Image: Microsoft
On Friday, Microsoft released the first build of Windows 11 26H1—and as suspected, you won’t need to worry about it.
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000 to the Canary Channel, the most experimental of the four Windows Insider channels. “With this build today, Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel will see the versioning updated under Settings> System> About (and winver) to Windows 11, version 26H1,” the company said in a blog post.
In the announcement, Microsoft was fairly clear that Windows 11 26H1 won’t be something that consumers will have to worry about.
“26H1 is not a feature update for version 25H2 and only includes platform changes to support specific silicon,” the blog post noted. “There is no action required from customers.”
“[Windows 11] 25H2 remains the primary place for new features,” the post added. “Windows 11 continues to have an annual feature update cadence, with releases in the second half of the calendar year.”
Microsoft’s statement is in line with what tipster Phantomofearth revealed little more than a week ago: that the Windows 11 26H1 release was specifically aimed at new silicon. The leaker claimed that the new silicon in question was the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite, which should ship in early 2026. Microsoft basically used the earlier Snapdragon X Elite as a test bed, rolling out new features on that platform first, then adding support for other Copilot+ processors like Intel’s Core Ultra 200 chips and the AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors.
Although Microsoft could adjust course and launch a new feature or two on the Windows 11 26H1 channel, it looks like enthusiasts who want to try out and test new Windows features should remain on Windows 11 25H2 for now. You can double-check which version your PC is on by using the “winget” command within Windows.
Again, the Canary Channel is purely experimental. “The builds we release to the Canary Channel represent the latest platform changes early in the development cycle and should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows,” Microsoft noted. “Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.”
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers’ News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.