Windows 11 Version 24H2 is Now Available on the Release Preview Channel

As Microsoft’s Build developer conference is still ongoing, the company has just announced that Windows 11, version 24H2, the annual feature update for the OS is now available for Insiders on the Release Preview Channel. The Windows Insider team said that the update will be generally available “later this calendar year,” but the first Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs coming in June will ship with this update.

Microsoft has been testing Windows 11 version 24H2 with Insiders on the Dev Channel for a couple of weeks. This update will bring improvements to Copilot on Windows, File Explorer, the taskbar, and many other Windows features. However, the AI-powered Recall feature that Microsoft announced on Monday will only be available on Copilot+ PCs at launch.

Here are the main features included in Windows 11 version 24H2:

Copilot improvements: Copilot on Windows is becoming a standalone app that can be moved around the screen and resized. The Copilot shortcut will also be moved to the center of the Windows taskbar.

Voice Clarity: This AI-powered feature was previously exclusive to Surface devices, and it can improve audio quality in apps and games using Communications Signal Processing Mode.

File Explorer improvements: Users will be able to create 7-zip and TAR archives in addition to the existing ZIP support.

Sudo for Windows: Windows 11 is adding support for Linux-like sudo command for elevating individual commands to Administrator permissions in a non-elevated Terminal window.

Wireless connectivity improvements: This update will add Wi-Fi 7 support and bring improvements for connecting Bluetooth Low Energy Audio devices

Quick Settings improvements: Microsoft is adding a scrollable view of the quick settings flyout from the taskbar.

Energy saver: This new feature will reduce power consumption and increase battery life by limiting some background activities. It will also work on desktop PCs without batteries.

HDR background support: Users with HDR displays will be able to set up .jxr images as their desktop background and have them rendered in HDR.

For Windows Insiders on the Release Preview Channel, Windows 11 version 24H2 is currently available via the “seeker” experience in Windows Update. Commercial customers enrolled in the Windows Insider Program for Business can get it through Windows Update for Business (WUfB) and Windows Server Update Service (WSUS), with Azure Marketplace availability coming soon. Lastly, ISOs for the update (Build 26100.712) will also be available later today on the Windows Insider ISO download page.