Microsoft quietly finalized Windows 11 version 22H2 this week, but you don’t need to wait until September or October to upgrade. Here’s how.
I’ve identified two simple ways to upgrade today (assuming you’re on Windows 11 version 21H2, which is the original shipping version of the product), and I’ve tried both. They are:
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Open Settings (WINKEY + I), navigate to Windows Update, and check for and install any pending updates, rebooting as needed. Then, navigate to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program to enroll your PC temporarily in the Windows Insider Program. Select “Get Started,” link your Microsoft account as prompted, and then choose “Beta Channel (Recommended)” and select “Continue” twice. Then, select “Reboot now” to reboot.
When the PC reboots, sign in, open Settings, and navigate to Windows Update. If it doesn’t do so automatically, check for updates and let it download “Windows 11 Insider Preview 22621.1 (ni_release).”
That could take a while, but once it prompts you to reboot, do so, and it will upgrade the PC to Windows 11 22H2. When it’s done, sign in normally.
After making sure your PC is up-to-date via Windows Update (as above), use your web browser to navigate to the Windows Insider Preview Downloads website. Sign in with the Microsoft account you use for the Windows Insider Program, refresh the page if needed, and then scroll down to the “Select edition” section. From the “Select edition” drop-down menu, select “Windows 11 Insider Preview (Beta Channel) – Build 22621,” click “Confirm,” and then download the ISO (“Windows11_InsiderPreview_Client_x64_en-us_22621.iso”) to your computer. This is the final build of Windows 11 22H2.
When that’s done, find the ISO, double-click it to mount it in your file system and open a File Explorer window, and then double-click Setup.exe to get Setup started.
Step through the Windows 11 Setup application as prompted, noting that once it hits this full-screen blue interface, it could reboot at any time.
It should take 20-30 minutes to complete. When it’s done, sign in normally.
Using either method, you will want to open Settings and navigate to Windows Update > Windows Insider Program after the update is complete. There, you will find an option called “Unenroll this device when the next version of Windows releases” under the “Stop getting builds” section. Be sure to check (enable) this option. That way, you will be back on stable once 22H2 ships officially and will simply get updates each month normally going forward.