What's new in official Windows 11 26H2?

From this point on, Windows 25H2 users have begun to receive the biggest update in 2026 for their devices, version 26H2. It sounds big, but actually both 25H2 and 26H2 are in the same branch and the same core, so the update happens very quickly, stably and with few errors (that's what Microsoft says). Specifically, Microsoft deploys 26H2 using the enablement package, meaning that the device is in a compatible version that can be quickly upgraded with just one reboot. This approach is similar to previous small feature updates of Windows, to reduce installation time and limit differences between versions. Other than a major OS upgrade, Windows 11 26H2 has similar scope to 25H2. This release continues to share the same platform, update branches, core system components, and security patches as Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, so there are no major platform changes or new compatibility risks. The most notable goal of 26H2 is to refresh the support lifecycle: individual users will receive an additional 24 months of support, while enterprise customers will get 36 months. Because it shares the same platform with 25H2, software and devices that are operating stably on this version will in principle continue to be compatible with 26H2. New features have actually been brought to the device through monthly cumulative updates, some are still in standby state and only turn on when installing the 26H2 activation package. According to Microsoft, businesses will therefore spend less testing effort than a traditional feature update.

The most notable new features on Windows 11 26H2

First, you can customize the size of the taskbar and its position on the Desktop. Perhaps among the features of version 26H2, I am looking forward to this the most. For many years, the Windows 11 taskbar has been too big compared to the general design, taking up space without doing much. Luckily, Microsoft has customized it to make it smaller and look better.

Next is the Windows Search improvement, users will have the option to turn off Bing search, the results will focus on what is on the device, focus on searching local files, and handle spelling errors better when users mistype, still retrieving results based on character guessing.

With File Explorer, users will have the Ask Copilot and AI Actions features when right-clicking on files, additional AI operations for photos, the ability to summarize OneDrive and SharePoint documents, and additional compression format support.

The Start menu has more views and size options, the taskbar has more placement and a smaller size. Task Manager displays NPU memory and usage. Magnifier, Narrator and Voice access are all upgraded, in which Voice access supports natural language commands on Copilot+ PC. Some features that were temporarily controlled on 25H2 are now enabled by default on 26H2, including backing up Windows settings, app-specific actions on the taskbar, and navigation improvements in File Explorer. Regarding security, Administrator protection grants immediate administrative rights when needed and separates user profiles, helping to prevent privilege escalation attacks. This feature can be enabled via Microsoft Intune or Group Policy. Windows now has built-in Sysmon to log system events for threat detection, disabled by default. Smart App Control can be turned on or off without having to reinstall Windows from scratch. Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security extends support to compatible removable fingerprint sensors. The operating system also adds APIs for two post-quantum cryptographic algorithms ML-KEM and ML-DSA standardized by NIST, used via CNG and .NET. Additionally, the Windows kernel no longer trusts cross-signed third-party drivers by default, keeping support only for WHCP drivers and a few specified legacy drivers. In the administration area, Windows Autopilot supports device linking to identify trusted machines before registering. The settings backup and restore feature now applies to machines participating in Microsoft Entra hybrid, Cloud PC, and multi-user environments. Point-in-time restore allows you to return your device to the nearest automatic restore point, including applications, settings and personal files. Businesses and schools can remove additional pre-installed Microsoft applications via Group Policy. The RSAT toolkit also runs on Windows 11 Arm64 machines.