Status Update 3: Windows 11 Field Guide 2026 Edition

A little under two months ago, I set out to completely update the Windows 11 Field Guide to a new 2026 edition. The earliest work involved removing out-of-date content, consolidating multiple chapters into single chapters where possible, and adding several new chapters, and other changes. But most of the subsequent work has involved rewriting the entire book with an eye on making it smaller, easier for me to preview and publish, and easier for readers to use the book.

This was a lot of work, but steady progress always helps. At one point, this book was over 300 MB in size and over 1150 pages long in PDF form. By late June, it was about 103 MB in size and 990 pages long. In early July, I had shrunk it down to about 74 MB and 839 pages.

With today’s update, I have completely rewritten every single chapter in the Windows 11 Field Guide. And the book is now just 44 MB in size and 746 pages in PDF from.

This is a big deal for me and a goal I honestly wasn’t sure I’d achieve before I moved on to the next edition of the book, which will have a more extensive design change. But it’s also not done yet. In addition to covering any new features that Microsoft delivers to Windows 11 between now and the end of September, I have a lot of fit and finish work to get through. And at least two new chapters I’d like to add, for Home Networking and Windows Share (which will incorporate the current Nearby Sharing chapter). And then I have some bundles I’d like to create at Leanpub.

But that’s for a later day. For now, this is a milestone that long seemed unobtainable.

You can purchase or download the Windows 11 Field Guide on Leanpub. If you’re a Thurrott Premium member, you can download the latest version of the book in PDF and EPUB formats directly.