What’s New With Windows 11 in 2026

Windows 11 is simpler, more attractive, and more modern than its predecessors, but it’s also familiar and offers the same basic interactions and interfaces. It was first introduced by Microsoft in 2021 and has since rapidly evolved and improved with new features and bug and security fixes, and to address customer concerns.

I will dive into these topics in more detail throughout the book, but here is a quick breakdown of the major changes, improvements, and features available in Windows 11 in 2026.

It’s not about version numbers anymore

In the past, Microsoft updated each Windows version in turn, moving between major releases like Windows 10 and Windows 11 and annual interim releases like Windows 11 version 21H2 (where 21 indicates the year of release and H2 means “second half”; so this is a version from the second half of 2021) and 22H2. But things have changed in recent years.

Microsoft has continued releasing a new Windows 11 version each year, usually in the second half of the year. And each of these versions is supported for two years for the Windows 11 Home and Pro product editions used by individuals. But now each supported version of Windows 11 is updated with the same set of new features and fixes. So, at the time of this writing, Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 are current and supported, and are functionally identical.

2026 also saw the introduction of an unusual additional release, called Windows 11 version 26H1, that is made available only on new laptops running Windows 11 on Arm on new Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors. Like other supported versions of this product, Windows 11 version 26H1 is functionally identical to the other current and supported versions, though the introduction of new features in 26H1 sometimes trails 24H2 and 25H2 by a month.

Because of this change, this book no longer covers a specific Windows 11 version. Instead, it covers all supported Windows 11 versions, which include Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1.

Shifting hardware requirements

When Microsoft first introduced Windows 11, the system’s new hardware requirements triggered some pushback from customers because they seemed to arbitrarily exclude PCs that were several years old or more. Microsoft also required PCs to have an enabled Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 security trip for the first time, though it had said it would instate this requirement years earlier.

Today, the Windows 11 hardware requirements are reasonable. If anything, many of them–like the RAM and storage requirements–are unrealistically low. And it is not difficult to work around these requirements and install or upgrade the latest supported version of Windows 11 on just about any PC.

Also, there have been two major developments to the Windows 11 hardware requirements in recent years.

In 2024, Microsoft created a Copilot+ PC brand to identify a new class of PCs that have high-end and modern microprocessors, integrated and powerful neural processing units (NPUs), and higher base levels of RAM and storage. Those PCs that meet this specification gain numerous additional Windows 11 capabilities based on local AI, running on those PCs instead of in the cloud, that take advantage of the unique hardware.

In 2026, Microsoft set out to improve the underlying performance and reliability of Windows 11, an effort that includes lowering the overall resource usage of the system. This makes Windows 11 more usable on lower-end PCs that meet the minimum hardware requirements, and these updates should provide some headroom for those who don’t wish to upgrade to a new PC.

Better software updates

As part of the performance and reliability focus noted above, Microsoft is adjusting how it updates Windows 11 so that it is more predictable and interrupts your work less frequently. Most users will simply benefit from this work without having to make any configuration changes. But those that like to micromanage updates or ensure that they always have the latest new features as soon as possible will see interesting changes in Windows Update.

Basic user interfaces and interactions

Windows 11 introduced a new user experience based on Microsoft’s Fluent design system that helps make the system look and feel simpler and more modern than its predecessors. It supports the same physical interactions as before–via keyboard, mouse and touchpad, multitouch displays, and smart pens–and consists of the same basic desktop user interface (UI) that Windows has utilized since 1995.

But there are visual refreshes and other updates all around. Like your smartphone, Windows 11 supports Light and Dark UI modes Key interfaces like Start and Taskbar icons are now centered by default. And windows and controls now display with curved corners instead of the sharp-edged corners from before, helping to make Windows 11 feel calmer and cleaner.

The Windows 11 Desktop is largely unchanged with a single Recycle Bin icon and the same basic functionality as in previous versions. But right-click context menus have been dramatically simplified and redesigned with the new look and feel.

The Taskbar has been redesigned with a Widgets icon on the far left, Start, Search, Task view, and pinned app icons in the center, and a system tray with Network, Volume, and Power system icons and a time/date display in the system tray on the far right. The Taskbar right-click context menu has been made radically simpler. You can click the Network, Volume, or Power system icons to access a new Quick settings interface. And you can click the time/date display to access the Notification center, which provides separate Notifications and Calendar flyouts.

The Start menu has been overhauled several times since the initial release of Windows 11, and it now supports improved personalization capabilities.

Windows 11 also provides a modern Settings app that largely replaces the legacy Control Panel and provides access to an incredible range of settings, personalization and accessibility features, Windows Update, recovery tools, and more.

Multitasking

Windows 11 presents a refined set of multitasking tools, most of which will be familiar to long-time Windows users.

Alt + Tab is still available for switching between open apps and other windows, and it pulls in your three most recent Microsoft Edge tabs now by default, too. And Task view is a more persistent form of Alt + Tab with additional capabilities that include access to Desktops, a virtual desktop feature.

You can use Snap features like Snap layouts, Snap suggestions, and Snap groups to manage the placement or layout of on-screen apps and windows. And Task Manager has been significantly updated for those who need control over running processes and services, startup apps, and other low-level system functions. But you can also use an optional new “End task” option in the right-click context menu for Taskbar app shortcuts for quickly terminating badly behaving and crashed apps.

Files and sync

File Explorer is the Windows 11 file management app, and it’s been updated repeatedly since the initial release of this platform with a modern look and feel, improved right-click context menus, new Home and Gallery views, deep integration with Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service, support for ZIP and several other archive file formats, and more.

The OneDrive integration includes useful features like Files On Demand, which lets you sync content from the cloud to the local file system so that it’s available when the PC is offline and Folder backup, a sync feature that helps protect the content in key local folders like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures.

Apps

Windows 11 features a completely redesigned Microsoft Store with a much wider range of apps and games and improved navigation, and it will manage app updates automatically in most cases. But users can continue to download apps as needed from the web, of course, and use more technical and automated solutions like the Windows Package Manager (winget), a command line interface (CLI) for finding, installing, and managing apps from the web and the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft Edge and web browsers

Windows 11 includes the Microsoft Edge web browser, which is modern, powerful, and attractive-looking. Unfortunately, Microsoft Edge is also controversial because it will ignore your choices if you prefer using another web browser by default and uses dark patterns to fool you into configuring it in ways that benefit Microsoft but harm your privacy. Fortunately, you can fix this with third-party utilities.

Other in-box apps

In addition to the Microsoft Store, Microsoft Edge, and File Explorer, Microsoft bundles numerous apps, many of high quality, with Windows 11. And many of these apps deliver AI-based functionality that can be quite useful.

Depending on your PC, you will find the Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot chatbot app preinstalled, providing you with access to Microsoft’s cloud-hosted AI capabilities similar to those found in OpenAI ChatGPT and Anthropic Claude. Some features are limited unless you pay for Copilot through a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Core long-time in-box apps like Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool have received major functionality updates in recent years, many AI-based, as have the Photos app and Clipchamp, a powerful video editor. And Microsoft Teams replaced Skype years ago for those who wish to chat, call, or have meetings with others.

And then there are more modern in-box apps. Media Player replaces the classic Windows Media Player app from yesterday and helps you manage and play locally-stored music and video files. And Phone Link integrates deeply with your smartphone, especially if you have an Android-based phone, so you can access many of that device’s features directly on your PC.

Videogames

Windows has long been one of the most popular ways to play videogames, and Microsoft supports Windows 11-based gamers with a dedicated Xbox app that supports, among other things, Microsoft’s Game Pass subscriptions and Microsoft Store-based game purchases, a dedicated Xbox Mode for gamers that improves performance and reliability, and a Game Bar for taking screenshots, recording videos, broadcasting live game play footage, interacting with your friends, and more without having to leave the game you’re playing.

User accounts, security, and recovery

Microsoft makes it particularly easy for users to sign in to Windows 11 using its Microsoft account (MSA) and Microsoft Work and School account, but you can also use a local account if you prefer.

Either way, you can protect your sign-in account with Windows Hello biometric authentication, secure the disks in your PC with device encryption, and use Windows Security, Windows Defender, and other integrated security tools to protect you and your data while using Windows 11. And if something does go wrong, Windows 11 offers a growing set of recovery tools to help set things right.

Power user capabilities

Power users, developers, engineers, and others who need more can take advantage of the powerful and modern Terminal app and its support for multiple command line environments and CLIs.

And there is a new Advanced interface in the Settings app where you can configure these and other power user features directly.