microsoft uses element and place codenames (Germanium, Hudson Valley). “Windows 13” is not a known internal name |
| “Windows 13 will be a free upgrade from Windows 11” | Unclear | Windows 10 to 11 was free on eligible hardware, but nothing about a future version is confirmed |
The common thread is weak speculation, fan-run wikis, YouTube clickbait and old 2023 leaks that never panned out.
Put any of it next to Microsoft’s release pages, and none of it survives the comparison.
When a Windows 13 release could realistically arrive
Not before 2028, and 2029 or later is just as plausible.
Microsoft would need public Insider builds many months ahead of any launch. None exist as of November 2026.
It might also never ship under the name “Windows 13” at all. This is our year-by-year take.
| Year | Our take |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Over. Microsoft shipped 26H1 and 26H2, and the year ended without a successor |
| 2027 | Very unlikely. A numbered successor would need a long public Insider phase first, and the 2026 Insider channels carry Windows 11 builds only |
| 2028 | The first year it becomes thinkable. Possible, not confirmed by anything |
| 2029 or later | Just as plausible. Windows 11 keeps selling and keeps updating, so nothing forces a replacement |
| Never called Windows 13 | A real possibility. Microsoft could launch a new brand or drop version numbers altogether |
Anything online screaming “WINDOWS 13 CONFIRMED” with a specific window is invented for clicks. Nobody has that information yet, Microsoft included.
Features a successor might include
Nobody knows, because no specification exists. We can only judge by where Microsoft invests today.
That matters if you’re building or buying a PC now and want it to clear the next bar. Treat every row as an educated guess.
| Area | The guess |
|---|---|
| AI woven through the OS | Copilot today is largely an app plus features scattered through Windows 11. A new version would almost have to integrate AI directly into the shell, search and settings |
| Arm as a first-class target | The device-only 26H1 release already shows the direction: new Arm silicon gets its own build first. In a future Windows, Arm and x64 would likely sit side by side as equals |
| A refreshed shell | The Windows 11 taskbar and Start menu drew plenty of criticism and keep getting reworked. Expect another attempt, and more old plumbing cleaned out |
| A higher hardware floor | Windows 11 introduced TPM 2.0 and a Secure Boot capable PC as minimums. Copilot+ PCs already need an NPU with 40+ TOPS. A baseline NPU requirement is pure speculation, but it is the obvious candidate |
| Cloud first, local second | Setup already pushes OneDrive and a Microsoft account. A future version would most likely push them further |
| A new platform codename | 24H2 was built on Germanium. A real version jump would usually get a new platform generation and codename |
All of that is guessing. There’s literally no spec sheet.
Don’t quote us in 2029 when half this list turns out wrong.
What it will cost
It has no price, because it hasn’t been announced. Microsoft can’t price a product that doesn’t exist.
History gives some hints, though.
- Retail pricing has barely moved between Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Upgrades from the previous version were free on eligible hardware.
- New PCs come with the system preinstalled.
| Path | Windows 11 today | A future Windows (speculative) |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Home and Pro licenses | Sold by Microsoft and resellers | Most likely similar editions and pricing tiers |
| Upgrade from the previous version | Free from Windows 10 on eligible PCs | Possibly free on eligible hardware, not confirmed |
| New PCs | Preinstalled (OEM license) | Preinstalled |
| Yearly feature updates | Free (24H2, 25H2, 26H2…) | Unknown |
Free in-place upgrades became the default with Windows 10. If Microsoft suddenly charged for the next move, the internet would lose its mind.
Our money is on the same playbook. If your hardware passes the check, the upgrade costs nothing.
If not, you buy a machine with the newer system on it.
Either way, the license you buy today isn’t wasted. A genuine Windows 11 key activates the same way through Microsoft’s servers and gets every yearly update.
A digital license tied to your hardware has carried over to the next free upgrade in the past.
Buy now or wait
Buy Windows 11 now. The successor has no date and may never ship under that name.
Windows 11 gets free yearly feature updates.
This is the question most people searching for that date really care about. This is our reasoning.
Windows 11 isn’t a dead end. Moving to the next yearly version costs nothing.
You’re buying into a product that Microsoft keeps developing, not one it’s winding down.
The hardware angle matters too. A future system will most likely ask more of your PC than today’s does.
It happened in 2021. Perfectly good Windows 10 machines were locked out for lacking TPM 2.0.
Now picture waiting years for something that might never ship. It might use a different name, and it might refuse to install on the PC you own.
That isn’t planning. It’s postponing a decision.
The better move is to get Windows 11, use it for years and look at the next version when it’s real.
By then you’ll know what hardware it needs.
Before anything else, we’d confirm the PC passes the Windows 11 hardware requirements.
Our Windows 11 Home vs Pro comparison lays out the differences that matter in daily use.
Need a key? Our Windows 11 Pro key comes as a genuine license. We email it instantly after payment.
How to check your version and get 26H2
It’s free on any PC that already runs Windows 11.
- Press Win+R, type
winverand press Enter. Note the version and the build number. - Open Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates.
- If a feature update to version 26H2 appears, select Download and install. Plan for a restart, and save open work first.
- Restart when prompted, then run
winveragain to confirm the version.
| Build | Version |
|---|---|
| 26100 | 24H2 |
| 26200 | 25H2 |
| 26300 | 26H2 |
| 28000 | 26H1 |
If it isn’t offered yet, that’s normal. Microsoft rolls feature updates out in stages, so some PCs see them weeks later than others. How long will the install take? See our page on Windows 11 update time.
Turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” usually moves you up the queue.
A PC still on Windows 10 has to pass the hardware check first. Our page on Windows 11 vs Windows 10 covers that path.
Will Microsoft skip the number 13
It may well skip it, though nothing confirms that. The company already skipped Windows 9.
Many brands avoid 13 for superstitious reasons. Microsoft could also drop version numbers or reuse “Windows 12”.
If 13 is skipped, the whole question simply disappears.
It sounds trivial, but it matters here. Precedent exists, since Microsoft went from 8.1 straight to 10.
- Many airlines have no row 13.
- Plenty of hotels leave the 13th floor off their elevator panels.
- Some hospitals do the same with room numbers.
Triskaidekaphobia influences brand decisions often enough to matter.
Microsoft’s brand team has surely thought about this. What it does will depend on its own market research.
One more point: Microsoft was happy to break its own “last version of Windows” line in 2021. That year it moved from 10 to 11.
This is how we’d bet on the name of the next major version, on gut feeling only.
- Something with no number at all, or a brand-new name.
- “Windows 12”, finally shipped.
- “Windows 13”.
- A jump to “Windows 14”.
That’s a hunch, not data. “Windows 13” wouldn’t be our first pick.
Today’s system and a successor: what would change
Since the successor doesn’t exist, any comparison is speculation. The first column below is fact, and the other one isn’t.
| Factor | Windows 11 (2026) | Windows 13 (speculative) |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware floor | TPM 2.0, Secure Boot capable PC, 64-bit CPU on Microsoft’s list | Possibly an NPU requirement |
| Architecture | x64 and Arm64 | Arm and x64 as equals |
| AI integration | Copilot app plus AI features, more on Copilot+ PCs | AI built into shell and OS layer |
| Storage model | Local files with OneDrive sync | Cloud first, local cache |
| Account | Microsoft account pushed during setup | Likely pushed even harder |
| App compatibility | Win32, UWP, x64 emulation on Arm | Unknown |
| Release model | Annual feature updates | Unknown |
Nothing in the second column comes from Microsoft. It reads signals from where the engineering budget goes today.
Take it as a direction, not as scripture.
Preparing before anything is announced
Four steps help whatever the next version is called. None depends on Microsoft announcing anything.
Buy hardware with headroom
If you’re replacing a PC anyway, a recent CPU with a capable NPU is the safest bet.
A machine that fails today’s check can’t wait as long. We’d start shopping now, because moving on your own schedule beats being forced.
Stay current and watch the Insider Program
Install 26H2 when Windows Update offers it. The Canary and Dev Channels of the Windows Insider Program get experimental builds first.
Anything real about a successor would appear there before any blog could write about it.
Sort out your license
Cracked copies and dodgy KMS activators often break during major upgrades. A genuine license becomes a digital license tied to your hardware.
That’s what carried people from Windows 10 to 11 at no cost.
A handful of edge cases exist where free Windows 10 and Windows 11 keys are legitimate. That page explains them.
Audit your software today
Check for anything old that you depend on.
- 32-bit apps
- Software built for old .NET Framework versions
- Drivers from 2014
They’re already on borrowed time. Finding replacements ahead of a migration beats scrambling during one.
We’d run
winveronce a quarter. If it still shows 24H2 on Home or Pro, check Windows Update for the latest feature update.
Where to follow the news
Follow it at the source. Any genuine announcement would appear there first, long before it shows up in rumor videos.
| Source | Why it’s worth watching |
|---|---|
| Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information page on Microsoft Learn | Versions and builds show up here first |
| The Windows Insider Blog | Build numbers there tell you what is being tested right now |
| Microsoft Build in spring and Microsoft Ignite in November | Any significant announcement normally lands at one of these two events |
| Established tech outlets with long track records | Read them for analysis, and check Microsoft’s pages for facts |
- Windows Central
- Windows Latest
- Neowin
- Ars Technica
Headlines shouting “Windows 13 release date CONFIRMED” with a specific date deserve no click. Nobody serious has that information, because it doesn’t exist yet.
Common mistakes around the Windows 13 release date
- Trusting a video thumbnail over Microsoft’s release page.
- Downloading an ISO from a forum or a file host.
- Turning antivirus off because a download asks for it.
- Trying to install 26H1 on an existing PC.
- Holding back a purchase for a version with no date.
- Reading a codename or a build number as a product name.
- Staying on 24H2 when 26H2 is on offer.
- Running a cracked copy into a major upgrade.
Terms used on this page
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Feature update | The yearly version update, such as 26H2 |
| Annual cadence | Microsoft’s stated rhythm of one feature update a year |
| Enablement package | A small update that switches on features already on the disk |
| Windows Insider Program | Microsoft’s free channel for testing early builds |
| Canary and Dev Channels | The Insider channels that get experimental builds first |
| Build number | The internal number of a version, such as 26300 |
| Codename | An internal project name, such as Germanium |
| NPU | Neural processing unit, a chip part for AI work |
| Copilot+ PC | A PC with an NPU of 40+ TOPS |
| Digital license | An activation tied to your hardware |
| Release health pages | Microsoft’s public record of versions, builds and known issues |
| In-place update | An update installed over the running system |
| KMS activator | An unlicensed tool that fakes volume activation |
| Mockup | A design picture or video of software that doesn’t exist |
| winver | The command that shows your version and build |
Typical Windows 13 questions and what’s behind them
An ISO linked under a “leak” video
Download links under those videos lead to files that aren’t from Microsoft. Some carry malware, cryptominers included. Already ran one? We’d go for a clean reinstall of Windows 11 from Microsoft’s own media.
Looking for 26H1 in Windows Update
It won’t show up on a 2024 or 2025 laptop. Version 26H1 is for new devices only. Version 26H2 is the one Windows Update offers.
Waiting for the next number before buying
Nothing has been announced, so there’s nothing to wait for. Windows 11 bought today gets the yearly updates free.
A “Windows 13” screenshot that’s really a skin
Themed taskbars and Start menus come from tools such as StartAllBack. Run winver on such a PC. It still reports Windows 11.
Activation lost after a major upgrade
PCs running a KMS activator tend to lose activation after big upgrades. A genuine key activates through Microsoft’s servers. The next update leaves it alone.
The “quantum chip required” rumor
That claim comes from fan wikis, not from Microsoft. For a PC bought now, we’d point to a recent CPU with an NPU and leave it there.
Build 28000 mistaken for a successor
Build 28000 is Windows 11, version 26H1, for new devices. The table of builds above clears it up.
Windows 13 release date in India, the US and other countries
There’s no regional date either. Nothing worldwide, so nothing for India.
Windows doesn’t launch country by country. Microsoft’s Windows 11 release information page lists one availability date per version, with no country column. Version 26H2, for example: September 29, 2026, worldwide.
- Windows 11 itself became available on October 5, 2021, as one global release.
- No separate dates per country on Microsoft’s release pages.
- Prices differ by country. Dates don’t.
So a “Windows 13 release date in India” headline with a specific day is a guess dressed up as news. Same for the “Windows 13 in 2030” videos. Could it be 2030? Sure. Nothing from Microsoft points to it.
Sources for the dates on this page
We checked every date on this page against Microsoft’s own pages, as of November 2026.
| Source | What we took from it |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Learn: Windows 11 release information | Versions, builds and availability for 24H2, 25H2, 26H1 and 26H2 |
| Microsoft Learn: Windows 11, version 26H1 notes for IT pros | New devices only, no in-place update from 24H2 or 25H2 |
| Microsoft Q&A | Recurring user threads on “Windows 13” downloads and availability |
Statements marked as estimates, guesses or speculation are our own reading of the signals. Microsoft hasn’t said any of that.
The legal way: a genuine product key that activates on Microsoft’s servers. We sell Windows keys that activate online with Microsoft, with no scripts and nothing left running on the PC. We send each key instant to email.
FAQ
What is the Windows 13 release date?
There isn't one. As of November 2026, Microsoft hasn't announced the product anywhere. The current release is version 26H2 of Windows 11, available since September 29. Microsoft describes the system as having an annual feature update cadence.
Is Windows 13 coming out this year or in 2027?
Not in 2026, when the big release of the year was version 26H2. For 2027 there's no sign of it either. A numbered successor would need a long public Insider phase first. We'd watch the Insider channels, which currently carry Windows 11 builds only.
Will Microsoft release Windows 13 at all?
Microsoft hasn't confirmed any plans for it. It skipped Windows 9 in 2015 and could skip 13 too. It could also reuse the Windows 12 name or drop version numbers. Until Microsoft announces something, we'd treat any name as a guess.
Is Windows 12 coming before Windows 13?
Windows 12 was rumored for two years running, but Microsoft never announced it. It kept releasing feature updates to the current system instead. Neither name is on Microsoft's public roadmap, so we'd wait for an announcement.
Should I buy Windows 11 or wait for Windows 13?
Buy Windows 11. It gets free yearly feature updates. Waiting could take years for a version that may never launch under that name, so we wouldn't.
Are the Windows 13 videos and ISO downloads real?
No. Every video of a working Windows 13 desktop shows a mockup or a themed copy of the current system. Every ISO under that name is fake and often malware. We'd download Windows only from Microsoft, through Windows Update, the Insider Program, the Update Catalog or its download page.
What is Windows 11 26H1, and can I install it?
Version 26H1, build 28000, launched on February 10, 2026 for new devices only. The first Snapdragon X2 laptops shipped with it. Microsoft doesn't offer it as an update from 24H2 or 25H2. So we'd move an existing PC to 26H2.