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Windows 11 2024 Update
| Version of Microsoft Windows | |
 | |
 | |
| OS family | Windows 11 (NT 10.0) |
|---|---|
| Version | 24H2 |
| Semester | Germanium |
| Architecture | AMD64, ARM64 |
| Latest build | 10.0.26120.2705 (Dev Channel) 10.0.26100.2605 (Release Preview Channel) |
| Release date | 2024-10-01 |
| Support end | 2026-10-13 (Home, Pro, SE) 2027-10-12 (Education, Enterprise) 2029-10-09 (Enterprise LTSC) 2034-10-10 (IoT Enterprise LTSC) |
| Server counterpart | |
| Windows Server 2025 | |
| Replaces | |
| Windows 11 2023 Update | |
Windows 11 2024 Update[1] (also known as version 24H2) is a major feature update for Windows 11, succeeding the 2023 Update. It was first announced on 8 February 2024 with the release of build 26052 to the Dev and Canary channels along with its server counterpart.[2] The version was made generally available on 1 October 2024, although it already came preinstalled with certain new devices as early as June 2024.[a]
It is an incremental improvement over the previous release, introducing underlying quality-of-life changes towards printing support and energy saving, as well as usability improvements across the user interface such as a new machine learning-based history tool dubbed "Recall", a simplified networking experience, accessibility changes and various security improvements, most notably the deprecation of the legacy NTLM security protocol and mailslots.
Main changes[edit | edit source]
Features exclusive to Copilot+ PCs[edit | edit source]
These features are only available for Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft's new classification for computers that include a neural processing unit.
Windows Recall[edit | edit source]
History of the user's past actions can now be recorded and retrieved using Recall, an app based on a machine learning model that extends upon the initial functionality offered by the GPT-4-based Microsoft Copilot chatbot. Results produced by the model are stored inside of a SQLite database. The feature is opt-in and can be enabled in Settings.
The feature has initially garnered strong pushback by security researchers, privacy advocates and governments worldwide for its lackluster security (despite claims by Microsoft alleging otherwise), the lack of appropriate consent options provided to the user (in addition to it being automatically enabled by default in early RTM update builds), as well as creating a potential vector for abuse scenarios such as domestic violence or stalking.[3] Due to this, Microsoft delayed the preview of Recall multiple times, most recently to December 2024. [4]
Windows Studio Effects[edit | edit source]
A suite of AI-powered video call and audio effects, known as Windows Studio Effects, have been added. These effects include background blurring, voice isolation and noise cancelling, among others.
AI image generation in Paint and Photos[edit | edit source]
Cocreator, an AI image generator and assistance tool for Paint; and Image Creator, another image generator for Photos; have been added. An image manipulation tool called Restyle Image has also been added to Photos, which allow existing photos to be modified based on the given prompt.
Translation in Live Captions[edit | edit source]
Live Captions now support the live translation of audio and videos in 44 different languages.
Features available for all devices[edit | edit source]
Accessibility improvements[edit | edit source]
Various accessibility improvements have been added to the operating system. Most notably, the operating system can now read the user's written text out loud and act as a speaker, via the user's customized synthetic voice (only available if the device has an associated Microsoft account) or through several built-in natural voice synthesizers. In addition, custom voice commands are now supported by the Voice Access feature, and hearing aids that implement the Bluetooth Low Energy specification are now directly supported by Windows. The ability to draw a crosshair centered on the mouse pointer has been added to the operating system.
Machine learning models can now be used to further improve the overall quality of voice input during online communications through the introduction of Voice Clarity, a feature originally first introduced exclusively as part of the Microsoft Surface line of computers.
Security improvements[edit | edit source]
Protected Printing Mode[edit | edit source]
Improvements to printing have also been introduced with the addition of a new protected printing mode, implemented by a generic Mopria-certified Internet Printing Protocol driver.[5] This change complements the phase-out of OEM-provided printer drivers, which are more susceptible to a broader range of security flaws.[6] Privileges in the existing printer spooling service have also been reduced to only provide the necessary privileges needed in order to send documents to a networked printer, and XPS document conversion is now performed at a user level rather than under full system privileges in an effort to reduce memory corruption attacks.
Server Message Block (SMB)[edit | edit source]
NTLM authentication requests can now be throttled over a set duration of time if a user sends a bad request. Server Message Block requests are now signed in all Windows releases by default in an effort to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, and new group policies for minimum and maximum SMB versions have also been added.
Local Account Password System (LAPS)[edit | edit source]
LAPS has gained an automatic account management feature with the ability to create and modify accounts. Policies have been improved and LAPS can now detect if Windows has been rolled back to an older version or not.
Other changes and deprecations[edit | edit source]
Support for SHA-3 hashing and derived functions have been added to the operating system. The Documents, Pictures and Desktop folders of the user can now be encrypted with Personal Data Encryption (PDE), which can be enabled through Intune.
As part of a gradual phase-out process, the NTLM security protocol has been replaced by Kerberos to prevent further future pass the hash and SMBRelay attacks against existing user accounts. Non-local mailslots (a primitive IPC mechanism) have also been deprecated, and are disabled by default.
Windows Setup[edit | edit source]
The modernized Windows Setup user interface first introduced as part of Windows 8 has been updated to support installations made via the Windows Preinstallation Environment, starting with build 26040. Initial efforts to support installations via the modernized interface from a ramdisk-based environment were first attempted during early Windows 10 development builds from as early as build 9780, but were later abandoned.
The older setup user interface introduced as part of Windows Vista may be accessed through a separate option presented at the start of setup.
User Account Control[edit | edit source]
This version of Windows largely improves upon the existing User Account Control mechanism by introducing Sudo for Windows, an open-source command-line tool directly inspired by the Unix sudo command, which allows users to run other programs as the root superuser.[7] Despite the name, Sudo for Windows is not based on its Unix counterpart, and is instead written from scratch in the Rust programming language. It does not aim to be compatible with the original implementation either due to the differences between the Windows and Unix permission systems, notably the absence of a superuser account. It can be enabled via the sudo config --enable command, or within a developer-specific toggle included as part of the Settings application.
Sudo for Windows supports multiple modes of operation with varying levels of isolation from unelevated processes. The new window mode merely triggers a User Account Control prompt for the given command and exits. The input disabled and inline modes work by running a second, elevated instance of Sudo itself which runs the given command and redirects its standard streams (excluding the standard input stream if running in input disabled mode) via remote procedure calls to the original, unelevated instance.
Networking[edit | edit source]
Support for the IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) standard has been implemented.
File storage[edit | edit source]
Native support for data compression in storage replicas and within the ReFS file system has been introduced, and thin disk provisioning support has been added to the Storage Spaces feature.
Performance[edit | edit source]
Branch prediction optimizations for AMD Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors have been added.
List of known builds[edit | edit source]
Available build Confirmed build Unconfirmed build Fake build Copper[edit | edit source]
Pre-Dev Channel[edit | edit source]
Dev Channel[edit | edit source]
Development of Copper fluently transitioned into the next milestone, Zinc around build 25240[8] and did not enter a stabilization phase usually associated with the creation of release branches.
Zinc[edit | edit source]
Dev Channel[edit | edit source]
Canary Channel[edit | edit source]
The Dev Channel was rebooted in March 2023, with the original Dev Channel being replaced with the new Canary Channel.
Gallium[edit | edit source]
Pre-Canary Channel[edit | edit source]
Canary Channel[edit | edit source]
Development of Gallium fluently transitioned into the next milestone, Germanium around build 25941 and did not enter a stabilization phase usually associated with the creation of release branches.
Germanium[edit | edit source]
For builds from the
ge_prerelease branch, see Germanium.Canary Channel[edit | edit source]
Dev Channel[edit | edit source]
RTM[edit | edit source]
RTM Updates[edit | edit source]
General availability (Copilot+ PCs)[edit | edit source]
Release Preview Channel[edit | edit source]
General availability[edit | edit source]
Post-GA updates[edit | edit source]
Dev Channel (ge_release_svc_betaflt branch)[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windows-insider/commit/0c3a448224a9a8d6a945e9539e64fe7007c0990f
- ↑ Langowski, Amanda; LeBlanc, Brandon. Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26052 (Canary and Dev Channels), Windows Insider Blog, 8 February 2024.
- ↑ Don’t forget about Recall, because Recall won’t forget about you
- ↑ Microsoft just delayed Recall again
- ↑ Norman, Jonathan. A new modern and secure print experience from Windows, Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Blog. 13 December 2023.
- ↑ Golden, Barry et al. End of servicing plan for third-party printer drivers on Windows, Microsoft Learn. 14 December 2023.
- ↑ Adoumie, Jordi. Introducing Sudo for Windows!, Windows Command Line. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/thebookisclosed/status/1602638935011856384
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